Saturn and the magic mirror

I want to give a big shout out to all my readers who are currently dealing with Saturn issues - especially all my homies with Saturn in the 7th house, like me!

Saturn of course represents THE BIG BOSS - the authority in the solar system, the one who sets all the rules and limits what we can do. Saturn sets the tests and determines our pass mark, or whether we need further revision to come up to scratch. Saturn makes us squirm as we try to wriggle out of our hardships but are not allowed to. Under Saturn's influence we are made to get real.

Currently Jupiter is applying to making a lovely trine aspect to Saturn, with both planets on early degrees of water signs (Cancer and Scorpio respectively). So for anyone struggling with these issues, the good news is that it's not all bad - help is at hand, although emotions may be running high. It's not a serious as it first appears - it's just that our emotions are being magnified by Jupiter and given extra depth by Scorpio.

So don't be tempted to take revenge on someone who is currently vexing you - they may simply be holding up a mirror to you that allows you to take ownership of some quality that normally you would prefer to skate over without seeing or acknowledging. The good news is that the stars are on your side - this is the time to accept the verdict from the external world and make good on what may be lacking.

There is a deep healing available on these issues at the moment with the New Moon (the conjunction of the Moon with the Sun) also taking place in Cancer. We are called to look again at our deeper emotions, our habitual systems of self-defense and how we may be inadvertently creating suffocating limits on ourselves in our lives. Saturn in Scorpio has no time for pretence or for hiding from the truth, so all is being brought out into the light at this time.

So let me wish you good luck as you deal with these confronting issues - it's painful but well worth the time spent in self-examination.

And a big thank you all for continuing to read my blog, lately my stats have really gone through the roof, zooming past 7,000 views and already up to 7,300. Not bad for a blog that has big gaps between posts, that I don't really promote and that doesn't get many referrals!! I seem to get views from all over, and not just the English speaking world - I have readers from France, Germany, India, the Philippines and Russia. Hello to you all and God bless! :-)

'Til next time
Anthony

(Credit to http://meditation4all.co.uk/2012/06/29/contemplation-on-seeking/ for the image.)

Beyond...

The search for alien life has always struck me as a very odd pursuit. For some time now it's been quite obvious to me that if we are truly looking for other intelligent life, we should not be using telescopes to peer into this physical dimension. If there is more than ourselves in this vast universe, then that life might not be existing on the same level as ourselves.

Recently I have re-discovered the books of Dolores Cannon. This remarkable lady is a very humble, very human researcher who presently hails from the state of Arkansas. She lived a faily conventional life as a wife to a US naval officer up until her first experiences with hypnosis and past-life recall.

The wisdom that comes from the channelings in her books is striking. The beings that communicate through her never force their opinions, never judge or make cruel remarks. Rather, these non-terrestrial intelligences always offer profound insight into many aspects of the human condition - lost civilisations, why human kind became imbalanced, UFO encounters, journeys to other worlds in spirit. In very straight-forward terms, the beings in Dolores' books manage to convey a coherent and consistent account of a multi-dimensional cosmos where humans play a part in a vast scheme of evolution - side by side with all kinds of extra-terrestrial and angelic beings.

These books have reminded me to look within for intelligence - not without. I find that I can tune in to the area around my heart chakra and sense this universal realm described in the books, a realm of light and love, of universal consciousness in which we are all connected and in which we all have an important role to play. No-one is insignificant in this scheme, because everyone's actions affect the whole. As we are all one, each individual's actions are in fact paramount in determining the collective direction in which humanity is heading.

So we should all take comfort in the fact that aliens do exist - just not in the way the most scientists portray (let alone so-called popular media!) This is God's universe, and it operates according to a divine plan, the cornerstone of which is Love. It is critical at this time for us to grasp just how holistic and interconnected this scheme is - and to expose the lie of scientists that the earth is nothing significant, just one speck in the universe. This attitude does a gross injustice to the importance of this wondrous planet Earth in the grand scheme of things.

And what is that importance? Well, the beings say that the earth is the most densely physical - and also the most beautiful - of all the planets in the entire cosmos. Truly it was created to be a garden of Eden. But humans have gone astray, and not always entirely due to our own fault. But we are reaching a juncture at which we must choose - to ascend to light, and the ways of love and light and care for one another and ourselves, or to revert to a more animalistic mode of being in a vibratory state which would truly be hell on earth.

And so the old prophecies contain a grain of truth with which the alien beings largely seem to concur. It is our choice-time, so let us cease to look without for enlightenment and start to look within. The hard work is upon us, so let's look toward the new world we have been promised with fresh eyes and new hope.

Compassion and the Individual | The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama

I got a little lump in my throat reading this beautiful article this morning. Please enjoy :)


Compassion and the Individual | The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama

The Ninth and Tenth Insights

The Ninth Insight - The Emerging Culture

As more and more people engage the flow of meaningful coincidences, interacting in an uplifting manner with others and compensating others for their timely messages, human culture will begin an historic shift. We will be able to spend less hours in jobs that are less than satisfying, as our income is supplemented by our participation in synchronicity. Focusing on our spiritual evolution will become our main priority, and the way in which we interact with all groups in society - from children, to adults, to those in authority - will transform to one of positive expectation and mutual support and upliftment.

But before the general fear levels in society can truly ease, we have to integrate the remaining three Insights - beginning with the Tenth.

The Tenth Insight - The View from the Afterlife

Our endeavour to spiritualise our life on earth is given true perspective by the view from the Afterlife. There, we discover the true nature of the control dramas - in reality they are an inner hell, wherein we repeat the same fear-driven scenes over and over again. But we gain hope by realising that our loved ones in spirit are always there, projecting their love and energy to us hoping we will awaken and leave our self-constructed hell-worlds.

The true nature of the coincidences is also revealed - when a meaningful synchronicity occurs it is in fact an echo of our Birth Vision, a sign that we are on track with what we intended before coming into incarnation in the earth. We all come in with the very best of intentions; where our lives go wrong is where we make bad choices due to being caught in Fear. In most cases our lives can only ever represent an approximation of our original Vision; nonetheless, when a coincidence occurs we receive an influx of energy as we are reminded of our Birth Vision.

Our individual Birth Visions always originate from and blend seamlessly with the World Vision - a plan for the entire human race and for the Earth which in truth is nothing less than God's plan for us all. Heaven is guiding us and as more of us remember the World Vision we can ease the rising burdens of fear, remembering a hopeful outcome for the future. As we hold this positive vision, ever working toward it, we participate in the creation of a new Heaven and a New earth.


Next: the Eleventh and Twelfth Insights, and the Twelve Integrations.

The Seventh and Eighth Insights

The Seventh Insight - Engaging the Flow

We can get quite precise and scientific with the way we tune in to the universal energy and get the flow of synchronicity going in our lives. First, we learn to take in energy by appreciating the beauty and breathing it in. We feel the measures of lightness, of the closeness of things and appreciation of them, and of a background feeling of love. Then, we expect inner guidance to arise and a meaningful coincidence to take place that launches us into a new life direction, one that pertains to our current life questions.

Part of the Seventh Insight is gaining ever greater clarity about our questions. Once we have performed the Sixth Insight clearing of the past and have found the silver lining of our relationship to our parents, we can keep in mind our broader life questions while narrowing in on the smaller, current questions of our life situation. Both the big and small questions will always relate to one another, and as we find answers to the smaller questions the big picture of our life will gradually fill in over time.

The Eighth Insight - The Interpersonal Ethic

As we accelerate our experience of the coincidences, we will totally change the way in which we relate to other people. We will realise that it is in fact other people who always bring us the information and timely messages we most need. Therefore we will always take care to stay connected with the energy within, and to send this energy on to others to uplift them into their higher self, enabling them to deliver the wisdom that will provide us with a synchronicity - moving ourselves in turn into a higher level of vibration.

We will realise the importance of neutralising control dramas at their source - in early childhood. Parents will learn always to send their children energy, reassuring them that they will always have the energy they need and that they will never have to fight or compete for attention. Meanwhile, adults will avoid getting too entangled in love relationships that have that addictive, obsessive quality that keeps us co-dependent. We will find our own inner balance of male and female by staying centered in the universal source that sustains all life.

As the Insights become known by greater and greater numbers of people, human culture will begin to shift - and the result of this shift is described by the Ninth and Tenth Insights.

The Fifth and Sixth Insights

The Fifth Insight - The Message of the Mystics

The way to resolve the competition for energy is to go within, to seek the divine connection within ourselves and end our reliance on external energy. Tuning in to high energy locations of natural beauty can help us in perceiving the energy and raising our vibration, as can meditation, prayer and other contemplative states.

The more we cultivate our inner connection to the divine, a condition to which the mystics of all traditions in all ages have pointed, the more we can rise above our competitive energy stealing and truly move forward with our destiny.

The Sixth Insight - Clearing the Past

The Jewish and Christian traditions emphasize that we should forgive our parents, as in the fifth commandment given to Moses. But how exactly do we do this, given that emotional wounds can run deep?

The first step is to honestly examine how our control dramas were formed in relation to our parents. These dramas are unconscious strategies we use to claim energy from others, whether through intimidation, being overly critical and superior, through being aloof and mysterious, or by playing the victim or "poor me" mode. We can easily identify how these dramas were formed by looking at the negative interactions of childhood, and by bringing this into consciousness we can now begin to transcend these learned patterns.

Full healing is facilitated by looking for the positive messages our parents modelled for us. Even in the worst of parents, we can usually find at least one positive quality that each stood for. We ask ourselves two critical questions:

1. What did my father / mother stand for? What was the main emphasis / pursuit in their lives? and
2. In what ways did they fail to achieve their vision, what were their shortcomings?

In this way, looking at the incomplete vision of each parent, we can gain clarity on the spiritual heritage they have left us - our own mission in life will usually correspond to a higher synthesis of each parent's incomplete vision for living life. In this way, each generation pushes forward the evolution of human consciousness by picking up where the previous generation left off. By looking at the positive contribution each parent made to our lives, we can feel energised and more clear about our own contribution to the evolution, and we can more easily move into a forgiveness state towards our parents.

We are now truly ready to engage the flow of synchronicity in our lives, as detailed in the Seventh and Eighth Insights.

The Third and Fourth Insights

The Third Insight - A Matter of Energy

Modern science confirms what religious traditions and mystics have long known - that we live in a universe of energy, vibrating at different rates to create the different organisms and structures we see in the world. This energy responds to human intention, acting to influence energy systems with which we interact, whether physically or mentally.

This universal energy seems to be the stuff of creation itself - and it is as if we, as children of God, have a similar ability to Him, to direct and influence the underlying creation energy with our thoughts, feelings and expectations.

We can influence plants to grow more robustly and productively; we can enhance another person's energy field. Or, we can influence others for the worse and this is the subject of the Fourth Insight...

The Fourth Insight - The Struggle for Power

One consequence of our ability to influence the cosmic energy is that we can force it away from others. Too often, human beings feel weak, insecure, cut off from the divine, universal energy. As a result, we engage in energy theft, seeking to pull another's energy into ourselves to help ease our fear.

Competition for scarce, human energy as a result of existential fear is the source of all conflict in the world, from the level of individuals and groups, all the way to nations and cultures.

Fortunately there are ways we can address this problem as detailed in the Fifth and Sixth Insights.

The First and Second Insights

I want to present a short summary of what the Twelve Insights mean as I see them (as discussed in the previous post on The Celestine Prophecy). So here, beginning with the first two Insights, is a series of posts that briefly capture the main points covering the meaning of the Twelve Insights.

The First Insight – A Critical Mass

The Twelve Insights as a whole describe the beginning of a mass movement towards a more spiritual culture on the earth, one where religions come together in common spiritual truth and the main purpose of humanity becomes to further pursue and actualise this truth. Polarities of opinion are gradually integrated and resolved, and fear is moved past as together we open up to the greater wonders of life on earth and the energies available to us from the heaven realm.

The first step in awakening to this spiritual awareness is to notice the coincidences. Many times in our lives we may have noticed that an old friend makes contact with us out of the blue right around the time we have been thinking of them. We may bump into someone we haven’t seen for a while, and then later that day or on the next day bump into them again and then perhaps a third time. We may need extra money to purchase some needed item, then either the money comes unexpectedly or we find some creative, economical way to obtain the item. Or more dramatically, we may need urgent help in some dangerous situation, and just the right assistance comes when we need it most.

These are all examples of synchronicity, meaningful coincidences that prod our consciousness into sensing another, more spiritual process operating under the surface of life. The Celestine Prophecy puts forward the notion that a critical mass of individuals who are at this time all wondering what these experiences mean will help push forward global human culture into a greater spiritual awareness.

The extended, historical context of this awakening is given in the Second Insight.

The Second Insight – The Longer Now

We have largely been brought up to believe that life is a mechanical process, that there are no miracles, that the universe does not interact with us to bring our dreams and wishes. Thanks to the decline of the old religious worldview and the rise of scientific materialism, we have for the longest time tended to reduce life to the very basics, instead of pursuing what Abraham Maslow called the “peak experiences” of life.

But the coincidences seem to happen at a rate that is beyond reasonable probability, and as we notice this fact we begin to awaken from the dream of materialism. The coincidences make us feel more alive, more excited and make us want to explore this dimension even more.

The universe we live in is much more mysterious than was previously supposed. During the materialistic era, we became convinced as a culture that life was purely about practical, day-to-day matters – mind your P’s and Q’s, look good in the eyes of society, go to church and pay your taxes, attend to the basics of survival and forget about the larger questions. But the findings of modern science, especially in quantum physics, remind us what the great spiritual traditions have always known – that we live in a responsive universe, and when we are pursuing our highest good and seeking ways to live our true destiny, then the universe tends to cooperate in leading us onward.

But how to maintain the flow of synchronicity? How do we maintain this heightened feelings of aliveness that comes with being in the flow? The answers are found in the remaining Insights, in further posts to come soon.

Observations on The Celestine Insights

I want to provide a brief commentary on my feelings about a book series the first title of which is The Celestine Prophecy, by author James Redfield. This was a book that first emerged back in 1993 – in what looking back on it seems like a much more naïve and innocent time. The first book was an immediate hit, launching the unknown and initially self-published author onto the New York Times bestseller lists.

Naturally it’s easy to be suspicious of trends, and I am the first to regard with scepticism such trends in popular culture. And I have certainly seen a lot of really negative reviews of this series on the net. But I want to posit that the insights and techniques described in these books are still very much relevant to our current times, and will continue to be well into this third millennium.

A book like The Celestine Prophecy is bound to raise all sorts of emotions in people. I’ve seen people criticise it on the grounds of religion, that it’s nothing people couldn’t learn from a traditional faith if they had taken the time to explore a faith; that it’s too cosy and new age; that it’s just a summary of everything that has gone before; that the writing is atrocious, and so on and so forth.

I sometimes wonder whether I and these other reviewers have read the same book. Certainly there are many people other than myself who also feel uplifted and inspired by the insights offered in the book, and speaking for myself I have been profoundly affected for the better by contemplating deeply the insights on offer. People seem to resent being offered a new perspective on truth, especially if it conflicts with their existing religious beliefs or with a strictly common-sense, down to earth attitude.

To me, what The Celestine Prophecy is all about is what alternative streams of thought have always been about – to explore truth, non-dogmatically. It’s my opinion that this is the reason it immediately raises people’s hackles – religious types tend to cling to their doctrines and dogmas for dear life, in the fear that if these were to be challenged then their whole religion would lose its basis of truth. But spiritual seekers have long known that the awesome, infinite and multi-various thing that is Truth cannot be contained within the rigid and confined structure of dogma.

I had a shocking realisation recently – shocking to me, at least, because for so long now I have been free of the restrictions of religion as I pursue my own spiritual path in life. Without going into excessive detail, the profound realisation is this: for many if not most people, religion equates to having a sense of the value of human life. It seems to be hardwired into people’s instinctual selves; take away religion, and then what is left? Many people seem unable to hold a set of spiritual values that places the deepest of importance on human life outside of the structure of organised religion.

This unsettled me deeply, and it at least helped me realise why so many people cling so tightly to religion – because they fear on a deep level that without religion, human life has no meaning or worth. It seems bizarre to me, because for the longest time it is religion itself that seems to me to have lost the value and the sanctity of human life. As far as I am concerned, religion (in the West, at least) deserted human beings long ago. And yes for a while I did go through a dark night of the soul over this. Maybe that’s why people fear to let go of religion – because they know they will have to face the awesome unknown and confront their deepest darkest fears if they do so.

I am blessed to be at a place in my life where alternative streams of knowledge and wisdom have made themselves known to me. From the ancient mystery traditions through Rosicrucianism and Gnosticism through to modern day Masonry, theosophy and Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy, I have become enriched by so many wonderful and venerable traditions that go back well before the Christian era and continue through to this day. There is so much that is undreamt of in the common person’s experience, just waiting for us to discover and enjoy and be enriched by. The problem is that many folk seem to be stuck in a dualistic frame of mind, whereby if a teaching doesn’t come from a recognised major religion then it must be the work of evil and have no validity (although I will unhesitatingly place Scientology in this latter category!).

And so back to The Celestine Prophecy, which actually mentions Gnosticism in the second volume, entitled The Tenth Insight (and I believe there is an implied mention of Freemasonry in the latest, The Twelfth Insight). These twelve insights do indeed constitute a summarising of the best of the wisdom that has come before, such as the power of faith and prayer, the power of love, the ability of humans to make contact with the higher, divine source and be assisted by God and by the angels. But so what? Every age needs the eternal truths to be couched in the vernacular of the time, and for me the arrival of The Celestine Prophecy was a true god-send, and a validation of all the other things I had been reading at that time.

In short, the Celestine series of books continues to inspire me and provoke awe and wonder at the marvellous scheme of life on this earth. If I was forced to find something negative about them, it would only be that there is barely enough space in the pages of one book to do justice to the depth of the topics being raised. But there again, the author is not trying to replace previous sources of knowledge – merely illuminate certain aspects of their highest truths. It is naturally up to each one of us to expand our knowledge and complement our own innate wisdom with the helpful teachings offered by the Insights. Perhaps that is why some people have such an issue with these books; they demand that one have one’s own critical view of religion and history, and for some that’s simply too much effort. I have to admit that when I first encountered them, although I was inspired I was simply too young and lacking in life perspective to make truly practical use of the Insights. Now that I am approaching the age of forty, I find that I have had enough experience and gained a sufficient level of wisdom to bring something to the table and complement my own intuitions and thoughts with the beautiful wisdom of the Insights.

So that’s my perspective on this sometimes controversial series of books. There is so much more that could be said, perhaps I will go into further detail in a future blog. For now feel free to offer your own opinion in the comments. Be aware though that I won’t look favourably on opinions that are not well-considered and at least balanced in their judgment. One of my strongest held values is that we should always test for truth – if a teaching does not align with our gut level feeling and our sense of right and wrong, then reject it. On the other hand if a teaching offers a new perspective, then we should not simply dismiss it out of hand but at least give it the benefit of our consideration.

There is more in heaven and earth than is dreamt of in most philosophies…

Blessed be

Saturn in Scorpio...Pluto in Capricorn

These two planets, Saturn and Pluto, traditionally represent death. It's interesting, though, that in the mystery traditions of the West, Saturn's true role is to kill off that which no longer serves the higher self, so that the personality can enter into more harmonious relationship with its true source of authority - the Spirit.

Pluto, strangely enough, seems to do the same thing. Pluto, however, works through fire and water - the purging fire of destruction working deep in the layers of emotional blockage and stagnation. Saturn's elements are earth and air, with the old being crystallised and broken away as a dead form, so that the clear air of reason can be reached and a more perfect organisation of the persona can be created, based on the powers of a clear mind.

At the moment in real time, Saturn and Pluto are in "mutual reception" - meaning they are currently placed in the zodiac sign that the other planet traditionally "rules". Saturn is currently travelling through Pluto's home sign of Scorpio, and conversely Pluto is currently five years into a 14 year journey through Saturn's native sign of Capricorn.

So there is real emphasis here on the powers of death and destruction, but in order to generate a powerful renewal in human affairs - in society, in governments, and in individuals.

There was a grouping of planets in Pisces recently, we had Chiron the wounded healer, Mars, Mercury, and the Moon all in Pisces. For me personally, this had the effect of stirring all kinds of wounded emotions from deep within, and for about three days there I was feeling just raw and sensitive than I had for some time. I just didn't know how to achieve peace within, and my sleep has suffered lately as well.

Then today I had some personal realisations that I won't go into here - suffice to say that the matter-of-fact nature of Saturn confronted me with some stark home truths. But once I allowed the message I was being sent to get through, Saturn in fact helped me deal with those emotions. The wonderful Dana Gerhardt published an article on Astrodienst that helped immeasurably; in it she describes that part of the Saturn/Capricorn message is to "not waste your time" with phantoms - that is, to realise that expending emotional resources on that which has no substance and which is ultimately illusory is a waste of one's time and energy and should be avoided. This is not to ignore one's emotions, of course - this was simply a timely message for me which helped me cut the crap when dealing with my own Piscean phantoms that were plaguing me of late. I felt better as soon as I applied this wisdom.

And so Pluto together with Saturn is working hard to transform us deep within. These two planets are trying to ensure that we "get" the messages of the time - this crucial time when humanity stands in dire need of transformation and resurrection (another Capricorn theme - the Sun is "resurrected" in the sign of Capricorn each year as it begins its journey back to the Northern Hemisphere). For me certainly these effects are quite striking and are helping me to get rid of the dross of the old self.

Growth and change - more themes we can relate to this mutual reception! If only these energies can break through our old patters and lead us into new light!

May it be so for us all!

Anthony

P.S.: Also, how interesting to note that during the Pisces planetary grouping, Pope Benedict announced he was stepping down due to his failing health. Christianity is of course closely related to the fish-symbolism of the sign of Pisces.

2013

Can you believe it? We're here.

And although it may not seem on the surface much has changed, my intuition tells me that we have entered into a new time.

I feel that 2013 is the year of the feminine - of women, but also the Divine Feminine in us all, men included. For myself, this means not always just bludgeoning my problems over the head in the hopes they'll get solved. It means activating the more "passive" or receptive side of myself, allowing myself to feel and not getting swept up in those feelings.

It means cultivating more gratitude in the moment, instead of always feeling like I have to approach matters with aggression and antagonism.

It involves quite a shift for me, as I have the kind of astrology chart (read: natural disposition!) that is prone to over-self assertion. But I do feel the undercurrents of change within and I am trying to take steps in the right direction.

If I can make one of my glib generalisations, I really also believe that 2013 is the year of women. 13 is of course the number of the Moon Goddess, and thus women are especially favoured this year. I believe that women are gradually achieving a kind of equality sensibility within themselves on a wider scale then ever before in history - so despite the two steps forward, one step back of the feminist movement, I think the time is now upon us (in fact, some would say overdue) for women to finally take their place on equal footing with men.

But again, this has more to do with us valuing the divine feminine within us as something worthwhile - for it is a modality that offers nurturance to the soul, that in the spirit of the Tao and of wu-wei, offers empowerment through passive action. We don't have to keep clobbering things and dragging them back to our caves - we can operate in a smoother more harmonious manner.

As the divine feminine (and by extension, women) comes more into its rightful place, it is also my hope that more Earth-friendly technologies can come into play. Passive energy generation tech, such as sun, water and wind power, should be the way in which we create all the energy we need, harmonious with nature and harmful of none. Research and implementation of pollution-free fuels can continue to take place.

The only shadow side to this is the robotisation of humanity. It is with disgust and frankly horror that I read about the push to create robot prostitutes - a terrible parody of the rising feminine, a satirical and cynical attempt to continue to oppress and denigrate the beauty of women. I vehemently oppose this sort of absolute rubbish, this is the lowest use of technology that I can think of and it's a deadly insult to the dignity of men and women. I really offer a prayer that we can skate over such potential pitfalls that lie on the path to our greater enlightenment, and that we can step into the world we deserve, one of light and ever-increasing harmony.

OK well that's it from me for my first post for 2013. May everyone find joy, creativity and the further outfolding of your beautiful soul in this new year!

Love and light
Anthony

Michele Knight - Sagittarius weekly astrology 17 December 2012

Happy holidays

Hello dear readers

It has been quite a year, hasn't it. So many intense energies flying around, upheavals and changes in people's lives seem to have abounded this year, scandals being exposed in the wider world.

And mostly, human being questioning the status quo, and wondering exactly where our leaders are leading us, what with the Arab Spring, chem trails, and many more issues.

When I feel like things are just getting too much, I say a prayer to release the burden form myself. I am only one person, and constant worries are not good for one's health and the well being of your soul. So I say a little prayer to the heavenly being of my choice (in my case, this is Jesus, called Christ) and I find that it does help.

So hopefully you out there are not letting these bigger things - or even, the 'smaller' things - get too much on top of you at this time of year. After all, this sacred time has been set aside since ancient times for joy and celebration, for letting one's hair down and allowing the efforts of the past year to speak for themselves, and to bear fruit in their own time.

My intention for this time is to take it easy on myself; to relax my expectations of myself after a year of hard work (at my job, as a parent of a 2 year old, and as a tarot reader and blog writer). Let's all give ourselves the gift of valuing ourselves and our efforts these past twelve months, because let's face it - we all came to this earth to work hard, to share our gifts and ourselves to try to better the world and make it more like the divine template that exists for it in the spiritual world. It is a labour of love that each one of us is engaged in, whether we are fully conscious of it or not.

So well done, you. Thank you for all your efforts, your sweat, your tears, your love for each other and the planet. Rest assured - these efforts will bear fruit in good time.

Take it easy! And remember - spirit is always near, working right alongside.

Have a truly blessed holiday period (and hopefully you get to experience a holiday!)

Anthony

Tarot pairs

Something I love to do is to find patterns in the tarot cards. In particular, the Major Arcana are rich in patterns - you can divide them into three rows of 7 with The Fool separate; you can divide them into four rows of 5 with The Fool and The World separate. Or, you can divide them neatly into 2 rows and compare the pairs.

Recently I wanted to see what pairs would result if I "mirrored" the Majors - that is, if I laid out one row of trumps from The Fool to the half way point, The Wheel, and then made the next row turn back on itself, so that the Fool is paired with The World. This is the same technique as the Atbash cipher, once beloved of cabalists in the Renaissance and later periods.

What I found was the pairings that result are very rich in meaning and symbolism - especially using the Rider-Waite-Smith cards of the Universal Waite Tarot, which were designed to reflect each other and be interlinked in their symbolism.

I want to do a series of blog posts about these wonderful pairings, starting with The Wheel of Fortune/Justice. More on that very soon, so do check back for an exploration of the wonderful world of tarot symbolism!

Blessed be
Anthony

On Etsy - and Facebook!

Hello everyone, and thank you for pushing this page to 4,500 views! So accordingly, this is my 50th post.

Please visit me on Etsy at my Etsy store. I provide spiritual readings using the tarot, and I tune into your spirit guidance to provide you insightful life messages.

Also I am now on Facebook! Hope to hear from you soon.

Love
Anthony

Signs of the Times

Have you ever taken time to reflect on how society and attitudes have changed in the last 30 years? Now that I am approaching 40, I can begin to look back with a certain perspective on many changes evident particularly in my own country, but I feel sure that similar changes have taken place in the US and the UK.

Attitudes have undergone a complete revolution since the early 1980s. One area in particular is in the realm of the nuclear threat. This has not of course completely gone away, but I remember growing up feeling like it could happen at any time. Russia, which was then much larger and known as the U.S.S.R., was seen as the great enemy of the West. And they, of course, saw us as the great enemy! For a period of over 50 years, from 1947 to 1989, the tension between these two great power blocs was at a dangerously heightened level. Students in American schools in the 50s and 60s were actually trained what to do in the event of a nuclear strike – basically to crouch under their desks and brace for impact (and a fat lot of good that would have done). Hence the 1985 song “Russians”, by Sting, in which he directly confronts the issue, questioning the insanity of the powers, with their fingers poised over their respective buttons, and asking – don’t the Russians love their children too?

Strange as it may seem to today’s Gen Y, this truly was the situation in the early 80s. I can remember asking myself the same question – if the Russians are people like us (and the media strove to convince us that indeed they were not!), wouldn’t they want a peaceful solution for the sake of their children?

This all culminated in the “false-alarm” incident of 1983, which was itself part of a larger pattern of events that convinced Russia that America was preparing for an actual strike. If it were not for one man working within the Russian nuclear installation who correctly surmised that their missile detection instruments were malfunctioning, the unthinkable may have actually occurred at that time. Of course now, we are much closer to Russia, with tourism a growing industry whereas once it would have been unthinkable to travel to the Soviet bloc country. Certain tensions, unfortunately, still exist, especially over the Middle East.

This is one example of how things have changed over the years. Another example, in Australia at least, is so-called multiculturalism. The divisions between Anglo-Australian culture and the various other immigrant cultures are much less evident these days, particularly in metropolitan areas. It used to be that the main sources of non-Anglo immigration to Australia were from Greece and Italy. Despite the historical kinship that exists between those nations, most “Aussies” were pretty hard on these immigrants. This despite the fact that most of the people were beautiful, peaceful and law-abiding citizens! But Aussies had come up doing the hard yards of establishing a nation out of the raw rock and desert soil of this nation, and as a result of this experience they had perhaps become hardened. Also, as a new nation forging a new path away from the mother continent of Europe, most “Aussies” were probably sceptical of anything European. Still, the treatment of those waves of immigrants was thoroughly undeserved. Today, we see immigrants from all over the world – from places as far afield as Croatia, the Sudan, Lebanon, Iran, etc. This has become normal. And miraculously, all these cultures are somehow (for the most part) living side by side in relative peace (knock on wood!).

Naturally there is of course a regrettable element of conservative, intolerant “Aussies” – but I for one never really hear much about them, and they certainly don’t get much (if any) press.

Yet another area of change is in the status of women. Now this is a curious area of social study – after the feminist wave of the 70s and 80s, many women would say things have not improved but in fact have perhaps backslid. (Is that a word?) Certainly there are a much higher proportion of women in positions of management, especially in the public service where I work. Women no longer have to prove they belong in the workforce as they once did. Yet there are still men who feel the need to over-control their women – and regrettably, I have discovered that this tendency still obtains within me.

This has been a rather rambling blog so I hope you will bear with me, but lately I have heard stories of women who have left their partners because they insist on trying to control. I myself had a meltdown recently when I felt my partner was becoming too independent (gasp!) and some inner, wounded part of me – inaccessible to my powers of reason! – was convinced I was being left. It wasn’t as if she was even doing anything that threatening – it was more that I could just sense a pattern emerging and this was reinforced by things she had been saying lately.

Now in my right mind this would not have been a problem. But I had let myself and my self-care slide in recent times, and as a result the inner wounded-self was festering. The abandonment complex I had carried since before conscious memory was really acting up – and acting out. Fortunately we have been able to smooth things over together but I am still disturbed by what happened.

Without trying to sound too righteous about it, I really feel that the whole world’s problems stem from men trying to control. I am sure many women reading this would agree. All the things I have mentioned – the nuclear threat, intolerance of other peoples – are not perpetrated by women, but by angry men. As the Goddess returns, balance is restored among the sexes and women rise to new levels of empowerment and independence, men are possibly feeling a little hurt and confused. We aren’t sure what our place is anymore – having been in control for so long, having been the ruling paradigm for several thousand years, and having soothed our savage beasts by keeping women at our beck and call, we are possibly entering this new age feeling a little shaken and shaky.

For myself, the answer is to take time out for me. Many men have possibly already cottoned on to this solution! But for me certainly, taking time out for myself at the end of each day, to pause, to reflect, and just to let my inner voice be heard, is one small step to allowing myself to self-nurture. Burning out my brain with distraction after distraction is not the way to go. And after all, I do have a contemplative and spiritual side, I am interested in positive change for the world. I guess it’s a matter of acting in accord with what I want to see in the world!

Or as the Mahatma once said, Be the change you want to see in the world. But to the blokes out there – take heart, gentlemen. We all want a safer, more peaceful world to live in, and that is what is trying to come to birth. The old ways are no longer working for us, guys. Time to relax and let the changes in!

Be well

Anthony

Re-energising and refocusing

Ok, well as many of you may realise, there are a lot of cosmic energies flying around at the moment. It feels like the lessons of life are coming at us faster than ever before, and we are grasping those lessons quicker than ever before. Not only that, but we are (at least on some level) changing fast too.

The galactic energies that are focusing on our solar system truly are quickening our growth and evolution. Things that might simply have gone unnoticed or unchallenged in previous decades (such as advocates of post-natal child murder in the British Medical Journal, or US sabre-rattling towards Syria and Iran) are being strongly opposed and called out. I will be forever grateful to the US Congressional member from New Jersey, Chris Smith, for having the clarity of mind and a true human heart for speaking out against one particular instance of scientific insanity. You go, Chris.

And meanwhile, I really feel the tide is turning. Events have really brought home to me that there are only two forces in the manifested universe - the life-force and the death-force. Sometimes these are called Eros and Thanatos - two opposing forces that define the cosmos.

Let's face it - one cannot exist except in relation to the other. When Life was born, Death was also. Without Death, Life loses its meaning. However those of us who feel we are emissaries of Life need to realise that the Death forces are trying their hardest to assert themselves in our society at this time. Hence the two examples I cited above.

So let's keep our eyes open - while nonetheless keeping focused on what is good and worth living for. The death-forces only prevail if we give in to them, and if we forget what is wholesome and good. Keep focused on the Light in your life - we will succeed.

What has happened to freedom

I don't like to post about anything to do with politics. Its a dirty, dirty business, and everyone has their opinion, each having some validity and each being arguable. That's part of the reason why I don't belong to any group, association or organisation (apart from making a monthly donation to Greenpeace - that street hawker in Hyde Park was very convincing!).

My American readers in particular will no doubt have their own sensitivities to what I am about to post. But here goes anyway.

I find the situation with Julian Assange to be a very, very upsetting reflection of the place that Western society finds itself in 2012. As regards the charges of misconduct in Sweden - is he guilty or not? I have no doubt that he was at the very least having some naughty-boy "fun" on that occasion, and as a result he has undoubtedly left himself open to accusation. As to whether there was indeed misconduct, I cannot claim to know. But what I do know, is that I have never seen so much concerted government, police and international effort to arrest a man wanted for similar charges.

I wonder - if Assange was not a self-declared whistle-blower, would the authorities be pursuing him with the same remorseless attitude? Somehow, I really don't think so.

Can I just say for the record that I do not regard the man with the hero-worship that some accord him. Because of his rather sad childhood, the man may indeed be prone to weaknesses of the flesh. I am not pronouncing judgement on him one way or the other. In fact for me, the question of his guilt or innocence has now paled into insignificance. The far more pressing issue is that the world I once cherished as a place of freedom of expression seems dangerously close to becoming a police state.

We should all consider the current events as a warning. The actions of the UK authorities to me smacks of fear - fear of reprisal from the US. And if that's the case, since when has the relationship between the UK (and by extension the rest of the English speaking world) and the US become one of fear? Are we so afraid of America, have they really become the international bully-boy?

If that is the case then all people of right mind need to speak up NOW. In fact I am shocked that in the face of the TAA scandal, MORE Americans have not spoken up. A disturbing  meek complacency seems to have crept over the American people. As Assange said in his address this weekend, that revolutionary spirit that sparked the birth of America seems to have faded to be replaced by rigid dogmatism and totalitarianism - the very things that the Founding Fathers wanted to avoid.

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, so perhaps it was inevitable that this occur to what was the most powerful nation on Earth. Therefore it won't be long before another nation is handed that mantle. If the European and European-descended nations forsake their own founding values, then perhaps the rise of China will be complete. It's ironic really - at a time when China is opening up to the free market, with all the decadence and the benefits that come with it, we in the West seem to be going the opposite way. (I wonder what those American-as-apple-pie  Republicans make of this?)

What I'm trying to say is that I feel disgusted and ashamed of my own culture. It only takes a quick skim of the kind of material that Wikileaks was leaking to see how corrupt the American armed forces have become. The 2007 air attacks on Baghdad make it clear that for many in the armed forces, fighting a war has lost all honour and has become little more than a glorified computer game - with human beings (aggressors and civilians alike) little more than icons on a screen to be gunned down without remorse or discrimination. Its so very sad - 70 years ago Americans fought with honour and with pride to free the world of tyranny. Now it seems, America is on the verge of becoming that tyranny.

And my own government is little better. I have never felt the need to disown my own government - now however, I do. I am so ashamed of what we are becoming, and it now falls to the people - everyone, you and me - to start demanding better. We must start with ourselves, and work our way out to the world.

Children in spirit - pre-birth

As many long time readers would be aware, I have a little boy Jack who is 2 1/4 years old. I have to say though that Susan and I were aware of him for many years prior to that.

Our relationship has been through several distinct phases, and during the time that we spent in the city of Newcastle (in regional New South Wales) we met a psychic woman called Ardis. We know that we have spent time with this woman in a Native American setting, as we connected with her straight away and during that time I was experiencing surfacing memories of my past life (lives) there. Ardis was the first time we realised we had a child around us.

She told us there was a little boy around us in spirit (this was back in 2001 or thereabouts - Jack was born 2010). At the time I thought it might be a soul from one of my mother's miscarriages that had chosen to be around me, but we both now realise and agree that it was Jack. Did he also have a brief sojourn with my own mother? I'm not clear on that point, but what I do know is that Jack is one amazing soul!

Before Jack was born Susan and I would do tarot readings to see what messages the incoming soul had for us. Jack kept coming up very strongly as the Magician.

The message I got was that here was a very intelligent, very creative being who was coming through with a mission! I also perceived that he had not had many lives on this Earth - maybe only 1 or 2 at the most. Nevertheless I got that he was a very experienced soul in other star civilisations, all across the galaxy in fact, but that his resume was incomplete because he needed greater depth of experience with us on Earth!

And as many of us know only too well, Planet Earth is the place of the greatest learning, the toughest lessons, but also potentially the greatest joy, celebration at being alive and unique and individual. Only on Earth do we achieve such a level of definition, precision and skill. And this Magician card clearly told me that this was the reason he was coming here.

Jack's astrology chart shows that he also has a very sensitive side - understandable for a soul that has spent millions of years in much more refined environments than the Earth! But he has a toughness too that enables him to "hit the ground runnning" so to speak. Jack's mission is so important to him that despite his lack of experience here he already seems very highly adapted and "in tune" with the way things are here - no mean feat considering how difficult it can be for us sensitives to adapt to Earth life. So well done Jackie!

Do any of you have stories to share like this? I would love to hear them in the comments! Blessings and be well

Anthony

Thank you!

Hello everyone

Not a lot to say at the moment, although a lot is definitely happening under the surface! But the reason for this post, is that I have noticed my blog views are going up and up lately and I just wanted to send a thank you to all my readers.

I really enjoy writing this blog, and I'm excited to know that you are reading it! So thank you, and I hope you keep enjoying what I post.

Blessings
Anthony