Spirituality in the Trenches — Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual calm is easy when everything is going great. Finding peace is easy even if things are only going sort of well. Yet spirituality becomes critical in the rough patches, when life slips slowly or suddenly out of control. This’s when calm matters – and that’s when inner peace can be hard to find.

Our troubles are often illusory, but it can take spirituality to see through the illusion.

Think about difficulties you’ve experienced in the past. How many of those would have been greatly relieved if you kept your head? How many of them were not actually difficulties but rather misperceptions?

Overcorrection can cause serious car accidents. The state of Missouri recently identified overcorrection as the leading cause of traffic fatalities.

During much of my life, I responded to problems with emotional overcorrection. Call it overreaction or reactive behavior. It was a matter of not being able to insert the brain between a seemingly threatening event and my response to it.

Spirituality provides a cool pause in a highly charged world – a place of calm when life is on fire.

Spirituality can circumvent damaging emotional reactions and give you a chance to see – even if just for a moment – that the essence of life is peace and love, not threat and danger.

via Spirituality in the Trenches — Spiritual Awakening

Full Moon in Gemini -Talking and Listening

December 13, 2016 we will have a full moon in Gemini. This will take place while the sun is still in Sagittarius. Gemini is the sign of the twins – two faces, two sides. It is an air sign ruled by Mercury – the chatty fast moving planet. Gemini is all about communication, both talking and listening, and determining where you stand with the information you receive. Geminis are intellectual signs, good with their mind. And, as you might expect, good with communication. Use this moon to focus on the impact of your words. Release and let go of old ways of communicating with others. And also with the dialogue you use with yourself.

There are also a lot of other aspects and transits affecting this moon. There is a trine to Mars (which is in Aquarius), and a sextile to Uranus (in Aries) and a trine to Jupiter (in Libra). There’s also an opposition to Saturn. All of this may bring about surprises within relationships – anytime Uranus is involved and Libra is involved. And because all these planets and signs are involved, all of us will be affected in some way. This can also stir up change within ourselves. After all, the most intimate relationship we will ever have is the one with ourselves.

Mercury is in shadow and will go retrograde on December 19, 2016. There is also the transit of the sun from Sagittarius into Capricorn with the Winter Solstice on December 21, 2016. Simply put, we can all expect shifts in our lives. We move from the fiery, dashing, optimistic sign of Sagittarius into the grounded, centered sign of Capricorn. That grounded energy may be a good time for us to “re” things in our lives. Review, revise, realign. Mercury retrograde encourages us to do this three or four times a year. And as we get ready to close out 2016 and enter 2017, let’s take the time to go over the past year, find that stillness within ourselves and embrace 2017.

That full moon in Gemini, asks both you and I, communicate well with heart and mind, always be fair, gracious and kind…

TheSmilingRaven

Read the rest of the story at the Source: Full Moon in Gemini -Talking and Listening

An Open Apology To Dolly Parton

It’s good to see first impression can change. I’ve loved Dolly since she first appeared many moons ago as singing partner to Porter Wagoner …

Dear Dolly,

I’ll be honest. I used to think you were a bimbo. I used to think you flaunted your big boobs, teased hair, tiny waist, and your syrupy-sweet southern accent just to sell yourself and your brand as a country singer. Granted, I was raised in the Midwest and lived as an adult for many years in the Northeast. I didn’t get you, much less the South.

For example, I’d heard about your origins as a poor girl from the hills of East Tennessee, and when I learned you’d created a theme park in your native Sevier County I rolled my eyes. “Really, a theme park?” I thought. “As if rollercoasters will really help the people of rural Appalachia. Why not create something truly useful to give back to your community, like a library.”

You have created a library, actually, and possibly in a bigger and more magical way than any brick structure filled with books could. And this is where my understanding of who you are really began to shift.

When I moved to Knoxville eight years ago I received a welcome letter from “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.” It informed me that Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among preschool children by mailing a specially selected book each month directly to any child under the age of 5. You had expanded it from Sevier County to my county, and if I had a preschool age child, it said, all I needed to do was sign her up and she would begin receiving books each month.

My daughter was not quite 2 then, and I can still see how her face lit up each time we pulled a book addressed to her out the mailbox every month. Several of them became her early childhood favorites, and are stored away should she have children of her own some day.

As a writer and editor, I’m a book hound and made sure my daughter has been exposed to reading at every turn. But you know better than anyone that not all kids have that privilege. I can’t imagine what a magical gift receiving a book every month must be for kids whose parents can’t afford to buy them or who don’t have easy access to a library. I quickly came to see the genius of your Imagination Library literacy program, and how you were making a difference in so many ways I never realized.

Your father was illiterate, which fueled your literacy passion. Now the Dolly Parton Imagination Library just surpassed gifting one million books to participating children around the world each month. To celebrate, your Dollywood Foundation randomly selected one of those children to receive a $30,000 college scholarship. Two-year-old Evey, from Conway, Arkansas, has no idea yet how fortunate she is, but her parents surely do.

But what finally brings me to this overdue apology is how I’ve seen you respond to the devastating wildfires that swept through your hometown communities of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. At least 14 vibrant lives were taken tragically too soon, and thousands of buildings and homes were damaged or destroyed.

You made a public statement saying that you were heartbroken, while also expressing deep gratitude to the firefighters who protected Dollywood and evacuated everyone staying there to safety. Dollywood is the place I once dismissed, but now know is the largest employer in Sevier County and is the largest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee, hosting over 3 million guests a season. East Tennessee will count on that tourism to rebuild.

With the humble generosity and graciousness I’m learning is signature Dolly Parton, you’re not only planning a telethon to raise funds for the fire victims, but you’ve also created the My People Fund to provide, as you say, a “hand up to all those families who have lost everything in the fires.”

Those struggling families—and there are hundreds of them—will receive, thanks to you, $1,000 a month for 6 months. Countless stories detail how these families escaped with literally minutes to spare, and with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. And with each story, there’s a strong undercurrent of hope about how strangers helped one another and how this region is “mountain strong.” Your generosity both reflects and inspires this region’s spirit and resiliency.

Tonight, my daughter, who is now 9 and also loves to sing and act, has been using face paint to dress up as one of the DC comic heroines she and her friends admire. When she finished, she asked, “Hmmm, what other Superhero girl do I admire?”

I sat down next to her and said, “Let me tell you about Dolly.” In fact, I hope to take her to a Christmas show at Dollywood during this season of gratitude, and I’ll be making a donation to your My People Fund. I can’t imagine a more inspiring place to be, or a better way to support an amazing example of what it looks like to make the world a stronger place, starting with your own sweet community.

Dolly, I’m sorry I didn’t get you sooner—and I thank you for all you are, and all that you do.

Your biggest fan,

Amy Rawe

Source: An Open Apology To Dolly Parton

SYMBOLS of the SEASON — hocuspocus13

WITCHY DECORATIONS

Some Yule and Christmas decorations have a special meaning because of their mystical association with the season

We decorate with the symbolic
colors of red ~ green ~ white ~ gold

RED: color that connects us with our Ancestors

GREEN: represents life and eternity

WHITE: newness purity and the new cycle of life

GOLD: solar symbol of the sunScents of the Season

Cinnamon
Clove
Orange
Bayberry

I can smell the fragrance of cinnamon clove and orange coming from the kitchen and filling the air around the house

Cinnamon and Clove represent the spices which were given as gifts to the Christ Child by the Wise Men and are associated with Protection and Prosperity

Oranges connect you with the Sun and they are excellent to use in Spells for Love and Good Luck

Bayberry will attract to you Good Fortune into the New Year

Light a Bayberry candle on Christmas night and again on New Year’s Eve night to bring in that Good FortuneCHRISTMAS/YULE TREE

The tree is always some type of pine since they remained green during the dead of winter and therefore became a magickal token of the season symbolizing eternal life ~ strength ~ hope ~ promise

Bringing the tree indoors to be adorned with ornaments

As you decorate your tree think of the true meaning of each ornament

Ornaments shaped like Nuts or Fruits represent the coming season of abundance

Angels Stars and Lights are symbols of Heaven and Light

Glass Balls and Witch Balls repel evil

Holly used for Protection

Berries represent Life

Ivy Protection

Mistletoe Love

The greens shaped into a wreath becomes a symbol of Eternity

After enjoying your greenery and after the season is over remove the greens and burn them to cleanse your homeSHARE YOUR LIGHT

During this time we share our Light by giving gifts

We are Energy
We are Light
We are Divine

As the days grow colder and the hours of daylight dwindle the Earth becomes barren

Those winter nights are long but it is a time to leave the darkness and move towards the light

A time of wonder comfort and joy

Messages of a Spiritual Path of hope ~ faith ~ giving and sharing to be renewed

Focusing on the orginal reasons for the season

And hopefully this Holiday you’ll be able to decorate your space with feeling and magickal intent with the Symbols of the Season

via SYMBOLS of the SEASON — hocuspocus13

Spiritual Energy Shifts 2017 — Thrive On News Free Spirituality Magazine

Numerology for 2017 = 1

The Energy shifts now in and the coming year of 2017 asks us to prepare for personal and global re-thinking. To finally put to rest false truths about ourselves and world events and to pursue universal truth. The soul, true spirituality along with this is wisdom compassion and caring.

Energy Shifts And Transitions 2017

The Fox and the dolphin play a role in 2017 bringing soft gentle emotions, ones of compassion and faith. The energy festers around sensual exciting times to pursue love interests, especially those that have a history. Time to have romantic dates and generally feel peaceful. To avoid negative responses this coming new year be clear and voice out loud to others what your intentions are before any action is taken.

We all have our own truth, but is it in line with the universal truth ? Are we in the natural flow of the universe. Is there anything else we can do to break down the walls of lies, ask yourself am I just kidding myself or is this the truth. The 2017 energy shifts of the number one helps us to decipher just that, it reassures us we are following the path we chose for ourselves before entering earth.

The year of nine, 2016 allowed us to reboot our soul knowledge matrix bringing evolution to our spiritual growth, a new found perspective from which to work. This energy shift 2017 marks the end of that reboot and time to use our newly charged and amplified telepathy powers. A coming together of the collective consciousness toward the feminine goodness goddess and love, it has been a long time coming.

Spiritually focused consciousness raising ascension for the people of earth is on its way in 2017. A connection of love for those we have never met and a deep understanding of the needs of the planet will gather in each persons heart. The energy is powerful enough to tip us over into the next dimension of thinking with a positive aim to end wars and aggression and an urgency to help and heal the problems we have caused.

2017 Spiritual Meaning

2017 is not a time for reflection for the future awaits, grasp the abundant overflow of energies pouring from the number one this year by using it to crank up your engine. Get busy and creative keep attuned to moons energy flow, make those changes start that new healthy routine. 2017 will be a time when we refine our good qualities and smooth out our not so good habits, concentrating on ridding ourselves of an unhealthy thought structure.

2017 will be a time when we refine our good qualities and smooth out our not so good habits, concentrating on ridding ourselves of an unhealthy thought structure. Be mindful what you are telling yourself, remember if it is negative you will be opening yourself up to tiredness and sickness. Notice the unhealthy thoughts you’re having, but change them immediately to healthy positive thoughts. Everything we the lightworkers of earth have learnt since the powerful energy shift of 2012 will now be put directly into action in 2017. © by psychic medium Ian Scott

via Spiritual Energy Shifts 2017 — Thrive On News Free Spirituality Magazine

How to be “Productive” during Mercury in Retrograde

Considering Mercury Retrogrades at least three times a year, these are excellent ideas for how to spend those three weeks …

How to be “Productive” during Mercury in Retrograde
by Ruby

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Have you noticed your electronics breaking down or glitching out, are you struggling with misunderstandings or having communication issues with people? Has your Wifi, computer, smartphone, and any associated technologies been acting just weird lately? Then there’s a very good chance you have been experiencing the effects of “Mercury in Retrograde.” Mercury is the planet that governs over communication, travel, and often electronics, and when it’s in a Retrograde cycle or appears to be moving backward, things can go a little haywire here on planet Earth!

Remember throughout this article I will be referring to Mercury in Retrograde as Mercury Rx. Rx is the actual symbol used in Astrology for “Retrograde,” and it helps me shorten this down a bit.

I have been writing about what not to do during a “Mercury in Retrograde” cycle for many years now. And even though I believe strongly in the advice I give, especially about how we shouldn’t be signing contracts at this time or making any long distance travel plans. It just seems to get to the point where I’m constantly telling this negative story, which is a drag. And isn’t exactly helping anyone, now is it? Each “Mercury in Rx” cycle lasts for 3 weeks and that’s not including the “Shadow Phases”, which are before and after a Mercury in Rx cycle. Each shadow phase last three weeks as well. So that makes Mercury in Rx a nearly two-month event! We have to get something positive out of this!

Being born during a Mercury in Rx cycle myself, I really understand its effects on a deeper level. I’ve had my fair share of Mercury Rx moments over the years, and I could go on and on! In some ways, I live in this electronic glitchy world full of misunderstandings and little mishaps all the time. Therefore I am used to it, but still thoroughly annoyed by it. But with all of that being said, I have also learned that “Energy Follows Thought” bottom line, no matter what the Cosmos is doing. I have proven to myself time and time again that if you focus on what it is you really want, you can ride the waves of any negative astrological influence and come out of it with something more positive. Not to say that if you make a list of what to do that you won’t have issues, because whatever part of your Astro “Birth Chart” Mercury Rx is transiting is the part of your life it will affect, and with this particular aspect there’s not a lot you can do to detour it. But you can learn how to work with it, and benefit from it!

Since I became aware of Mercury and it’s Retrograde cycles at a very young age, I have also learned a great deal about how to align my energy better with the Cosmos, to seek and find balance. I thought I would shed some light on how one can be productive during a Mercury in Rx cycle. So instead of explaining what not to do during this time, let’s focus on the progress we can make!

Astrologers are constantly explaining how during this cycle, communication is broken down… well that made me think about when something or someone is broken down, it’s an opportunity to rebuild the energy back up again, to align better with one’s soul path in life. Which means perhaps all the things glitching out or not working, or the misunderstandings that seem to come along with Mercury in Rx, are being brought to us for a reason, for a higher purpose. Maybe to help us understand something we otherwise may not notice, and to bring us clarity! But you may be asking, how when certain devices break down like our DVD players or our Wifi stops working, (happens every time to my household) do these annoyances have any meaning or substance spiritually? The answer is simple, Mercury is telling you to Unplug, it’s time to get Quiet and stop the constant chatter, and to get away from the movement that is our lives nowadays. Listen to your higher-self, or your spirit! And no it’s not conducive to be unplugged and miss work and run away from the world everytime Mercury Goes into Retrograde, I get it! But it does mean you can take a Vacation for even a day or two and simply unplug from the outside noise. If that’s just impossible to do during this time, then take just 30 mins a day and unplug, go meditate and recharge your own personal batteries.

Sometimes we have to start over to achieve our goals, and in Mercury Rx, that should be the rule… it’s time to not get bent all out of shape and frustrated and realize this is a time to re-work, re-do, re-learn, and do research. Don’t feel bad, trust me I can sympathize as I have already mentioned, I was born during a Mercury in Rx cycle and I have learned throughout the years once I do something, to do it again! Every time I redo whatever it might be, it always comes out better. Just ask my second husband! Yes, I had to even redo marriage! But that’s the extreme example. The bottom line is it can be very frustrating for those who aren’t used to it, to have to redo everything all the time but take my advice during Mercury in RX, it is the best thing you can do.

Even the planet Mercury itself is going backward through a house in your own personal Astrology “Birth Chart” right now and a certain sign of the zodiac, and therefore is backtracking to help you learn and understand something you’ve probably already done or been through before. You have to take steps back during Mercury in Rx to move forward.

Here is my list to help remind me and all of you, what we can do that actually works for us during “Mercury in Retrograde.”

How to be Productive during Mercury in Retrograde:

REWORK SCHEDULES: Take a look at your schedule and ask: What’s working or not? Be flexible during this phase, and just know you may have to change your game plan. Think about letting go of any responsibilities that aren’t yours or that aren’t working for you.

DECLUTTER: It’s right after the Holidays, so many of us are clearing out old junk anyway, but during a “Mercury in Retrograde” cycle is the best time to get into your closet, basement, shed or attic and rid of what you don’t use anymore. I mean go through everything, even old junk drawers and make sure and recycle. Remember when you get rid of old stuff, you are getting rid of the old energy as well, and making room for new fresh energy to come in…which can bring in new beginnings.

REVISIT: If there’s any friends or family that you haven’t contacted in a long time for whatever reason, now is the time to make amends and open your heart up to healing. Working on these relationships can help heal old wounds. Which is beneficial to your spiritual evolvement. Catch up with old friends, go have coffee or meet up for dinner. Just make sure the people you choose to revisit are not dysfunctional or abusive.

SELF-CARE: It’s important to take care of yourself during this cycle, so working on self-care can be very helpful. Take it easy and make sure to eat right, exercise and move more. Spend less time being plugged into the net or social media if at all possible. Start some sort of new routine that benefits you and your well-being.

CHANGE THE ENERGY: Time to change the energies up in your life, add some nice candles to your home… to help burn off old energies and invite new energy in. Put some color in your home and redecorate with pictures that make you feel good. Add fresh flowers, burn new candles and burn some incense. Bless and release the old energy that’s been in your home or office, and bring in a hugger vibrational energy. There are many different ways to go about this. Just try it, you’ll see and feel the difference.

BE FLEXIBLE: This is very important so I am going to repeat it again, allow the energies to flow around you and stop trying to control everything, write a letter and let the Universe know what you’re trying to create in your life, and then sit back and relax. Just follow what feels natural and don’t fight, argue, or push.

REINVENT: Take some time to think about your past successes and bring new light to them, enjoy what you have created in your life, instead of trying to constantly manifest something new and different. Make sure to reuse what’s in your home and repurpose whatever you can, perhaps some DYI projects should be on the agenda during this period.

REWORK AND REDO: If you left any projects that you had started and never finished, behind, work on them again. Work on anything you feel passionate about, but this time finish them and enjoy what you have done. If there’s something you just couldn’t get done or get through, now is the time to redo it and fix it! “Mercury in Retrograde cycles tend to really help us finish up old business.

ORGANIZE: Do you have 3000 pics on your phone or computer just hanging around, this is a great time to organize your life. I like to organize my emails, pictures and just everything on my computer and smartphone or tablet during “Mercury in Retrograde.” Take the time to organize your world in any way possible. Use this energy to make something creative perhaps as well.

REMEMBER: Connect to your past in some way, watch old videos of your family, wedding or any life event that was a happy memory. Check out old high school pictures of friends and just simply reflect and reminisce about the old days, fill your heart up with memories and simply feel gratitude for the time you had with them. Connecting to positive energies will help you feel good, and can help you move forward in your life.

~Ruby

Source: Ruby’s Readings

WINTER SOLSTICE ~ Celebrating the Return of the Sun

For thousands of years, people all over the Planet Earth have celebrated the Winter Solstice, the time when the Sun returns after the winter’s cold and darkness.

In pre-Christian Northern Europe, this festival was called Yule. The celebration of Yule predates the Christian holiday by thousands of years.

The etymology of the word Yule has been the object of much debate. Some believe it to be derived from the old Anglo-Saxon word Iul, which means wheel and connected to the Celtic concept of the Wheel of the Year. Other linguists say that this interpretation is unlikely, since the word for Yule, which they spell Yehwla, predates the invention of the wheel by more than a thousand years. Still, others have attempted to trace the word to Julius Caesar, or to Jolnir, which is another name for the Norse god Odin.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, and practitioners of neo-pagan religions there celebrate Yule at the same time as the Christians celebrate Christmas.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs on June 22 or 23. In Australia, the Christian holiday is observed on the same dates as in the Northern Hemisphere (although Christmas dinner may be a backyard barbecue or a picnic on the beach). Australian neo-pagans, however, celebrate Yule at the Winter Solstice in June, the time when Scandinavians hold their Midsummer festivals.

Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25 when historical and biblical evidence indicate that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25, but in the Spring? A common theory is that the Christian church designated this date as the day of Christ’s birth to coincide with the Roman Saturnalia festival and the Northern European pagan midwinter solstice celebrations, in order to “facilitate” the conversion of “heathens.”

Most so-called Christmas traditions are rooted deep in ancient Yule rituals.

The Vikings decorated the yule log, usually a large oak log with sprigs of fir, holly, or yew. They carved runes on it to call on the Gods to protect from misfortune in the coming year. A piece of the previous year’s Yule log was used to light the new log, and a piece of the log was always saved to protect the home during the coming year and to use to light next year’s fire. Today, most know the Yule log as a sweet edible.

Even the Christmas tree also goes back to pre-Christian times. The Vikings decorated evergreen trees with pieces of food and clothes, small statues of the Gods, carved runes, etc., to entice the tree spirits to come back in the spring. The Romans also decorated trees with trinkets and candles at the Saturnalia festival.

Ancient myths also surround the mistletoe. The Vikings believed it could resurrect the dead, a belief connected to a legend about the resurrection of Balder, the Sun God.

The Druids considered holly a sacred plant and believed that woodland spirits lived in it during winter time. (The Druids were the priests of the Celtic people, believed to have come from the Black Sea region about 4,000 years ago and spreading through southern and middle Europe, England, Scotland, and Ireland.)In ancient Rome, holly was the sacred plant of the Saturn, the god of sowing and harvest, and during the Saturnalia festival, holly was used to decorate homes, palaces and marketplaces in honor of Saturn. Romans also sent gifts of holly boughs to friends during the Saturnalia time.

Santa Claus is a combination of several pre-Christian legends. His origins have been traced back to Odin, who was depicted as a wise old man with a beard, riding on his eight-legged horse Sleipner. Another pre-Christian Santa forebear appeared at British, and later Saxon, pagan midwinter festivals. The Saxons called him Father Time, King Frost or King Winter and he was represented by an actor dressed in a green hooded cloak, wearing a wreath of holly, ivy or mistletoe.

The Yule Goat is an old Scandinavian Christmas symbol, whose origins may go back to the legend about Thundergod Thor who rode in the sky in a wagon pulled by two goats. In the 19th century, the goat became the giver of gifts, with a person dressing up as a goat, a character later replaced with “jultomten” (Santa Claus). Today, Yule Goats made of straw are common Christmas decorations in Scandinavian homes.

The European Christmas ham is a heritage from Viking times when a wild boar was killed and sacrificed to the god Frey to assure a good spring. The meat was cooked and eaten at the mid-winter festival. This was accompanied by the burning of a giant Sunwheel, which was put on fire and rolled down a hill, to entice the Sun to return.

Today, neo-pagan, or Earth religions, are bringing many of the old customs back to life. Neo-pagan religions include wicca, pantheism, asatru, druidism, shamanism and many others.

From ancient times to the present day, the sun and its light have been celebrated by people all over the Planet.

In ancient Egypt, the Feast of the Burning Lamps honored the gods Isis and Osiris.

In ancient Rome, the Solstice Celebration was called Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the Roman god of harvest.

The Hindu holiday Diwali, meaning Rows of Lighted Lamps, is celebrated like Christmas with decorating of homes, eating of sweets, etc., and is the most important festival in India. Different regions attach different legends to it, telling about deities winning victory over demons, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

At the Jewish Hanukkah in December, one candle is lit for each day of an eight-day Feast of Lights.

The Chinese new year, usually celebrated in January or February, is based on a legend where fireworks and lanterns were used to chase away a dragon that came out of the Yellow River.

In Thailand, Loy Krathong, which means “Festival of Floating Leaf Cups”, has been celebrated for over 6,000 years. Leaf shaped boats with candles burning on them are launched into rivers to take away sins and grant good wishes for the new year.

The ancient Incas celebrated Inti Raymi, where the Sun god Wiracocha, was honored. The festival was banned by the Catholic church in the 16th century. Quecia Indians in Cusco, Peru, revived the festival about 1950, and it is now a major festival.

Native North Americans have celebrated both Solstices and equinoxes from ancient times, as shown by many stone structures aligned with the position of the Sun. The Pueblo tribes celebrate the Winter Solstice with rites focusing on Spring and rebirth. The Hopi Indians’ Soyal ceremony lasts for 20 days and includes purification rituals, blessings, and feasting. Other Native American winter celebrations include the Bear Dance, the Feather Dance, and the Navajo Night Chant.

Source: WINTER SOLSTICE ~ Celebrating the Return of the Sun

From the Gutter, the Stars Shine Brilliant — Spiritual Awakening

Oscar Wilde wrote, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

While literary critics have pondered the meaning of that provocative line, anyone pursuing spirituality in recovery knows immediately – and with great personal empathy – exactly what Wilde was saying: Even in the roughest storm of life, we can see the startling beauty of the heavens.

Despite his considerable literary talent, Wilde died an impoverished alcoholic at 46, in exile from England and mostly estranged from his family. He was imprisoned for two years for homosexuality, and for the rest of his life he was barred from seeing his two children from an earlier marriage.

In the darkness of the gutter, the stars can shine incredibly bright.

In a recent song by the metal band, Disturbed, they say, “Sometimes darkness can show you the light.”

The contrast between the dank despair of human decent and the eye-burning shine of spiritual revelation is shocking – sometimes it’s shock enough to lift us up to the world of the living. Other times, it’s merely the faint call of a promising world on the other side of death.

The light-filled world of connection and hope is a blink away. It’s right here in your breath. The path to this warm earthly home is visible through the stars that we see from the gutter. Even in the sour sink of fear, we are always strong enough to climb through. Yet many will die tonight for the lack of seeing that path. Their time will come again and again even so.

via From the Gutter, the Stars Shine Brilliant — Spiritual Awakening

MORAG: “The Mysteries, Myths, And Magic Of Meditation”

What is meditation?

Meditation is prayer, before the kabal took the heart from it. Meditation is sacred ritual before it became outlawed as wiccan and wicked. Meditation is being one with nature before we were plugged in to the 3D matrix. Meditation is being still, at peace, present and connected.

We meditate when we walk in nature. We meditate when we color in. We meditate when we dance, free and connected to the music. We meditate when we quieten our ego and hear our soul. We already do it. If you step off the grid, step into your bubble of present you are tuning your cellular frequency to the universal frequency of peace, love and abundance.

When we hug a loved one we are raising our vibrations to the love wavelength. When we laugh we are releasing denser energy, lightening our energetic load. When we make love we are embracing the universal flow of love. When we smell our child’s hair we are fully present, mindful and grateful. The emotion, the vibration of gratitude, like love, can connect us to the higher dimensions, by its very nature it is present, graceful and humble.

When we sit down, comfortable though preferably with the chakras open, lying down is good for some people, we choose to connect, to meditate. Using our breath we can raise the vibrations of our cellular system in turn raising the energetic frequency of our whole being. This enables us to tune in, like a tuning fork, to different wavelengths of energy.

The matrix manipulates us into breathing in a very shallow way, barely into our throat. When people experience panic and anxiety they are told to breathe into a paper bag. This is because it slows our breathing down, helping us to reach a calmer place. This inner equilibrium is the space we start from to meditate. Using long deep breaths we can calm our system down and raise our frequency.

As our ego (you know…that annoying voice that goes on and on in your head) faces this calm stillness it can freak out. This lessens the more you meditate as the ego is programmed to fear anything it doesn’t know so familiarity calms it. The ego also fears this stillness as it is trained by the matrix to be ‘doing’ and not meditating. We are to obey, conform, work, rest and play. Not connect to the universal love vibrations of the multi verse. Reassure your ego, give it a hug, tell it to quieten down and have a rest, everything is easy.

The ego will continue to pop thoughts of doom and gloom, fear, insecurities, anxieties and stresses into your mind, breathe these out. As you inhale draw in love, peace, calm and positivity as you exhale release pain. Say in your head ‘I breathe in love I release tension and doubt’. Do this for as long as you want or need or have time for.

This is meditation. Reaching a state where your ego is quiet, your body is connected and your mind is open. Where you go from there is entirely up to you. Deep relaxation, chakra balancing, guided healing visualizations, higher self and guide meetings… the multiverse is your oyster.

You can ask your guides for love and protection, for healing and guidance for you and your loved ones. You can send healing heart led love energy to people and places. You can anchor your light to the Gaia grid. You can float on a cloud in a rainbow chakra shower.

Meditation is one of the keys to awakening, transition, alignment and eventually ascension. If you are a lightworker, starseed, indigo or Rainbow it’s a way of phoning home. It’s a way of detoxing from the system, of expanding your heart and your mind, releasing stuck karma and growing as a spiritual being. A key to evolutionary growth, wisdom and enlightenment and in a practical sense a brilliant way to manage stress, anxiety and tension. Meditation is the Jedi tool to awakening the force within you. Embrace it, harness it and own it, making it apart of you. Can I get an Ommmm up in here! Ommmmmmm!

Namaste _/\_.

Source: MORAG: “The Mysteries, Myths, And Magic Of Meditation”

The Story Behind The Movie Hidden Figures …

Melba Roy

As America stood on the brink of a Second World War, the push for aeronautical advancement grew ever greater, spurring an insatiable demand for mathematicians. Women were the solution. Ushered into the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in 1935 to shoulder the burden of number crunching, they acted as human computers, freeing the engineers of hand calculations in the decades before the digital age. Sharp and successful, the female population at Langley skyrocketed.

Many of these “computers” are finally getting their due, but conspicuously missing from this story of female achievement are the efforts contributed by courageous, African-American women. Called the West Computers, after the area to which they were relegated, they helped blaze a trail for mathematicians and engineers of all races and genders to follow.

“These women were both ordinary and they were extraordinary,” says Margot Lee Shetterly. Her new book Hidden Figures shines light on the inner details of these women’s lives and accomplishments. The book is being adapted into a movie that will receive a wide release release in January.

“We’ve had astronauts, we’ve had engineers—John Glenn, Gene Kranz, Chris Kraft,” she says. “Those guys have all told their stories.” Now it’s the women’s turn.

Growing up in Hampton, Virginia, in the 1970s, Shetterly lived just miles away from Langley. Built in 1917, this research complex was the headquarters for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) which was intended to turn the floundering flying gadgets of the day into war machines. The agency was dissolved in 1958, to be replaced by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) as the space race gained speed.

The West Computers were at the heart of the center’s advancements. They worked through equations that described every function of the plane, running the numbers often with no sense of the greater mission of the project. They contributed to the ever-changing design of a menagerie of wartime flying machines, making them faster, safer, more aerodynamic. Eventually their stellar work allowed some to leave the computing pool for specific projects—Christine Darden worked to advance supersonic flight, Katherine Johnson calculated the trajectories for the Mercury and Apollo missions. NASA dissolved the remaining few human computers in the 1970s as the technological advances made their roles obsolete.

The first black computers didn’t set foot at Langley until the 1940s. Though the pressing needs of war were great, racial discrimination remained strong and few jobs existed for African-Americans, regardless of gender. That was until 1941 when A. Philip Randolph, pioneering civil rights activist, proposed a march on Washington, D.C., to draw attention to the continued injustices of racial discrimination. With the threat of 100,000 people swarming to the Capitol, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, preventing racial discrimination in hiring for federal and war-related work. This order also cleared the way for the black computers, slide rule in hand, to make their way into NACA history.

Exactly how many women computers worked at NACA (and later NASA) over the years is still unknown. One 1992 study estimated the total topped several hundred but other estimates, including Shetterly’s own intuition, says that number is in the thousands.

As a child, Shetterly knew these brilliant mathematicians as her girl scout troop leaders, Sunday school teachers, next-door neighbors and as parents of schoolmates. Her father worked at Langley as well, starting in 1964 as an engineering intern and becoming a well-respected climate scientist. “They were just part of a vibrant community of people, and everybody had their jobs,” she says. “And those were their jobs. Working at NASA Langley.”

Surrounded by the West Computers and other academics, it took decades for Shetterly to realize the magnitude of the women’s work. “It wasn’t until my husband, who was not from Hampton, was listening to my dad talk about some of these women and the things that they have done that I realized,” she says. “That way is not necessarily the norm”

The spark of curiosity ignited, Shetterly began researching these women. Unlike the male engineers, few of these women were acknowledged in academic publications or for their work on various projects. Even more problematic was that the careers of the West Computers were often more fleeting than those of the white men. Social customs of the era dictated that as soon as marriage or children arrived, these women would retire to become full-time homemakers, Shetterly explains. Many only remained at Langley for a few years.

But the more Shetterly dug, the more computers she discovered. “My investigation became more like an obsession,” she writes in the book. “I would walk any trail if it meant finding a trace of one of the computers at its end.”

She scoured telephone directories, local newspapers, employee newsletters and the NASA archives to add to her growing list of names. She also chased down stray memos, obituaries, wedding announcements and more for any hint at the richness of these women’s lives. “It was a lot of connecting the dots,” she says.

“I get emails all the time from people whose grandmothers or mothers worked there,” she says. “Just today I got an email from a woman asking if I was still searching for computers. [She] had worked at Langley from July 1951 through August 1957.”

Langley was not just a laboratory of science and engineering; “in many ways, it was a racial relations laboratory, a gender relations laboratory,” Shetterly says. The researchers came from across America. Many came from parts of the country sympathetic to the nascent Civil Rights Movement, says Shetterly, and backed the progressive ideals of expanded freedoms for black citizens and women.