MID-WEEK MINDFULNESS DIVINATION

Often we hit the week running with our goals and projects in mind only to find by mid-week that we’ve lost our steam, have either gotten waylaid by other demands for our attention and time, or by urgencies that have arisen in our environment, politics or the world.  It’s easy to be thrown for a loop in these turbulent transformational times.

I’ve already done my Divination for the weekly energies with the I CHING, but I like to pull a TAROT card to bring me into focus midweek, to show me something I’ve been missing, or perhaps an entirely new point of reference that I should steer my attention towards. I hope you find this helpful as you move forward through the end of your week.

THIS WEEKS CARD: THE EMPEROR: Commander of Intellections: action as a free and autonomous individual, action taken as a direct result of rational decision. Astrologically this is ARIES whose affirmation is “I AM.”

As an archetypal ruler he represents the most exemplary person in the realm, a powerful head of state, high leadership, responsibility with self-control and endurance, discipline and focus. The Emperor is a protector, who masters physical manifestation and the world of matter, performs useful actions and gives justice and order to the world and a formidable character.

He appears as an affirmation of your powers of self-determination. It is you that must define your destination, and then lead the charge. He appears when you are being called to direct and reign, restore order in your life path, and to enhance personal discipline. Fears must be overcome because now is the time to for you to conquer new frontiers with savoir-faire.

For me this week on the national & political level, the card seems to be symbolically pointing to what has happened with Joseph Biden, who seems to be taking his place in the race for the Democratic leader. He has endured through ups and downs and now has been predicted to have moved into 1st place.

More personally, it’s about honouring my truth, abiding by my principles, standing in my power even if it does not coalesce with the norm. The Emperor appears to us to throw us a challenge: we must know our destination before we can lead and he is doing just that, calling us to lead. Do you know where you are going, what frontieres you must conquer and how you will lead?!? Have you had any signs, omens that you’ve ignored lately? This week I looked up into the sky and there were three red tailed hawks circling close over head – not one – three! They are always a totem for me of swift powerful change. May it be so.

The image of the card above this week is from the Spirit Keepers Tarot by Benebell Wen an unending source of inspiration and online teachings of all things esoteric. She is my new fave and I highly recommend that you visit her website and her youtube videos. Just tap on the names above. She makes all this fun and informational with her logical lawyer mind mixed with her esoteric, spiritual side. She is a wealth of knowledge embodied in such a young woman.

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DDD: MAR 8TH DIVINATION DE DIMANCHE (SUNDAY DIVINATIONS FOR ANGLOPHILES)

HEX 24: REVEALING KNOWLEDGE

I have decided to start the week off by doing an I CHING DIVINATION, as it is something that I do for myself regularly, and for my clientele. Each week I will use a different reference source from my library and you will get to sense & feel how the Oracle speaks through various founts of knowledge, different vehicles and reference points over time. I may generalize a bit, taking excerpts to give the overall meaning for the question & the time, and I always allow the Oracle of the original text to do the speaking.

This will be a General Reading for the energies of the week to come. I won’t delve in depth into all the nuances but want you to get the overall meaning of the text. You may find the reading quite interesting as you might find some serendipitous associations, even answers to issues that you have been addressing or are about to address in your private sphere. I love how the Sage and Divine Feminine speak through these different divinatory avenues. Sometimes I feel the Divination has nothing to do with my question and then voila! Clarity arises and the answer was there before I knew that I even needed it. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy these postings as much as I love doing them!

With everything that is going on around us astrologically, internationally, nationally and personally this should be an enlightening reading! HERE ARE THE ENERGIES PREDICTED FOR THE COMING WEEK:

1st throw/pull with Changing Lines 1 & 5:

I sense this first Hexagram is for each of us in a personal manner – you might find otherwise – and the Hexagram, which follows, gives us a view and perhaps a way to deal with what is happening in the present reality regarding health, politics and the turbulence of the world.

HEX 24: REVEALING KNOWLEDGE*

Sun within, Lake without: the season of REVEALING KNOWLEDGE arrives. Success comes to those who come face-to-face with the hidden.

Your vision benefits all: the situation is one in which the future gives up its secrets to the present.

Build your dwelling upon the moment of epiphany: the sacred unmasks itself in the season of REVEALING KNOWLEDGE.

The Hexagram depicts the attitude of remaining alert to the ever-present potential for new discoveries. Together, the symbols mean that you are increasingly aware of the unseen forces at work on the transformation of the visible…Of all the different kinds of discoveries, the most profound are those that present us with a new and more vital sense of the meaningfulness present in our immediate surroundings…

This is a time for cancelling out thoughts of goals or hopes or fears, replacing our preconceptions with a sincere willingness to see the hidden perfection right before our eyes. Rout out any feelings of unworthiness or doubt by purifying the heart of any feelings of envy, resentment or anger, ready it to be filled with feelings of relief, joy and homecoming. Stay vigilant and you will not miss a single opportunity to immerse yourself in the momentous…

Spend time integrating your vision with everyday life, finding its deeper meanings further and further within the details of ordinary experience. Translate your vision into action, responding to all you encounter with growing consistency and congruity, methodically training your thoughts and emotions and words and deeds to reflect the ancient and secret light you keep in your heart.

Look more closely at ordinary everyday events and ask yourself what deeper meaning lies concealed within them. Look at the present as being built upon the hidden past and ask yourself what eternal meanings lie concealed just below the surface of your habits and routines. In the midst of your work, a whole new world opens up to you. Follow your sense of wonder.

LINE CHANGES

1st LINE:  Nature reveals knowledge by analogy – you are attuned to the spirit of the land & sky…you feel more loved by the world every day.

5th LINE: Spirit reveals knowledge by surprise – you are attuned to the spirit of language. From close observation of the way language shapes perception and reaction, you gain insight into and wisdom about the limits of language. Your sensitivity to the world beyond definitions increases every day.

Changes to:

HEXAGRAM 6: FOSTERING SELF-SACRIFICE*

Wind within, Lightening without: the season of FOSTERING SELF-SACRIFICE arrives. Success comes to those who wait for the next opportunity.

Before the web of silk and gold: the situation is one of benefitting others instead of attempting to advance a just cause at the wrong time.

Stay true to your compass heading: the soul practices patience and discernment in the season of FOSTERING SELF-SACRIFICE.

This hexagram represents a time of great change that holds no immediate opportunities for you to advance. The symbols taken together, symbolize the ending of something and a breakdown of customary routines, polarizing people and making them insecure and distrustful…Together, these symbols mean that you wait for the turbulence of the times to calm, neither revealing your intentions nor acting on your decisions.

…There are dramatic fluctuations in gain and loss now and people are unable to guess where fortune and misfortune will strike next. While people may make a show of unity and cooperation, behind the scenes individuals and factions compete fiercely for advantage. Because all sides perceive their motives justified, they resist reconciliation with all their might. In such a climate, it is easy to be swept up in the passions of the moment and dragged back and forth indefinitely…

…One of the ancient’s great teachings is that acting out of self-interest to the detriment of the whole injures all. Because profit brings gain for one at the expense of many and benefit brings gain for many at the expense of one, the logic of benefit is superior to the logic of profit…

Do not be tempted to make a move at this time, as your motive will be called into question and you will become embroiled in conflict and hostility. Wait patiently, hone your skills, and broaden your experience: By not acting prematurely, you will be respected and sought after when the window of opportunity next opens…

In the midst of chaos and confusion, hold firm to your belief in serving others. Focus on the well being of those around you and your needs will be met. Set an example by refusing to worry about things outside your control. Do not try to advance at this time. Be an asset to others. Strengthen your foundation, broaden your alliances. The momentum is against you for a while longer.

THE SOULS’ JOURNEY

The sap of the world tree runs out upon the ground: The trunk may be broken but the roots live on.

*Please note the TOLEC I CHING Hexagrams are different than the KING WEN VERSION. For further reference and illumination, you can check out any source of the KING WEN VERSION of this reading under these Hexagram numbers:

HEX 43: GUAI/DECIDING & PARTING, which turns into HEX 32: HENG/FIXING THE OMEN/PERSEVERING

I would like to extend my gratitude to William Douglas Holden for his momentous work on creating the TOLTEC I CHING and his many other resources for the I Ching and other writings that I have only skimmed the surface of knowing, as I continue to delve into them daily.  He is a mentor from afar. You can find out about him and can purchase his books by tapping his name above.

I would also like to thank the artists, Marlies Holitzka and Klaus Holitzka for creating these amazing images which you will find on the internet. They are beautiful and balanced and thus I share them with you here. You can purchase their cards at Amazon at the link in their names above.

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Sol, Stelliums & Luminosity

The Galaxy – Best Xmas Lights Ever!

As 2019 draws to a close, I wanted to give you an update on life here on my end of the pond.  While 2019 had its challenges all over the world, it has continued to be a trying year here in many respects somewhat due to the after effects of our biblical events – fires, floods, mudslides & illnesses – which had put the city of Santa Barbara & town of Montecito in PTSD mode. We had a quick scare recently, which triggered that mode again & had many nerves on edge, but the firefighters & rains thoroughly eliminated all danger for the Thanksgiving holidays. There was much gratitude in everyone’s prayers during those holiday meals.

As we come close to the end of this year and epoch, the sense is now, that there’s light beginning to shine in after digging out of the challenges of the past time period, a promise of beginning again & a sense of getting back to basics under all these Capricorn stellium aspects – structure, the skin & bones of the body & things, stability, the state, the empire, the collective – just look at the news and you can see it right before you. With the holiday season, people are now smiling, bustling about shopping, holiday parties have begun, the Post Office has queues out the door, Christmas & Hanukkah lights and decorations seem at an all time high with some over-the-top competition going on.

It has been a year of going within, retreats, a deeply meditative time, which has been incredibly healing for many, and for me personally it has strengthened my resolve to continue my Feng Shui & Re-Design practice, creating beauty & sacred space, my writing & blogs will recommence & I’ll be adding more of a focus on divination and the use of astrology as counseling & mentoring tools, as a means to be of further service to others. 

With the year ending, we passed the Solstice point yesterday, it is still in effect with the Sun (Sol) stationary, standing still (sistere) for 3 days, the darkest night, which is a time of honouring our lessons & accomplishments, thus begins the return to luminosity. Ceremonies are being held across continents in different cultures for this portal. It is an excellent time to reflect on where we have been & where we are going, moving towards a time of opening to new ideas, goals & interesting possibilities. Don’t forget to join by lighting a candle, meditate or say a prayer!

Then for Xmas Day (here in California), we have a New Moon Eclipse in Earth with the Sun & Moon adding to that stellium in Capricorn – it is one packed house! All these points & planets run the gamut from the personal & emotional to the collective, focusing intently on the rules, restrictions, the structures – governmental, societal & familial – construction or deconstruction. Earth eclipses can bring an abrupt turning point, a new start. Yet this eclipse is also a lovely one, bringing sentiments of generosity, abundance, bestowing gifts – how appropriate for Christmas Day. There is so much happening that each one of us will experience this event differently in relation to our natal chart. Awareness is key.

Thus during this holiday season hold those near & dear close to your hearts & in your arms. As 2020 starts the beginning of a new epoch, we have transformative & tumultuous times & changes ahead. Life will not be the same by its end. Hold onto your hats as it is going to be one interesting ride!

Sending you lots of love & light,

Bernadette

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GREEN – NEW GROWTH – NEW MOON – SPRING EQUINOX

For a month now, my eyes have been attracted to all different shades of green in nature, furnishings and homes. Since my return to California perhaps my eyes have been attached to the view of dryness, of the constant reminder of drought, and then the experience of devastating fires, and are now pointing me to signs of rebirth and renewal. One sees it everywhere after the rains, plants and flowers are blooming in full force. I sense a shifting, a change in the air, but know not how or where the shifting will come. The astrology of both the West and the East gives us some clues.

The Chinese Astrology of 2019 is already holding true in this Year of the ‘Earth Mountain Monastic Boar.’ The elements of the year contain weak Yin Earth, with much stronger Yang Wood, which can overpower, drain the soil of sustenance and can even block water channels. This strong Wood is fed by equally strong Water which when mixed with Earth creates mud. Mundanely, we are seeing a lot of that with our recent rains and floods in California. As Wood is also over-abundant in the Pillars of the year it can create too much growth and this can indicate the feeding of Fire to come. We are coming to the end of the Chinese astrological wheel with the Year of the Boar/Pig and a new epic will begin in 2020 so it is a very powerful transition time.

From the Western Astrology perspective, we are also in an end time of huge shifts and currents of change as 2019 will end the decade. We are in the throws of this time of great transformation that has only just begun as the old cycles complete and brand new long term ones begin continuing into 2020. Hold onto your hats!

From this view, it is a year of contradictory trends with opportunities to find balance through very different approaches in separate areas of our lives. We find more of the same elements, starting with lots of Capricorn Earth energy with Saturn, Kronos, Father TIme at home in its own sign accompanied by Pluto, the Great Alchemical Destroyer and the South Node, symbolic of the past and burdens carried until we finally learn the lessons of this life – seems right at home in Cappie. Jupiter will enter there at the end of the year – so we have a very full Earth house!  Think structure, hard work, boundaries and that high mountain to climb to obtain success.

For the Water element, we have Neptune in its own sign of Pisces (2012-2025). In a positive sense, it symbolizes our ability to elevate to a higher level of spiritual consciousness. Neptune is accompanied by Chiron, the Soul Healer. Then the North Node is in Cancer, symbol of the never-ending upward spiral of our future, a new cycle reaching for the highest area of expression in the Water house of Mother Nature, emotions & nourishment. Perhaps we’ll see some amazing new developments in the healing of our planetary waters and new forms of sustainable farming.

The Fire element arrived with Jupiter in Sagittarius representing a new focus on an inspirational search for meaningful growth in our own personal philosophy, in an expanding, bold, active and adventurous manner. With these diverse, different elements and planets, we’ll need to observe and then experience, as things open & close, as life expands and contracts between idealism and realism, structure and free-form fluidity, tolerance and intolerance, the spiritual and material, as 2019 breathes us into a new phase of existence. You can see that the Eastern Astrology corresponds and is quite in alignment to our Western view. No wonder I’m feeling in “pulled, not know mode!”

Back to gorgeous green and its symbolism of growth, vitality, renewal, healing, prosperity, and birth. Doesn’t that sound like SPRING to you?! In Feng Shui and Traditional Chinese Medicine, green is the colour of Wood and its season is Spring. It represents a time of growth, movement, development & planning. Hmmm, now you know why we all do our Liver and Gallbladder cleansing with bitter greens during this time of year as it relates to those organs.. Wood is strong, yet flexible and bends with the Wind when in balance. If someone is youthful, upright, flexible yet strong, and persevering, fearless and adventurous you’ll know you’ve encountered a Wood person. Wood is nourished by Water and feeds the Fire in the cycle of elements. In the BaGua, Wood is located in the Family gua, seat of Zhen – Thunder – Shock. Thunders’ role is to arouse & awaken. Think how our families assist us, often through strong means, in the development of our innate abilities, giving us the strength to break through life’s’ obstacles.

The Białowieża Forest: Poland & Belarus – Europe’s last old-growth forest

The Spring Equinox is our reboot, our beginning of the wheel for the year. This year there is lots of turbulence on the outer realm, yet we can balance this with inner stillness, meditation, cultivating our Heartspace. I can think of nothing more soothing than the practice of Shinrin-yoku forest bathing. Shinrin means “forest” in Japanese and yoku translates as “bath.” This practice studied by the Japanese government since the 1980s has been proven to lower heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormone production while boosting the immune system and overall feelings of well-being. Forest bathing is just basically being in the trees, being in the silence of GREEN WOOD chi without any aim or having any technology turned on for at least 30 minutes, but two hours is recommended and a weekend would be sublime. The key to unlocking the power of the forest is in using all of the five senses and one is advised to breathe – relax – wonder – wander – touch – listen – heal. Basically, it is being mindful in the forest and the trees. There is nothing more glorious than being in a cathedral, a stand of a huge, ancient forest.

Food for Soul
https://www.foodforsoul.it/

Could your Wood be out of balance? If you are feeling out of whack, off-kilter and can’t get to trees or a forest, try adding green to your clothing choices, add some greenery, green colours (also blue & purple) and rectangular design details to your environment, or a Forest desksaver on your laptop, all will help absorb and redirect chi. Water elements placed in the proper area on your property and in your home will augment your Wood if it is depleted. A Green kitchen while soothing also feeds the Fire of the stove, nourishing family Health & Wealth. Doing one good thing a day for another will help you heal and focus elsewhere. Inhaling some wonderful Wood aromatherapy like cypress essential oil in a vaporizer can also be used as a Wood/Water element. Please make sure you use natural sourced essential oils and not synthetics or you will be defeating the purpose. Listening to Forest Meditations or Heart Chakra Meditationhttps://www.youtube.com will bring tranquility, and adding healthy greens to your nourishment choices will feed your chi – any and all of the above will be immensely helpful. You will thank me and yourself if you do.

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DOWN INTO THE NIGREDO

In alchemy, nigredo, or blackness, means putrefaction or decomposition. Many alchemists believed that as a first step in the pathway to the philosopher’s stone, all alchemical ingredients had to be cleansed and cooked extensively to a uniform black matter. ~ Wikipedia

As we entered the Scorpionic waters of the season and continue our descent into the darkness of winter, transformation is upon us especially with Venus, Goddess of Love & Relationship being retrograde here. No superficiality allowed, we are delving deep into past connections, ancestral, sexual and relational, releasing and dissolving old outworn imbalances and patterns of intimacy and dysfunction that no longer work. Within the blackness of alchemy, think of rich, deep dark soil which has been turned, digested and when composted and cooked eventually nourishes  new life, new growth, once we return to the light.

In archetypal terms many of us know the tale, as Venus’s retrograde of 40 days symbolizes young Persephone, Goddess of Spring, in her descent, being tested, having suffered and been stripped naked. Reflect on other tests of 40 days and nights and you’ll get an idea, tales of Inanna, the Buddha and biblical ones for example. She is also in tension with Mars, the God of war and conflict. He represents for me two connections here, her father, Zeus, giving her away to her brother, Hades, God of the Underworld, in marriage without consulting either her or her mother and thus the disaster begins or perhaps it was her choice? Eventually, she passes all tests with marvelous assistance (you will have to look up the rest of the story), and becomes Goddess & Queen of the Underworld with a price after having partaken of the deep, red pomegranate, another symbol of this Scorpio time frame. Her price was having to descend for half of the year into the domain of her husband/brother Hades, our Winter season, and then she emerges in her strength as an actualized, empowered woman, reuniting with her mother, Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture in the Spring.

Here all things of a Venusian nature are touched; secrets come to the surface – ancestral, sexual, intimate, aesthetic and financial as well as personal values – things we didn’t want to deal with come out of the blue but really from the deep nigredo black (don’t even talk about the news, just notice the correlations).

In astrology, this fourth quarter of the year is full of movement with two major slow planets changing signs, Uranus, the “Awakener,” catalyst and wildcard, with Jupiter, King of the Gods, God of Light, expansion, sky and weather – think “thunderbolt,” in Scorpio makes the gates to the underworld easier to access helping our Persephone traverse the dark, along with Mars, the loosely tethered adolescent male, like a “rebel without a cause”, and finally the North Node moving into Cancer. With very little effort, things can change on a dime, flip from down to being up, full to being empty and vice versa.

This reminds me of one of our adjustments with the Hexagrams but more on that another time. It is a six Metal Month of the Dog which is about authority, obstinacy, persistence, and conflicts, a Dog Month in a Dog Year! Dogs don’t let go, just think of our President who is a Dog, power that will not release its privilege, that has passed its due date, male-domination that doesn’t realize its fragility, or that it is time to abdicate. This all ties in with the Western astrology above. Don’t you love how all these separate paths from different worlds flow together?

Everything is cyclical, seasonal, for instance look back 8 years to 2010 or even 16 years to 2002, you may find a similar transformative issue that has come to the forefront regarding relationships, sexuality or finance, or a culmination of that earlier cycle as Venus is in the same area of the sky now in the murky waters of Scorpio preparing the compost for the new beginnings of Spring 2019.

I recommend a good space-clearing with sage or tobacco and before that clearing some or a lot of clutter out of your purview. Dream-journaling is highly beneficial as you can access the subconscious with greater awareness in this space of the diaphanous veils between the worlds.

 

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WOW – “J’ADORE”

Sometimes you just have to let your own ideas slide when you come upon something or someone so fabulous that it stops you in your tracks. The work of this multi-talented & multidisciplinary UK artist is one of those. Luke Jerram’s works go into my category of “J’ADORE’ – and this particular work ties so beautifully into the GATE OF THE MOON. It is called the Museum of the Moon, but this piece is really a MOON TEMPLE in and of itself, as shown below here in this video placed in the Great Hall with its special blue lighting, just watch as you enter into the womb of the installation. All these images speak for themselves.

The fact that Bristol, UK was the inspiration with its enormous high and low tides – 13 feet difference at times – brings the feminine directly into play. It ties into the Moon and her myths, her cycles, how they affect the earth and each one of us, tying into our emotions, our bodies, and especially the women, as we are directly affected by her within our own Moon cycles.

We have just passed the Equinox, day of equal light and dark, and have entered into our Autumn season here above the equator as well as just experiencing a gorgeous Full Moon the following day – very potent tidings. Why not start taking note of the Moon and her cycles and see how it affects your moods, and your body. Keep a journal, take note, or make art. Getting in touch with seasons, luminaries, planets, flowers, and things outside of our own little universe can make for powerful teaching and awakening. I know I was feeling funkier than usual, and I tapped inside with my meditations, and checked and looked at my chart and this Moon was definitely contacting my astrology and my psyche.

This installation is now traveling the globe – how fitting as the Moon, herself travels around us. It will be interesting to see how each site affects the participants. Check here  to see if it is coming to a city near you.

Next time you see the ocean and her tides think of how everyone, everywhere on this magnificent globe of ours is seeing another tide in another place and another way and yet we are all connected. Ending with another piece by Luke Jerram of our wonderful GAIA, MOTHER EARTH reminding us to take note of our seasonal changes here and what they bring and how we are one beautiful connected living being. How fitting that you see the Moon and the Earth together in their unified field. Remember to get in touch within and keep in touch and let me know how your perusing goes.

Image: Ocean Pavilion by Luke Jerram

Videos: Luke Jerram

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