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The following is an excerpt from Sue Lilly’s Book “The Essence Practitioner”, (Published by Singing Dragon 2014  ISBN: 978-1-84819-250-8)

The Wonder of Water

To begin to understand the way essences are made and are thought to work it is worth looking more closely at the carrier of most essences – water.

Water covers around 71% of the surface of the Earth, 98% of that 71% is in the oceans. We are 70% water. We also have other special relationships with water – Too much – we die; Too little – we die.

Water is a prerequisite for life to even have evolved on this planet. Enzymes and other compounds that are necessary for life do not work without water.

Water is the second most common molecule in the universe, the first being hydrogen (H2).

Although water has been widely studied, it properties continue to intrigue scientists and hints of its abilities are not completely understood by many.

Most people know the chemical formula for water:

H2O

This means that for every oxygen atom, there are two hydrogen ones.

T1

To try to understand why water is so special the Periodic Table of Elements (see above) needs to be examined. It holds a lot of information about the different elements that make up our environment and how they relate to one another. This table as we see it today was built up over 150 years. Though most people attribute it to Mendeleev in 1869, it is still being adjusted today in the 21st century to accommodate new discoveries.
The table shows, at the top left is the lightest element, hydrogen (H). Following the table downwards shows the number of electrons, protons and neutrons in the atom increasing. This is reflected by the atomic number and the fact that the atoms themselves get heavier as the elements change name and quality.

The table also shows what Mendeleev did and that was to arrange the elements with similar properties together. This also enabled scientists to see where there were gaps for unknown elements, like the later named, germanium. For example, in the second column we have several elements that are related to one another and that are known from mineralogy – berylium, magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium. The further down the listing, the heavier the atom is, so if a piece of gypsum/selenite (calcium sulphate) is compared with a similar sized piece of celestite, the celestite would be noticeably heavier. Celestite is strontium sulphate SrSO4, and strontium is a much heavier atom than calcium.

T2

C – Carbon, N – Nitrogen, O-Oxygen, F – Fluorine
P – Phosphorus, S – Sulphur, Cl – Chlorine

Their proximity in the Table would suggest that these elements form similar compounds that behave in a similar way. When they combine with hydrogen this is indeed the case, apart from when oxygen and hydrogen mix.

Carbon + Hydrogen = Methane – a gas at room temperature
Nitrogen + Hydrogen = Ammonia – a gas at room temperature
Fluorine + Hydrogen = Hydrogen Fluoride – a gas at room temperature
Phosphorus+ Hydrogen = Phosphine – a gas at room temperature
Sulphur+ Hydrogen = Hydrogen Sulphide – a gas at room temperature
Chlorine + Hydrogen = Hydrogen Chloride – a gas at room temperature

All these gases are dangerous to health and poisonous in large quantities.
It should follow that the combination of oxygen with hydrogen would be a gas at room temperature and would also be poisonous – but it is neither. It breaks the rules.

Water is weird!

Water Molecules
One of the reasons for the weird behaviour of water is thought to be how the molecules of water interact with each other.

The water molecule is sometimes called the ‘Mickey Mouse’ molecule, mainly because it can be represented like this:T3

T4However there is an imbalance or inequality of how the oxygen atom and hydrogen atoms share their electrons. In effect the atoms become tiny magnets and they start to attract other molecules. This phenomenon is called ‘hydrogen bonding’.
These bonds are strong enough in water to give water its unusual properties. DNA and enzymes both depend on the hydrogen bonding of water. Surface tension is also evidence of hydrogen bonding.

T5

If there was no hydrogen bonding – there would be no life
If there was slightly weaker bonding – life would exist at lower temperatures
If there was slightly stronger bonding – life would exist at higher temperatures
If the bonding was much stronger – there would be no life

Hydrogen bonding in water means that at 4 degrees C water is at its maximum density. Above that temperature its volume expands and below that its volume also expands. Water becomes crystalline (ice) at 0 degrees C. Other compounds become denser as they get colder.

At atomic levels small clusters of water group together. This can happen in several ways and many ‘types’ of water have been identified. Ordinarily the clusters form and reform, some identical to others, some with similar part-patterns. This was only confirmed in 1998, but the idea of molecules replicating a pattern has been summed up by the phrase ‘the memory of water’, used by Jacques Benveniste (1935-2004). This brilliant man stirred up a lot of controversy over his experiments with water, which cost him his research post and some say he never recovered from the stress of those events.

His work was reported widely. Several laboratories set about reproducing his experiments and all succeeded except one, yet it was this one that was brought to everyone’s notice through the media. He was subsequently labelled as a quack and fraudster.

The memory of water is very short unless other materials or substances are present. So if water has a memory that needs to be preserved some ethanol could be added. This is what Dr Edward Bach did with the Bach Flower Remedies in 1928-1936. Other preservatives are vinegar, citricidal, honey, salt and glycerol. Using spring water as a starting point helps too, as it contains minute amounts of minerals that encourage the creation of the bonding mechanism. Even using glass equipment helps because some of the ions from the glass move into the water.

T6

Succussion, or rapid shaking of a liquid, encourages the patterns in the water to replicate, as in homoeopathic dilutions, but there is no explanation as to why a human being is then able to react and use this pattern as a healing tool.

In mineralogy, individual gems and crystals can be identified by the way the crystal lattice deflects laser light, and the angle between the atoms are so precise that correct identification can be made because the angle is always the same for that molecule.

The atomic bonding angle in water, however, is not constant. It varies from 104.27 degrees to 109.28 degrees, the norm being accepted as 104.35 degrees – this suggests that there could be lots of different ‘waters’, a belief held by many water energy experts.

Dr Bernard Grad (1920-2010) of McGill University discovered in the 1960s that if water was subjected to a small magnetic field or to light the atomic bonding in the water gets altered and there is also a reduction in surface tension. He went on to show that a person can emit enough of a magnetic field to alter the atomic bonds of water. Indeed when someone focused positive intent into the water and that water subsequently was used to water plants it resulted in strong growth of the plants. The effect of water focused on by someone who was upset or disturbed was shown to produce little or no additional growth in plants.

More recent research, first published in English in 2005 by Professor Bernd Kröplin from the University of Stuttgart has looked at the mechanisms by which water collects, stores and disseminates information. He showed that even the temporary influence of weak energy fields can cause changes in water structure. He showed that the effect on the water was influenced by the experimenter, so the phenomenon cannot be reproduced independent of an observer. In effect any work on water structure cannot ever be objective. The observer is inescapably part of the experiment and whatever their mood is added to the effect on the water. This last sentence is very important as it may well explain some of the failures by other researchers to reproduce Jacques Benveniste’s experiments in 1988.

Kröplin and his team took the work further. They looked at what happens when a single drop of water dries on a glass slide and is then observed through a dark-field lens. (The use of ‘dark field’ excludes the un-scattered beams of light from the image. This leaves the image on a black background). It was observed that distilled water left no trace. Different homeopathic potencies produced different, distinct patterns, distinctly different from water. Minnie Hein, a member of the research team was familiar with essences. She calls them ‘informed’ water as they have not been serially diluted and succussed. Water drops from the same essence dried by her and a colleague appeared slightly different from each other, though the basic characteristics remained the same. This also suggested that the experimenter was influencing the structure of the drops in some way. Even the same experimenter on different days using the same essence resulted in dried drops that varied slightly.

Minnie Hein, one of the experimenters, came to the conclusion that the dried drop was a joint picture of experimenter and ‘informed’ water. Over time this experiment was repeated again and again with different people, showing slightly varied drops. Experiments continued using human saliva. Two samples were collected by several experimenters. One was collected before people anchored their personal energies to the planet (being grounded) and calmed themselves (being centred), and the second taken after they had done so. Not only were the drops more coherent after each person was grounded and centred, but the drops taken by the each experimenters also had their own characteristics.

The team also looked at the dried drops of saliva when subjected to electromagnetic fields, like those produced by mobile phones. The subjected drops showed structures that were more rigid and less diverse.

Research has also been conducted by several people into how water flowing in certain ways affects the surface tension – in effect making it ‘wetter’. The most well know of these researchers was Vicktor Schauberger. (1855-1958). He discovered that if flowing water was made to pass through a vortex that spins the water anticlockwise towards the apex, it affected the surface tension of the water. By drinking water that has been ‘spun’ the body seems to heal quicker and become stronger.

Several studies have been carried out on the physical propertied of homeopathic potentised water. Wursumser (1948), Gay and Boiron (1953), Stephenson (1955) investigated the way light is absorbed by various potencies of chemicals like sodium chloride. They showed that anomalies in the light absorption of the various potencies could be measured and plotted to reflect the dilutions. Ansaloni and Vecchi in 1989 did similar work with water that had been potentised by healers.

Water responds to sound and can produce surface wave patterns when subjected to music (Hans Jenny (1904-1972) and Alexander Lauterwasser (1951-). The more popular work by Masaru Emoto (1943 -) has shown that ice crystals reflect the coherence of the music that the liquid was subjected to before it was frozen.

In conclusion it can be clearly seen that there has been a significant body of research into the phenomenon we call water and to how it holds energy patterns. Serial dilution and succussion has been shown to change how water reacts. The popular media and its pundits are always keen to trash homeopathy and the ‘fanciful’ idea that water has memory on the premise that there is no scientific evidence, even when there is plenty of replicable work done by brave researchers who are prepared to see for themselves, refusing to be confined to what they have been taught, or by the expectations and results of their peers.

As we approach the second full Moon in July, social media is also awash with message of doom because Venus and Uranus are in retrograde motion, I feel the urge to put some alternate views ‘out there’!
‘Blue Moon’ is a term applied to a second Full Moon with a calendar month or more rarely, within a zodiac sign. Technically it is the term usually applied to the third Full Moon in a season. Whatever the definition, considering we have 13 Full Moons in a solar year, squishing them into patterns of twelve, three or four will always leave one spare. So ‘blue moon’ are likely at least once a year – in other words it is actually no ‘big deal’.

The term ‘retrograde’ when used for planets in astrology refers to the optical illusion created by the view of planets from the Earth.

This is how it happens:

The Sun is the yellow circle.retrogrademotion
The blue circles show the positions of the Earth as it rotates about the Sun.
The red circles show the positions of a planet as it too, rotates around the Sun, but at a different speed from the Earth. (Venus and Mercury placements would be between the Earth and the Sun, but the basic pattern is the same)
We consider other planets in our Solar System from the Earth’s point of view.
Views 1, 2 & 3 – normal view
View 4 – when the speed of the Earth compared to the planet has taken it to a position when the planet appears to have reversed it course, compared to View 3.
View 5 – as View 4
View 6 – the planet’s position appears to be moving forward again when viewed from the Earth.

The Views 3, 4 and 5 are labelled as ‘retrograde’.
However the planet itself has simply stayed in its normal orbit.
So what is the fuss about?
1. It is important to remember that astrologically any planet does not cause us problems. It is no point pointing the blame for incidents in our lives on energies outside of ourselves. In sensitive and aware people the movement of the planets can accurately reflect energy changes within the personality and sub-personalities. When these are not managed, through naiveté, stubbornness or lack of awareness, outer events will reflect them back to us.
2. Seeing the diagram of retrograde above, the pattern created by the apparent path of the planet creates a loop that takes its path closer to the Earth. Many astrologers see this as an idea that retrograde planets push energies inward, creating a withdrawal of the energy from conscious levels of awareness. This is maybe why people get anxious about retrograde motion….. there is less conscious control. However, there is still personal choice of how to deal with those energies within the self.
3. Retrograde has its uses. When a person has retrograde planets in the natal astrology chart it often indicates energies that are internalised and processed fully before they are expressed in the world. This could create introvert traits or skills that take time to develop.
4. When faster moving planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars) go retrograde they have a tendency to be reflected in the collective. It is well known that Mercury and its retrograde cycle affect the stock markets, which are volatile at the best of times.
5. The slower moving planets (Jupiter, Saturn) spend regular periods in the year in retrograde motion.
6. The outer planets (Neptune, Uranus and Pluto – Pluto to me is still very much a planet!) spend long periods of time in retrograde.
So, in conclusion, like ‘blue moons’, retrograde motion in planets is not to be feared or dreaded. It is an optical illusion that we can buy into or not. If we take note of retrogrades they can reflect back to us periods of time when certain energies internalise, giving us time to ponder, reassess and integrate.

Having moved to the Land of the Red Dragon nearly eight months ago I began to ponder over the relationship between the Welsh Red dragon and one of my personal dragon links – a huge white dragon.
The legends of conflict between the red and white dragons came from various sources. In the medieval story of Lludd and Llefelys the warring dragons were a source of trouble and stress to the point they were killed and buried at Dinas Emrys in north Wales.
The original source of the legend seems to come from the earlier writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth (1100-1155). In Geoffrey’s ‘History of the Kings of Britain’, Merlin was called upon to solve the problem of newly built castle walls constantly collapsing. The young Merlin confirms that the collapse being caused by the fighting dragons and instructs Vortigern to cut into the hill that he was building on, to release the dragons. Being one never to miss a political point, Geoffrey of Monmouth also identifies the white dragon as that of the Saxons and the red dragon of the native Welsh.

dragoneyesThe status of the white dragon linked to the Saxons was taken further in the 18th century by Sir Walter Scott, when he also aligned the Saxons to the white dragon in the poem “The Saxon War Song”. Indeed even more recently Welsh-born Rowan Williams, who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002-2012 wore robes showing a white and red dragon when he was enthroned in 2003.
This sounds fine at superficial levels, but there were two things nagging in my mind:
1 – ‘warring dragons’ is indicative of unbalanced earth energies. So the dragons that Merlin released were geopathic energies that were disrupting the stability of the building works. Parts of the UK are still quite active geologically, especially if building works were to be carried out near one of our many rift-valley cliffs.
2 – In Tibetan and Chinese traditions the colours red and white represent female and male respectively. Male is represented by white (semen) and female by red (menstrual blood).
Taking these into account it puts a logical answer to Merlin’s wisdom on the collapsing towers. However it also sheds a different light entirely on the relationship between the red and white dragons. Like the black/white of yin/yang – the red dragon energy cannot maintain balance without the white dragon energy and vice versa.
This in turn makes me wonder about the underlying relationship between England and Wales. Is this essentially a male/female, yin/yang relationship with one balancing the other?

(This first appeared in ‘Notes from the Edge of the Epynt’ March 2015)

The solstice this December heralds the new moon at 0 degrees Capricorn on the 22nd at 0136 GMT/UT.
New Moon Dec2014
Most planets in this chart are below the horizon confirming the ongoing, unseen shifts in the collective unconscious. Anchored by no less than five planets in Capricorn (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Pluto and Venus) maybe this marks the true beginning of people starting to speak out against institutions that seek to control and inhibit. There is still shyness and reticence there but Pluto continues to lurk near the Sun-placements of many countries (1st January constitutions at 11 degrees Capricorn) suggesting its work continues to up-end and transform those who refuse, deny or are slow to transform.

Saturn at the anaretic degree(29) in Scorpio hints at continuing worry and dithering which new foundations should be put in place and which truths should be quashed or smothered from the view of the majority.

Mars in Aquarius hold out for freedom and truth for all but also reflects the need to fight to get it.

Neptune and Chiron in Pisces continue their dance of ‘smoke and mirrors’ and the need to see past what our attention is deliberately being drawn away from.
Jupiter – the only planet above the horizon, is in Leo, so shows that leadership is there but it might show how things should not be done rather that give a blazingly good example for all to follow.

Finally the Ascendant in Libra, Descendant in Aries conjunct Uranus, the esoteric ruler of Libra. Here comes the revolution! Libra cannot help but upset the status quo to help a new balance to emerge. Uranus in Aries will provide the energy and drive without the fear of what needs to be destroyed to protect the inner sense of cosmic order that Libra represents! You have been warned……….

“’We stand between the candle and the star, between the darkness and the light.’ You say the words, but your hearts are empty, your ears closed to the truth. You stand for nothing but your own petty interests. ‘Problems of others are not our concern.’ I do not blame you for standing silent in your shame. You, who knew what was coming, but refused to take up the burden of this war. If the warrior caste will not fight, then the rest of us will!” Delenn, Babylon 5

It has been a while since I left a blog here, but I often say to my clients and students…’life happens’!

So it did for Simon and I. Earlier this year everything turned on its head in the space of a few days. It was the start of an emotional rollercoaster that began with the full Moon on Valentine’s Day and followed the New and Full Moons thereafter until the New Moon on the 26th July when we completed the purchase of our first house. By the Full Moon on the 10th August we had fully moved in – us, the cats and the trees!

We now find ourselves living in the Land of the Red Dragon – Wales – exactly 2 degrees of latitude due north of where we lived in Devon and 170 miles away, by road.

The translation into English of our new address is – ‘The sacred house of Saint David, on the ridge by the wood near the Church of St Cadmarch’. We look out to the Hills of the Wild Horses to the south and the Welsh Mountains to the north. Beautiful!

Mostly settled in my new home, I am now turning my attention once more to the unseen energies of the Land.

Looking at the energies of the forthcoming New Moon and eclipse it is interesting to note that Mars hugs its biennial spot on the galactic centre (27-28 degrees Sagittarius). Hopefully this will bring wider understanding and a practical approach to the difficulties in the world at this time. This is an opportunity when a new balance could be found if people, both individually and collectively could act less selfishly.
There is still plenty to be uncovered/discovered and the truths that emerge eat away at the constructed beliefs that all are fed and many still do not question. The knack is to habitually look beyond what is obvious, to try to understand the processes that are in play.

This eclipse, at zero degrees Scorpio, is also conjunct Venus. A karmically laden eclipse if there ever was one! Venus in Scorpio needs a lot of effort to transform it from continuous lack of self-worth, deep resentment and jealousy into an insightful, powerful healing energy. Yet, at a quintile ( 72 degrees) from Pluto in Capricorn the spiritual drive is there to complete the change.

Samhain/Halloween may be less than two weeks away, but the transformation drive of the so-called ‘dark’ aspects of the Goddess are being reflected in this eclipse cycle. In her many guises she challenges us to change, to let go of what holds us back, to reassess where we are going and what we are doing. Time spent reflecting on these challenges in the next few days will be time well used!

(The solar eclipse will be visible in the north of the USA and the north Pacific)welsh dragon

There have been two underlying astrological patterns for the past year that have dominated collective ways of thinking and behaving.

The first to operate was a grand water trine (planets is each of the 3 water signs of the zodiac within the same 6-8 degrees of each sign). This pattern started in July 2013 with Jupiter at 1 degree Cancer, Saturn at 4 degrees Scorpio and Neptune at 5 degrees Pisces. Grand Trines indicate fast or easy-moving energy between the planets and signs involved. Although trines are usually seen as benevolent aspects, this is not always a ‘good’ thing. Energy that flows very easily has little to check or balance it.

GrandTrine

This Grand Trine is also in water signs, adding to the easy flow and proving difficult to manage or control. Thus it has been in issues such as the child abuse scandals that have surface in the UK. The speed of unfoldment has made the situations difficult to manage and gain true perspective. The depth of the issue that had remained hidden for decades is reflected in Saturn’s placement in Scorpio and the inevitable need for justice to be seen to be done, if not actually done. Neptune in Pisces adds to the ‘smoke and mirrors’ effect where famous people managed to bypass systems that would have normally brought behaviour to the fore. Jupiter in Cancer indicating the expansion of awareness of caring and responsibility that had been taken for granted in the past. Throughout the world this Grand Trine has brought damaging and out-dated environmental, ecological and cultural behaviours and beliefs into the spotlight.
This Grand Trine finally dissolves just before the New Moon on the 27th June 2014.

Joining this Grand Water Trine in mid-December 2013 was a Grand Cardinal Cross. This pattern was created by four planets in signs with the same mode of function – in this case the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Uranus was in Aries, Jupiter in Cancer, Mars in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn.

GrandCross

This pattern dissolved at the end of May 2014. Grand Crosses reflect inner tensions that trigger activities brought about to relieve or release the stress. This is especially so with the cardinal signs as they are initiators of activity or projects. Shared by the Grand water Trine, Jupiter in Cancer kick-started a new 12-year of growth, the last one of this type having started in 2001.

Uranus is Aries was always going to be a fascinating coupling to watch from an astrological viewpoint – the magician/disrupter meets the impatient, speed and danger-junkie! Wow …has this not disappointed! We have had events turning on a knife-edge, lives being torn-down and recreated and unexpected events shocking large numbers of people. In its esoteric function Uranus disrupts when the accepted balance or harmony is actually out-dated or a false conception. We can rest assured that the eventual outcome of its sometimes uncomfortable journey through Aries will leave us with more clarity and security.

Mars in Libra highlights Libra in its most warrior-like facet. Fighting for justice and truth but also picking the aggressive pathway as the quickest way to some sort of peace. This is not comfortable nor is it pleasant. Events in the world have been reflected in this placement – Ukraine and Iraq.

Pluto in Capricorn will be with us for some time yet, having heralded the financial downturn and banking crises when it entered Capricorn in 2008. It does not leave Capricorn until 2023/4. This placement represents the underlying energies. This is a fundamental need to change accepted structures, outdated consensuses – anything that creates a false base for behaviour, thinking and action.

This Grand Cardinal Cross had been operating on every level – personal through to collective. So as we come to the end of this orchestration of solar system patterns we need to take stock of where we are. Have we changed? Have we resisted change? Have we let go of out-dated and worn out feelings and ideas?

The Full Moon on the 13th June 2014 is our last chance to shed light on corners of our lives that have remained in the shadows. The New Moon on the 27th June 0810 GMT is the new start and that cannot be done with too much rubbish from the past in tow.

If you have been fearful of the changes on offer, maybe it is time to take a step into the unknown, into the void………………………………

“Stand to face the light of the atomic blast of Pluto through the New Moon in Capricorn on New Year’s Day 2014.

To the ‘mud peoples’ and those who came from the stars as protectors of this planet…… now the time has come to shield each other and protect the Earth from those whose blind greed and callous disregard would seek to subjugate and destroy.

Know who you are…. Know each other. Create lines of communication and energy between you like a web of light and dark to balance and hold both personal and collective energies.

Remember that idealism without a dose of realism is an empty dream.

Seek out where you can make a difference without becoming a victim or a rescuer as these two both require someone to blame………remember too that people are just people, being human!

Time your actions carefully to make the maximum use of the energy and resources available.

Fix your own back yard. It is always easier to see the faults in someone else’s, judge what the resolution would be and fret when nothing appears to be done.

Above all, don’t sit idly by when your neighbourhood and its people are under threat or being manipulated. Even a tiny step, a wise world or a small, but appropriate action, can be the start of something big!”

GreyDragon

Winter Solstice 2013

We are now approaching the winter solstice 2013. This is one of two times each year when the astronomical position of the Sun, seen from the Earth, seems to ‘stand still’ for about 3 days.

EarthCycle

The solstice is only ten days before the New Year and will certainly give us a chance to take a breath from the rapid changes in 2013 before we hit 2014.

Listening to various economists over the last few weeks the bright, growing outlook that we are being told we have, it looks like a bit of Christmas wrapping paper around an empty box of chocolates.

Many western countries and the EU have their ‘birthdate’ set at the 1st January . This gives many important institutions with a natal Sun position of 10 degrees Capricorn. We find ourselves now with the transit or actual position of Pluto also at 10 degrees Capricorn. Pluto tends to make 3 ‘passes’ when it creates a transit with another planet or placement. This first pass of Pluto was in the last few weeks of January and the first 3 weeks of February in 2013. The second pass was during June and the first two weeks of July 2013, so we are now in the third pass. This is ‘last chance saloon’ for the fundamental changes that governments and financial institutions know they should make to sort out the banking mess that was created at the same time that Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008. Will they? With just under three weeks to go to the solstice, when Pluto also begins to move away from its 10 degree Capricorn placement for the last time, it all looks very doubtful to both the short and long-term.

It is very much the ‘same old, same old’.

The astrological chart for the Winter Solstice 2013 creates food for thought as we have an interesting pattern. There is a Grand Cross in the chart –linking the four signs, Cancer, Capricorn, Libra and Aries. The Cancer/Capricorn arm links the planet Jupiter with Pluto. This suggests the need for domestic security and growth (Jupiter) does not balance with the changes (Pluto) that are inevitable at some point in the future. (The Pluto changes have not been actioned at the appropriate times and will remain as an inevitable transformation at some point in the future). The Aries/Libra arm links Uranus with Mars. This creates an unpredictable (Uranus in Aries) and belligerent (Mars In Libra) combination where selfishness rules. The positive thing about this Grand Cross combination is that it does help to create action, but whether that action is considered is another matter.

dec2013

So have a rest over the solstice and then get out your earplugs to block the bullshit from politicians; keep some cash stashed in case the banks go under; think about growing your own food (even ‘sprouting’ seeds if you don’t have a garden); don’t believe the rubbish printed in the press or listen to the manipulation by other media.

Look after those you love!

LightofSamhainSmall

There have been a few posts on FaceBook in the last few weeks that have really caught my attention. These melded together when I saw an article in a small spiritual review magazine on ‘ascension’.

This article outlined the various stages of ascension, showing at as a progression, as a ladder, as something that you strive towards. This is nothing new. There have been books over the last 30 years that have echoed the same idea – lifetimes are thought of as linear, progression is a straightforward process of becoming ‘ascended’. The concept too, is that is you ‘fail’ at an level, you have to go back and start again. Mmmm…….

My first query is – what is ascension?
Most of us are aware of its meaning in a biblical sense, but in what way is it being used nowadays? The worst case scenario is that it is being used to describe a process that will get you ‘away from here to a better place’ – ‘here’, being the experience of being a human on planet Earth.

As Naisha Ashian beautifully put it a week or so back:
“Raise your consciousness and your vibration will take care of itself. High frequency does not mean “good” and low frequency does not mean “bad”.”
“When you meditate your actual vibration (frequencies of heart and brain) get lower.”
“Low frequency (for instance, 7.8 hz– which is a Schumann* resonance of the Earth) is extremely helpful to the body and assists with proper cellular regeneration (high frequency causes cellular mutation and cancer), circadian rhythms and proper cellular metabolism.”

(*Space vehicles have to be fitted with Schumann generators to keep the astronauts healthy)
Lowering your frequency helps to keep you in touch with the planet. Anything that takes you away from being here, now – is probably suspect advice.

Be here, now. Don’t try to run off anywhere else.

The second query – what is the effect that these articles, workshops and books are having on people?
Those caught up in the glamour inevitably start to see themselves as lacking in some way. The hype encourages people to embark on the ‘process’ of self-improvement mostly out of fear of being left behind, fear being the odd one out in a group or fear of being seen as a failure. Each step on the ladder is often being seen as a goal to be achieved.

You are worthy and valuable as you are.

The third query is ‘who’ or ‘what’ is ‘ascending’?
Many teachers over the millennia have tried to help us to understand that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We have already reached ‘it’, but we are not aware that we have.
‘There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now but that it is yet to be obtained. What is got afresh will also be lost. So it will be impermanent. What is not permanent is not worth striving for. So I say the Self is not reached. You are the Self; you are already That.’

(Sri Ramana Maharshi)

You are already ‘there’, but you may not be aware that you are.

The fourth query is – who is judging who is ‘ascended’?

The knee-jerk reaction is to see people who have a high public profile and are demonstrably spiritual people as automatically ‘further up the ladder’. Indeed some people in that category see themselves as such!

Oh….. if it were that simple!

In the grand scheme of things the differences between those who consider themselves ‘well on the way’ and those who are beginning their journey of self-awareness is miniscule.

Try not to compare yourself to others. They have their journey, you have yours.

The ‘ascension levels’ are often described as changes to the different layers of our being. As an astrologer for over thirty years I see these processes in people’s charts. There is no set order to these challenges (or initiations, if you like). You don’t ‘do’ the physical one and then move onto the ‘emotional’ one. They come willy-nilly, in the order that you ultimately have chosen for this lifetime to achieve personal goals or to gain experience. True, there may be issues that you do not complete or fully integrate and these may be carried over as unfinished business, but these are not failures. They are simply parts of the on-going process.

You do not have to strive for the ‘ascension’ levels as they will come to you at the appropriate time and in the appropriate type for you. When you encounter them, try to understand the core of what is going on and take the lesson on board.

Past or other-life issues are simply bits of you that are not in the present time. Rather than spending time wistfully thinking about or dreaming about these and what they mean, try to understand the core of the issue and embrace it.

Get as much of you as you can, into the here and now – embrace it, integrate it. The journey will take automatically you to your inner or higher Self.

Not so much an ‘as-cension’ process more if an ‘inward-cension’ or even a ‘de-scension’ into who you really are……

Whilst visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum in London recently we came across this lovely sculpture of St Margaret and a Dragon:
Far from the dragon being at all scary, this one looked more like a pet.
StMargaretsmall
St Margaret is recorded as being a patron saint of childbirth, pregnant women, kidney disease and wronged people. The childbirth and pregnancy angle is initially very surprising as she was venerated for her virginity. However, one of the stories goes that on her refusal to marry she was tortured. It was also said that she was tempted by or eaten by a dragon. When the dragon swallowed her she fought back and killed it with her crucifix – hence her sometimes being referred to as ‘St Margaret, the Dragon Slayer’. Here, the assumption being that the dragon was a representation of Satan. It is thought that this is where her patronage of childbirth came from – as she herself was safely delivered from the innards of the dragon.
In the Roman Catholic Church her feast day used to be the 20th July, but in the fifth century it was first suggested that decided that her story was ‘apocryphal’ (of doubtful authenticity) and only in 1969 was the date was withdrawn from the calendar. In the Eastern Orthodox Church her feast day is the 17th July. St Margaret is still recognised as one of the saints that spoke to Joan of Arc and indeed there are many churches that bear the name ‘St Margaret’ – including Westminster Abbey.
Delving a bit further, here are some of the lines that give reference to St Margaret, taken from a mediaeval poem:
“Holye mayde Margarete loked her besyde.
There sche sawe a lothelye dragon in a corner glyde,
Brennynge as the blake fyre. His mouthe he gaped wyde.
That mayde wexed alle greene as the gresse in someres tyde.” (lines 179-182)
“Holy maid Margaret looked her beside.
There she saw a loathly dragon in a corner glide.
Burning as the black fire. His mouth he gaped wide.
That maid waxed all green as the grass in summer time.”

 

The final line is very interesting as ‘waxed all green as the grass in summer time’ was a well-known, subtle way of referring to promiscuity.
So what do we have here? Is this a description of seduction? Is this yet another tale of deriding women for being women? This does seem to sit easily with some religious traditions that make it clear that if a woman is raped, she is the one to be punished. Similarly, with a situation of sex outside of marriage when the woman is blamed and vilified, yet the man walks ‘free’.
Is the ‘dragon’ also another way of referring to woman’s sexuality, women’s ability to give birth and women’s power?

Not as far-fetched as one might think and there is a religious commentary on the story of St Margaret and the dragon that says:

“Surely this is because giving birth is not unlike a dragon splitting open to reveal a saint!”

Ouch!