Sunday 28 February 2010

The Golden Buddha

In 1957, a group of Thai monks were informed that due to major construction of a new port and highway, their shrine was to be relocated. The shrine in question was a huge clay Buddha.

Careful arrangements were made and the day of the shrine moving arrived. The shrine, located under a roof to keep it safe from the elements, was prepared for its journey. A crane was brought in and began lifting the clay Buddha, but as it rose off of its resting place, it began to crack. It seemed to be far heavier than all the engineers had estimated.

The monk supervising the movement of the Buddha frantically called to the crane operator telling him to set the Buddha down. As the monks and the engineers examined the Buddha, they found several large cracks and so to ensure safe movement of the Buddha, a larger crane would be needed, which would arrive the next day. The Buddha was left where it was placed and was to spend the night in its current location.

With a storm brewing, the monks covered the Buddha with a waterproof tarpaulin on poles to keep it dry overnight and all seemed to be well. During the night, the head monk awoke and decided to check on the Buddha. With a flashlight, the monk carefully checked the condition of the Buddha. As he walked around the huge clay figure shining his light on the cracks, something caught his eye. He peered into the crack and what he saw he did not understand, so he needed to see more.

The monk returned to his quarters, found a chisel and a hammer and returned to the Buddha. He began carefully chipping at the clay around the crack. As the crack widened, he could not believe his eyes. He ran to wake the other monks and instructed each of them to bring a hammer and chisel to the place where the Buddha sat.

By lantern light the monks carefully chipped all the clay from the Buddha. After hours of chiselling, the monks stepped back and stared in awe at the sight before them. There, in front of the monks, stood a solid gold Buddha.

When the moving crew arrived later that morning to complete the job of moving the Buddha to its new location, there was much confusion and excitement. Where had the clay Buddha gone? From where had the Golden Buddha come? The monks explained. Historians were called and research was begun to discover the origin of the Golden Buddha.

After much research, the pieces of the story were put together. The Golden Buddha was the cherished responsibility of a group of monks several centuries earlier. These monks received word that the Burmese army was headed their way and they were concerned that the invading army would loot the shrine for its Golden Buddha. So, the monks covered their Buddha with 8 to 12 inches of clay and when they were finished the Golden Buddha appeared to be made of clay.
The monks felt sure that the army would have no interest in a clay Buddha, and they were right. However, the Burmese army killed all of the monks before they moved on and The Golden Buddha was lost in history until 1957.

***

We should remember that there is a Golden Buddha inside each of us. It is hidden away under layers of clay that slowly forms throughout our lives. When we are born, we start life as a Golden Buddha, and this story reminds us that with the right tools, the Golden Buddha within each of us can be revealed in its full glory once again.

Life events and experiences may shroud us in clay, but when we have Faith, courage and self-belief we can break through the clay and allow our true natures to be revealed.

So, much like the monk with his hammer and chisel, it is our task to discover our true essence and to shine.

***

I thank Susanne for reminding me of this story. I have been to the Golden Buddha, and sat in awe in the presence of this shining being. As I prepare now for a major step on my own personal journey in life, I have grabbed a sledgehammer and begun to break through the many layers of clay to the gold that lies beneath...

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Stuff!

As the first flowers of spring start to burst into life through the frozen ground, the energy within me also seems to be stirring.

Now is the time to start clearing out and de-cluttering our lives on every level – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It is time to let go of all that ‘stuff’ that accumulates in our lives that simply hangs about doing nothing.

Nearly all of us are guilty for hanging on to things - ‘that might come in handy’, or ‘that was a gift, I can’t get rid of that’ or ‘I bought that as a bargain, never used it, but it was a bargain’...

Sound familiar?

Yet, all this stuff clutters up our lives on every level. Physical clutter clogs us up emotionally, mentally and spiritually leaving us feeling bogged down and disempowered. Emotional and mental clutter overwhelms and distracts us, and spiritual clutter simply gets in the way of our inner journey.

It is now time to have a major spring clean, and it is now time to let go of everything that is inessential in our lives.

It is time to let go of all that baggage that we are guilty of carrying around in order for us to stand up straight and feel free. It is the only way to travel lightly through life.

After the de-cluttering, remember to honour all those things (on all levels) that you are now letting go. Recycle or pass on the things that you can, but let go of the threads that keep you attached to everything you let go of – you need to be free. Then cleanse – yourself, your house, body and soul and feel the lightness filling every essence of your being.

Breathe in light, space and freedom, and enjoy the feeling of clarity and lightness.

Wednesday 17 February 2010

The Divine Soul

Neptune and Chiron continue with their sacred conjunction, and the intensity of this seems to be continually growing and expanding.

Both of these planets are strongly connected to the Soul, and whilst Chiron allows us to work from the depths of the soul to help and heal others, Neptune is the force that drives us towards spiritual longing and Faith.

Chiron can highlight pain in our lives, he can show us darkness and suffering, but his gift also allows us to ascend from the darkness towards meaning, purpose and love. He offers each of us greater wisdom and an understanding of the light beyond the darkness. There can be no light without dark, no day without night – they are inseparable. How we choose to deal with them does come down to choice though – we can dwell on the pain and suffering, feeling powerless; or take strength from the pain and use the wisdom gained from the experience to make a difference.

Of course, life does not always present us with such a clear choice, and the infinite shades of grey in-between can somewhat cloud the clarity of Chiron.

Bringing Neptune into the mix can do one of two things. Neptune can flood the situation with mists of confusion and illusion, or this ethereal planet can fill our lives with the ‘Technicolor’ spectacular that accompanies clarity of vision and unconditional Faith.

It seems that these two planets want us to get lost in the haze in order to truly find ourselves. This is not about following others, fitting in or doing what we are told when it comes to our souls – this is deeply personal and totally unique to each of us.

It is time to honour our wounds and to realise that the well of strength within each of us is starting to overflow enabling us to reach out towards new ideas, new paths to walk and new horizons. Once we step out of the haze, we will each shine brightly as the Divine Beings that we are. It is time to live our spirituality and to honour the Divinity of our souls.

This sounds very heady and a little surreal, but there is no ego in this, focusing on the ego and the Self misses the point. It is time to step into a new space in our lives and to love. Yes, that’s what it all boils down to, love.

Ok you may say, we live in the real world and we cannot survive on love alone. The ‘real world’ is full of stress, angst and the mundane. But remember, with Chiron and Neptune we are not in the ‘real world’ we are at soul level. Love feeds and nourishes the soul, and when the soul is nourished, life becomes so much easier. Alongside love, comes faith and belief – not only in the Divine but in our Selves as well. When we are immersed in love and can see this love flowing all around, life flows. We need to trust in this process, and realise that love emanates light, joy, positivity and abundance. It is a state of Being.

So love is the key, and as The Beatles once sang ‘All You Need is Love’.

Sunday 14 February 2010

The Tiger Within

February’s New Moon on the 14th sees the start of the Chinese New Year and the year of the Tiger. Lots of cultures celebrate the lunar cycle; the Chinese New Year is the most familiar. The element for this year is metal, sometimes referred to as Golden or White – Golden Tiger and White Tiger both sound amazing, Metal Tiger sounds a little more mechanical – perhaps this is a year to turn metal into gold...

A New Moon signifies new beginnings. So this is a good time for making wishes and declaring affirmations or statements of intent about our paths ahead. What a great time to make some powerful resolutions for the year ahead (and with over a billion other people celebrating this New Year there will certainly be a lot of power behind you!).

The New Moon is in Aquarius - an air sign, which represents the mind, so this is an important time to make new affirmations and to state our intent for the coming months. Remember this is the year for personal empowerment and honouring the power within...

Metal/Gold brings great clarity and vision, and this combined with the prowess and clarity of Tiger, signifies great change. This change seems to start from within each of us as we start to honour ourselves and our power, but it looks set to have far reaching consequences as Tiger does not place great value on either power or money, but takes pride in the power within and its own strengths. This suggests a turn away from materialism towards living more spiritually and creatively, quite a shift for humanity. It seems that the gold is the richness and abundance within.

Tiger also brings protection and wisdom, and working with Tiger will help each of us to find our own power and strengths. Spend a few minutes meditating with Tiger on the 14th, visualise the power and strength that this beautiful creature emanates, Visualise becoming Tiger – even for a few moments - feel the power and strength within, and know that this majestic animal is a part of each and every one of us.

Remember the old Tibetan proverb:

‘It is better to have lived one day as a tiger, than a thousand years as a sheep’.

So, it is time to be proud, be strong, be creative and let our spirituality flow. It is time to believe in ourselves and our gifts, and have the courage to reach for the stars. We each now have the chance to bathe in the infinite well of Divine Love that resides within each and every one of us, and to shine like the Golden Tiger...

I wish each and every one of us a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous year.

Saturday 13 February 2010

Illuminating the Sacred Dance

The Sun is now shining a light on the special conjunction of Neptune and Chiron. Neptune and Chiron are still dancing around one another, and whilst Jupiter has now left the party, the two remaining planets will remain together until well into 2011.

Neptune is the planet of mystery, mysticism, dreams and the ethereal; whilst Chiron is the wounded healer representing those wounds which enable each of us to help/heal others. In addition, Chiron shows us the strength we have within ourselves to face adversity and then find it within ourselves to use the experience and wisdom of that adversity to help others.

This is happening in Aquarius – the airy sign of the water bearer, who carries the elixir of life. Aquarius is the sign of brother/sister hood, unity, humanity and forward thinking. It is the sign that takes steps into the unknown, the sign that has the courage to explore new horizons.

So, over this special weekend of the Chinese New Year, it is a good time to think about our spirituality, our healing gifts and the ways in which we can reach out to one another. Whilst we each have our own very unique paths to walk in life, this is a time for unity of thought and unity of intention in connection to love, healing and peace. Whilst we will each approach this in different ways, the underlying intent is the same – to make a positive difference.

I will write more on the continuing union of Neptune and Chiron over the coming weeks...

Wednesday 10 February 2010

A Matter of Perspective...

The Moon was stirring up Pluto yesterday and this seems to be part of the build up towards the New Moon on Sunday. There has been a decidedly edgy energy in the air, and there is a strong sense of agitation for many souls. The reason for this is connected to the Moon’s emotional ebb stirring up Pluto the catalyst.

For many of us, there seems to be no logical reason for this agitation and restlessness, but it is part of the process of moving towards a greater sense of clarity and focus over the coming weeks. It is time to honour the emotions and to release all the tension from within – channel it in positive and creative ways. To ignore this is likely to lead to emotional outbursts or mini eruptions which bring out the destructive side of Pluto rather than the creative side of this powerful little planet.

The cosmic forces are building momentum in each of our lives, with Saturn and Mars continuing Retrograde (which is encouraging each of us to tap into our wells of inner strength and stand in the truth of who we are). It is truly time to let go of self-doubt and uncertainty, and instead roll up our sleeves and get on with life. Our dreams are for the taking, we just need to have the courage of our convictions to step into the unknown and let faith guide us.

The Chinese New Year on the 14th marks the start of the year of the Metal Tiger – just think about tiger for a moment, their strength, beauty, power and vision, and these are the qualities that will shine though over the coming months. I will write more about the Metal Tiger in the coming days.

So a light is shining brightly on clarity, vision, change and honouring the power within. There is a sense of a turn away from materialism towards more spiritual/creative living.

This is further confirmed by the Sacred Union of Neptune and Chiron which continues way into 2011. Whilst Jupiter is now moving away from this sacred dance, Venus has touched them both recently, and the Sun is moving into conjunction over the coming days. Chiron is the healer, and Neptune is the mystic and these continue to bring a very strong spiritual theme to our lives.

It seems that at the crux of all of this is Faith – our belief that each of us carries a Divine Spark within, and that the Divine connects all there is. This Faith is not about manifestation or abundance, it is pure and simple unadulterated Divine Love – basking in the power of the Divine and honouring this within ourselves and one another.

Spirituality is taking a more holistic step towards living in accordance to our Faith and to honour what’s truly important in our lives. It is different for each of us, but one thing that is common is a need to find true nourishment in the Light of the Divine.

In some ways there is a huge paradox here, on one side the need to stand in our power and to ‘get on with things’ and on the other side a need for more reflection and spiritual contemplation. These can and do complement one another though – it all comes down to the matter of perspective...

Sunday 7 February 2010

Our Mission

'We all have a divine mission on earth. Let that mission be to inspire love and embrace the light within. Let that mission be to have peace in our hearts as we create heaven on earth. Let that mission be to seek empowerment through transformation and to breathe joy into everything we do. If we allow these things to be our mission, the golden light of the sun will shine on our souls and change our world forever'.

Micheal Teal - Poet, Philosopher and Shaman

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Power to the People

A key theme for each of us for 2010 is empowerment, and I have been doing much meditation and reflection on this over the past few weeks. It is one of those words that sounds fantastic; but what does it actually mean for each of us personally? What does it boil down to for each of us?

Here is just one of many thousands of definitions: ‘’Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities’. (Wikipedia)

With Mars and Saturn retrograde all February, we continue to get a glimpse of empowerment when it comes to honouring the power that each of us have within. We are all powerful beings; this is not arrogant and it does not lack humility. It is a fact – of course we are powerful, that is the nature of who we are. What we do with that power is another thing though.

Many of us expend much of this power and energy on self-negating thoughts and beating ourselves up for not being good enough, not being slim enough or not being enough. Some of us wield that power to control or bully others. Others still, love this energy and power so much that they grab as much of it as they can from others (with or without their consent). There are some though who are contained, strong and well-balanced, but these individuals are very few and far between.

Honouring our power and the truth of who we are, are key steps on the road towards empowerment. Yet why are so many of us lost in negative inner dialogue? That is part of being human. The need to better ourselves leads to evolution and change, and the need to fit in makes communities not lots of lonely and isolated souls.

Taking this further though, it seems clear that both have lead to even more isolation for many of us. We can see with our own eyes that ‘progress’ is not always for the good of all, and that one can still be totally isolated living within a community (and maybe feel even more isolated as a result).

This is where empowerment comes in though. We are each being encouraged to find our own inner wells of strength to create positive change within ourselves and within the lives of those we touch in our work. Honouring our power enables us to focus less on berating ourselves for not being enough, but to celebrate that we are wonderful. This does not mean that we will ever stop striving, but it means that we will expend less energy on worrying and stress, and use it in more positive and life enriching ways.

Saturn and Mars Retrograde want each of us over the coming weeks to take some time out, to close our eyes and to feel the stillness and the power within. It is time to nurture ourselves and love ourselves, and to let our inner Lights shine brightly for all to see. And remember that empowerment also includes developing confidence in our gifts and abilities – so it’s time to roll up those sleeves and get stuck in, it is time to truly have the courage of our convictions and known the real meaning of empowerment.



‘You can change your beliefs so they empower your dreams and desires. Create a strong belief in yourself and what you want’. Marcia Wieder
I cannot believe that it is now February! Sorry the blog has been quiet, life has been extremely busy – it seems that everyone wants to know what 2010 has in store for them personally! It has been amazing and brilliant, thank you all for your continued support.