Blessed Beltane

Summer at Alberon

Last night the Wheel turned to Beltane. I dreamed long and slept late.
Now yesterday's rain has drifted away. Clear light-reflecting droplets sparkle off the trees here - tiny fire in the growing green.
This morning I am cutting into fluid silk of emerald green - the Lady's colour. Some time today it will become a dress for this new summer season.

I love this time of wholeness and heat. Now the Lord of Light joins with his Lady in the Great Rite.
This radiance of light and magnetism of love are all around us now.

Beltane is the traditional time to honour the creative process within ourselves and in the connected world without. The season calls us to love life freely and to embrace it passionately.

Energetically it lights the fire at the solar plexus, demanding we translate our dreams into action with passion and confidence. It lights the fire of the heart, demanding we connect and reconnect in trust and surrender to the force of love. It lights the fires in the head calling forth our unique creative expression.

Essentially Beltane demands we follow our calling - to love, to make and to Be.

May you find your Light in this Season

Thrice filled may you be:

Embraced by your lover

Enriched by all Life

Enlightened by one Spirit

Thrice Blessed this Beltane

The Great Rite

Through wild wood he came

teal eyed lover of mine

to stand shore-wise waiting

Clear of mind, open hearted

he called

anam carraigh come to me

Through sea-blue swell I came

oiled grey silk gleaming

to stand shore-wise breathing

Still of mind, open hearted

I called

anam carraigh love with me

Through days of ages

fields of being

we stand heart held singing

One of Mind, open hearted

We unite

anam carraigh we are Home

Death and Rebirth

Sitting in a cafe with my sister last Monday I overheard someone say at the next table "Oh I don't believe in reincarnation and all that. You just die and that's it."
Interesting coffee chat but it saddened me.

The cycle of life is all around us. It is the clue to the essential purpose of our being. How difficult it must be to find meaning in our existence without this essential knowledge.

All life manifests in cycles from conception to decay, including human lives.
This is the Universal Law of Periodicity which is still only marginally accepted in the Western cultures.

Life enters a form and is imbued with consciousness. We call this appearance birth. Incarnation and manifestation are other, more precise, terms for the even.

The purpose of this activity is to grow to self realisation, which the soul does by means of experience garnered during each appearance.

Release from the form comes when the Principle of Liberation becomes active. The physical bodies are then released in what we refer to as Death.

For many cycles of lives groups of souls incarnate. This operates by means of the pull of the material forms they are attracted to. Reincarnation operates primarily by desire, in other words.

Eventually the souls reach the developmental stage where the pull of desire wanes. The soul then knows itself and is aware of itself once more.

As I was preparing to write today I asked one of my own soul group members how a manifestation is experienced by those out of form, who are guiding the life in form. By way of an answer he gave me a poem to share with you. It illustrates his experience of what he describes as the Wonder of the Path of Return.

Fluid she came to me

Swallow dipping

Sky blue silk

Free wheeling she came

A-fire she came to me

Lit in russet linen

Rustling autumn tone

Burning free she came

Burgeoning she came to me

Rose shoot green

Cotton crisp

Ground steady she came

Swimming she came to me

Teal blue sea satin

Undulating love waves

Swinging in she came

Love lighted she came to me

Silver shot chiffon

Etheric mist

One with me she came once more

Getting Personal

Auckland Domain, image thanks to Rose

Things have been racing along this past week. There have been wonderful people in and out of the house, bringing their activity, thoughts and aspirations with them. It has been such a pleasure but the fresh solitude today is welcome.

This Mercurial moon activity highlights that pendulum swing between polar opposites. It really is a good day for me to be on my own because it has brought to light a real limitation which I would do well to work through without delay.

The Lunar activity, disseminating now, presents a hefty challenge this time: to be aware of what is authentic expression of the Higher Self and what is best left to drop away. I am not the only one confronting this issue I am sure

So here is the challenge: Be particularly aware of how our assumptions lead us to modify our behaviour to fit what we believe others' comfort zone to be. In other words: Be aware of cultural and family models which operate unquestioned in the background of our lives and stymie our efforts to be authentic.

Essentially this is a tussle between the Form, expressing inherited characteristics via the personality, and the Soul driving through a desired shift to allow firmer control. Much of the resistance is under the threshold of awareness - subconscious in other words - and we walk straight into it in the dark.

Add to this mix an intuitive awareness of other's feeling response and you have the potential to "spike" or act out a drama to express the inner conflict. Unless we are very careful indeed the fear-filled Personality will deflect attention from the real issue by hooking into relationship anxieties.

Sound familiar? We can all relate to this experience because it is at the heart of being human.

There is a useful three step way to manage the process:

Observe
If we can detach from the emotional pull, even for a moment or two, and watch the activity dispassionately, we can avoid acting out on a wave of group pain.
In esoteric terms this is staying out of astral response by activating the detachment of higher mind.
As the watcher we are free to disengage from identifying our Self with our fear. From the watching position we can ride out the wave, give mutual space and respect to others, and begin to acknowledge where changes could be made to best effect.


Ask for Help
All of us are part of an unseen community as well as active in the physical world. No one is ever alone, no matter how isolated they may perceive themselves to be. Try it out and feel the immediate response to your request to "lift me out of this please team". Your own guides are walking every step with you, eager to help you move through old patterns which keep you circling round instead of spiralling on and upward. Only they may not act without your request or interfere with your free will in any way. Do ask because only then will you receive the help to manage better.

Actively Choose
If we can stand to one side and observe, can take a breath and ask for help, we are on the verge of breaking through to Soul control. Only one further step is necessary. That step is to use our will to choose the Harmless way in any situation. A peaceful approach undertaken from the detached position of the Observer completely defuses personality reaction.
The harmless way includes such things as guarding our speech and remembering that, despite the emotional response, there is nothing personal in the activity around us. Harmlessness includes refraining from judging others - or ourselves.
Above all we are choosing to do our best in the situation, which means we intend the best possible outcome for all concerned. Such a caring intention also serves to lift us out of form reaction into the finer awareness of our Higher Self.

Making Jam

Vermilion bramble born

blood berry

bind this hex this day

Let every hide-bound blemish

dissolve in your sweet heat

convert to vaporous mist

and fly away.

Energy Matters

Alberon Reserve, Parnell, Auckland - where I went to recharge yesterday

We have been talking about passion lately and how to support our personal vision with positive activity. A friend mentioned today: that's all very well but where does the energy come from to be so engaged with life?
Remember Cerunnos? The energy she is talking about is life force and the vehicle for it is the etheric body.

What does that term mean- the etheric or vital body?
The physical body you see when you look in the mirror is actually composed of seven layers. The lowest three layers are solid matter. The atoms comprising these layers make up the solids, liquids and gases that compose what we generally refer to as "my body". The upper four layers are ethers which create a template for the dense body you see.
Science refers to the etheric as the bioplasmic or bioenergetic body. It is identifiable and measurable. In Hindu terms it is prana. The Greeks referred to it as pnuema. For the Chinese it is Qi. In my own Celtic tradition it is the Great Chalice.

Most of us are unaware of this force body which consists of instinct or natural body intelligence.Usually people respond to their body emotionally and through their physical senses. It can, however, be perceived intuitively and taken into conscious consideration as we are endeavouring to do in the Homestead Project.
When you take account of your etheric body and work consciously with life force it is possible to support your health in very tangible ways. You get more energy that way. Energy follows thought remember, so it pays to give prana your close attention.

Our basic vitality is hereditary. Like our features, the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of our form are inherited.

Another source of etheric energy is from the food we eat. In other words the life quality of what we eat either supports or diminishes life force. This is the reason for our goal at Homestead to grow or manufacture at home as much of our food as possible. There is a very close link between humans and the plant kingdom. They provide us with our best and closest source of life force. Eating fresh, uncontaminated fruit, grains and vegetables really does support your health.

By listening to our body intuitively we contact instinct and are naturally drawn to the food that best supports us. When that food is a pure as we can acquire we extract the greatest benefit - the greatest life force- from it.
Occultly speaking different foods support the body in different ways:
Bitter foods drain and dry the body and stabilise emotion.
Pungent foods disperse energy
Sweet foods harmonise the body via the spleen
Sour foods have astringent qualities via the liver
Salty foods purify and detoxify via the blood stream
Bland foods leach damp heaviness in the body via the bladder.

Etheric energy also comes to us from the air we breathe and from sunlight.

When life force is flowing in a balanced way we enjoy good health. We have plenty of energy and are full of enthusiasm and passion for life. Whether the flow is balanced or not depends on our mental and emotional condition too. The happy habit counts because everything is interrelated.

It helps to think of you etheric body as an invisible template for the physical form you see. Imagine it is an interlacing network with energy running in and out. Activity is conditioned by centres located around the seven major endocrine glands of your body.

So we really are what we eat - and how we feel and how we think and the environment we live in. All life is interconnected.
Try putting your attention on your etheric body and practise listening to what your body is saying to you.
Watch your energy levels rise.

Eyes on the Target

Hazel Mason in her Egyptian costume. (c 1910-1920)

Today is a research day at Homestead. I am researching colonial dress for an article. The every day aspects of our ancestor’s lives are fascinating aren't they?

Essentially I am intuiting creative ways to let my passion for history and my ideals fire me in my work. Once again it is the Lunar calendar which has set the pace here.

If this new moon cycle is about being intuitively inspired – and it is- we need to harness that growing creative energy.  It culminates with an eclipse on the Full Moon. The potential here is for clear seeing and foresight. This month has the momentum to push more of our vision out into form in our daily lives.

The Homestead ideal is there in the vision picture- living lovingly, intuitively connected to all life, manifesting the abundance and beauty such connectedness brings. Our challenge is to use our talents and skills to best effect in support of that vision. It is time for Action.

Positive outgoing activity comes naturally from two opposite poles:

-          Acting to remove limitation

-          Tapping into our passion with creative activity to move ideas into form.

Well – some limitations are easy to spot. We have made some lifestyle choices under this heading already. It is our goal to be breathing freely by the end of this month.

Other limitations are less obvious.

Now is the time to let go of habits of speech which are self effacing rather than self supporting.

Speech is sound and sound creates by setting up vibratory patterns, so speaking positively to ourselves and others is vitally important.

Old memory stories are symptomatic of old ways of thinking, ways of reliving old pain, or some historical success.  Letting our mind rest constantly on past experience keeps us stuck there.

Who we were has no relevance here in the present, where we are Now.

This is the best time to be alert for the way those old stories creep into our thoughts and conversation. They are best starved out by letting them go, refusing to speak about them and deliberately bringing our thoughts into the here and now.

Thinking about our vision is hugely valuable but at some point we must Act to make it happen.

Scattered activity won’t get us very far either. This is the step that is best supported by planning.

The base ground for a plan is the purposeful pursuit of the vision. Holding that picture shows us it is our passion, used creatively, which provides the steps to success.

At Homestead we plan intuitively too. This means listening, within and without, and watching for flow.

Today the message is clear: when you are engaged with what inspires you, your activity matches life’s purpose. Throw your heart into it.

Colour Your World

There is glorious sunshine at Homestead today. It is one of those picture perfect spring days which lift everyone up. Anything is possible on a day like this.

The Moon is in its Balsamic phase too. This is time to draw all the loose ends together. Things are looking forward to new possibilities coming in on the new moon in a few days time.

The Homestead Project requires a present awareness but also a definite “future” orientation to our activity. That sounds a contradiction doesn’t it?

We are taking steps to realise a dream, to materialise an aspiration.

This ability to foresee a brighter future and plan for it is something everybody can learn. It is the key to manifesting a life that meets our ideals.

The bulk of most people’s experience up to adulthood leads them to play safe in a state which accepts the status quo. The educational environment generally values conformity. This is the mind- set that keeps us colouring inside the lines of someone else’s drawing.

It is quite a shift when we can stop and ask ourselves: is there a better way to be? What do I need to get myself to there?

In order to make this shift we need to remember our childlike curiosity and playfulness. What if we could make our own drawing? What then?

Having a picture- a personal vision – gives meaning to activity. It gives a positive basis for change and growth. We know we are working to our own original recipe. We are Doing Something even in the most mundane activities.

We begin to live our Dream, knowing it already exists in thought.

The most fundamental Universal Law applies here: energy follows thought.

So if we can stay present, holding the picture of our ideal life steady in the front of our minds, new activity and beliefs can form that make the personal vision a daily reality.

What sort of picture are you colouring right now? Would you like to create a different life?

Here is a simple worksheet activity to get you started:

Close your eyes and imagine your life is exactly as you have dreamed it could be.

Note carefully where you are living and who you are with. What are you wearing? What work do you do? Look at what is your home like and the forms have you surrounded yourself with. What does your home say of your interests and lifestyle? What is the purpose of this life you are living? Look for clues.

Now open your eyes and make some notes. You may like to record your ideals under headings. This is the time to get specific, even if what you write down seems unrealistic compared to the life you have now. 

Some useful headings are:

Relationships – what people are you associated with? What characteristics do they have and what values do they demonstrate? What is the basis of your relationship with them? How is your life enhanced by their presence? How do you enhance theirs?

                                What animals and plants are you associated with? Ask the same questions about their presence in your ideal life.

                                What landscapes and places are you in relationship with? Again, ask the same questions about your interactions with the land.

Purpose- what legacy would your ideal life leave behind you? What is the essential idea behind the picture you are drawing? This can be a difficult question to answer. Look for clues by exploring the image from every angle. You might usefully ask:

                                What is my ideal work? We express something about ourselves in our chosen field of endeavour. What expertise and skills do you demonstrate at work? What motivates you?

                                What is my field of service?

 This may be the same venue as employment or it may not. How do you give back to the world? What contribution is meaningful and satisfying to you?

                                What is fun for me?

The activities and interests we are really passionate about are often the best clues to our life purpose. So what pushes your buttons? What activity recharges you?

Spirituality-What is my belief system based on? This may take any form from community worship, personal values, faith to fatalism. Try to get at what lies behind the form. In your ideal life you are witnessing to your way.

Forms- What tangible, material things do you have in your life? Abundance and prosperity is part of a healthy life. What lifestyle and income supports you? What shape is your body in? Here you are asking yourself to describe your own image of perfect health. Try to do this without colouring from any outside agency. You are the one living this life. Give yourself permission to see yourself healthy and happy on your own material terms. What does that look like? Try to describe the sight and sense of your healthy form life as best you can.

Now you have a clear vision of life that is personal to you, let it colour your days by holding it in mind. Love that image. Breathe Life into the picture. It is who you really are.