I have had the time and Mind-space to reflect on the nature of change and how there is often resistance to this inevitable change. The approaching Solstice reminds me of certain natural laws and how they can apply to the everyday affairs of humanity.

The Summer Solstice is the time when symboically the light/yang principle reaches its peak, and the birth or arrival of the dark/yin principle occurs. This is reflected in the I Ching as hexagram 44, Kou.

Whilst the ancient commentaries suggest a time of danger, the translation (according to scholars such as Richard Wilhelm, 1968) refers to the idea of a union, or “coming to meet”. At the peak-moment of Yang, it is inevitable that transformation will bring about the arrival of the Yin, and that principle’s gradual development, until such time as the equinox, where the two are in equilibrium, and the Yin continues to grow and the Yang continues to decline.

The old Confucian advice to Emperors in regards to this hexagram was about coming together free of dishonest and ulterior motives. This time is seen as the beginning of decay. The lines of the Judgement state “The maiden is powerful; one should not marry such a maiden”. The maiden here is in reference to the yin element that is the first line of the hexagram. We can either be abused by such a situation, allowing the negative aspects of this situation to take a hold; or we can use this energy – this is what is being implied by “coming to meet”; for when this happens, and there is a meeting of equality, honesty, and integrity then it is a powerful time, when lots of good things can occur.

When things change…

Of course, nothing stays static. The old texts comment on this hexagram saying that the 5th line (2nd from the top) is the ruler of this hexagram, and the commentaries on this line state “A melon covered with willow leaves; hidden lines; then it drops down to one from heaven”. Richard Wilhelm (1968: p.613) comments on this text:

The line is the ruler of the hexagram, standing as a prince in its correct and honored place in the middle… here the fruit is a melon; it represents the yin line at the beginning and so belongs to the dark principle. It is protected and covered by willow leaves. No forcible interference takes place. The regulative lines of the laws upon which the beauty of life depends are covered over. We entrust the fruit in our care entirely to its own natural development. Then it ripens of its own accord. It falls to our lot. This is not contrived but is decreed by our accepted fate.

It means that the strong, upright (in Chinese, zheng) individual – symbolised by the Prince or Ruler – tolerates, protects, and nurtures those in their charge. Wise words for anyone in a leadership position!

The commentaries on  the 4th line are also interesting, in that they speak of the misfortune had when ministers (those below the ruler/5th line) neglect their duty of keeping in touch with the people they govern (the 1st yin line). This creates the situaton where the upper trigram (the top 3 lines) strive upwards and away from the people below (the lower trigram). The old texts state: “The misfortune… comes from having kept aloof from the people.”

In the system of the I Ching, when lines are unstable and change, this cause one hexagram to transform into another. I was interested in the fact that if the 4th and 5th lines changed polarity (from yang to yin), it followed on to hexagram 18, Ku.

This hexagram is about decay, what has been spoiled; but more importantly it teaches us about working on that which has become spoiled. In the instance of this hexagram, the decay has come about due to the abuse of human freedom. So in a sense, we are looking at decay and corruption. It teaches us the best method in dealing with this decay.

The commentaries speak of much hard work to do, and much danger surrounding it.  We must first know the causes of the corruption before we can do away with it. Hence, there is much caution before we start. Once we have started to work on treating this stagnation, we then must be cautious in ensuring it is safe to proceed. The confucianist commentaries note that stagnation/corruption/decay is removed by first stirring up public opinion (the lower trigram, symbolised by Wind, which stirs); the people thus stirred must then be strengthened and stabilised (the upper trigram, symbolised by the Mountain, which stands firm, silent, and strong).

How does this apply?

Clearly when situations arise where some difficulty in change arises (such as in a government or an organisation), people must be prepared to come together and meet with honesty and integrity. The leaders in such situation must be honourable and respectful of those in their care or under their jurisdiction: with great power comes even greater responsibilities! If this occurs, then together the people and their leaders can work hard and diligently to see that the stagnation (i.e., inability to change; for corruption is the maladaption to the natural state of flux in the universe) is removed and that harmony flows once again.

This seems to be vital advice for any form of organisation, be it a national government right down to a volunteer-run community group. Change is always inevitable; and conflicts usually arise when there is resistance to change. Sure, it’s human nature – but that is a reason, not an excuse!

It should also be noted that decay – merely an expression of this aforementioned universal flux – is inevitable in any system where change is occurring. Hence why the hexagram Ku refers to the idea of corruption and maladaption to change – not the change itself (referred to by the hexagram Kou ). There is nothing inherently bad or unfortunate about change: it just is! But it is how we all deal with that determines whether or not it will be good, easy transition into the next phase!

The last 12 months have seen tremendous change in our world, and this is being reflected on microcosmic as well as macrocosmic scale. Let’s hope we can all just get on with the act of ‘working on what has been spoiled’, instead of being caught up and obstructed by old and outdated patterns of behaviour and modes of thinking.

They way I found it easier to get my head around pagan calendars is this:
get your hands dirty in the garden!

Think of the holy-days as being markers, times that remind you of the season you are in or are approaching.

Traditionally these markers also coincide with astronomical events, especially concerning the position of the Sun, as the differentiation of seasons is based largely (but not completely) on what position your path of the Earth is in in relation to the Sun.

SO for example, here in the southern Hemisphere, we are approaching the Vernal/Spring Equinox (this year is sept 23), which is the point where day and night are of equal length, and from this point on the days actually get longer (the opposite to what our Northern cousins will be experiencing).

One way to help get the kids into celebrating this holiday would be to think about what does spring-time mean to you and your family? What significance does the lengthening of daylight mean to you? What kind of thing is going on in your neck of the woods at this time of year?

For us, its easy, as my daughter’s b’earthday is on the 17th, and my dad’s is on the 22nd – so for my family its very much about celebrating these lives (especially daughter, as she is the first ‘grand-daughter’). DW is wanting to enter tertiary study for next year, and at this time she is doing the groundwork for applying to various Uni courses, so she is very much preparing the soil and planting seeds which she hopes will fruit over the summer, giving her a place in the course she wants! My mum has her business on the market, and is hoping it sells so she can get on with the next phase of her life’s journey. My dad has just received the permission to go ahead with an investment opportunity. I’m in the home-stretch for my penultimate year in my course, but also new work opportunities have opened up in the last few weeks, which means I am very much on a ‘new’ journey…

So for us, there are a lot ‘new beginnings’ that are…. well, beginning…. so an appropriate way to celebrate this Equinox would be to really ‘plant those seeds’ and nurture these new beginnings like we would plants. In these early days, we need to protect the seedlings from the fierce winds, from snails/slugs, we need to give them constant attention and fertilisation. So too the other things in our lives.

So perhaps you could think about ways of honouring the energy of this time with your kids and your family – it doesn’t have to involve beating drums and dancing around a bonfire (although that is a lot of fun!!! ). Remember that at the core of it, pagan holidays were a chance for family/tribe/village to gather in a festive manner and celebrate what they had at that time – the rest is just culturally-specific window-dressing. Have a BBQ with your nearest and dearest and make a point of actively and consciously enjoying what you have in your life now, and what you plan to have in the coming seasons….

Hope this has been of some help….

Saturday evening, August 16, 2008. Entering point for Sun-Moon opposition

To explain, the above chart shows when the period of Sun-Moon opposition first begins (Saturday night). True astrological aspect of opposition doesn’t occur until about 7am the next morning. For all intents and purposes, we can say that “Full Moon” (as perceived by the naked eye) is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.

In a couple of days we have the Moon in Aquarius sitting opposite the Sun in Leo. Making things a little more interesting in all of this is the grouping of planets. We can see that Mercury, Venus, and Saturn are all in conjunction in Virgo (Mars is also in Virgo, however is not huddled together with these three), while Luna is in conjunction with Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius.

What I look for when I draw up a chart like this is themes and patterns – what is the energy or the vibe of the time?

The most important thing to look at in this chart is the interaction between the Sun-Moon/Chiron/Neptune oppositions. The cards I threw confirm this somewhat, essentially showing tension between our Conscious  (Sun) and Un/Sub-consciousness (Moon). The energy of the time directs us towards a desire to achieve for ourselves, to shine forth as victorious leaders and heroes (Sun in Leo & 6 Wands); however there is also a deep-seated and unconscious behaviour that takes us to places less desirable, darker and more mysterious – the 7 Cups points us to the Moon/Chiron/Neptune conjunction.

Neptune is the dissolver of boundaries, and Chiron is the wounded healer. Both planets embody the idea of the unconscious to a certain degree; they both also point to associations with deeper parts of ourself that are sensitive and empathic. Our emotional states at this time could be keys that open doorways into some deep personal healing, possibly even surrounding our relationships with our mothers (or primary nurturing parents from our childhood). Journeying to this personal “underworld” can often be fraught with dangers, and is traditionally the domain of the shaman or the Orphic hero. However, in this post-modernist world we live in, we are all capable of being our own shaman, descending into the depths of our own personal Hades to retrieve the lost treasure or person. There is another struggle going on here, that between the intellect (rationality) and the heart (emotion, intuition, feeling). Do we aim to achieve and succeed for own glory, or do we do it for others? In a sense, that is what the heroic Leonine Sun is doing: shedding light of this deep aspect of ourselves.

Why?

Well, that is usually what the times of Full Moon usually bring about: an en-lightenment, a throwing of light onto that which is obscured or in the dark at other times (the Moon of course symbolising a more primal, deeper, unconscious aspect of ourselves). As the card-throw suggests, all this is pointing to a union of opposites (the Lovers, symbolising the union of Male and Female, Yang and Yin, Sun and Moon) where the differences are reconciled in order to achieve something greater than the sum of the parts. In tantric philosophies, it was only because the God and the Goddess opened their eyes and became aware of each other that they split apart from being one, and became two. Tantra is the practice which seeks to re-unite God/Goddess (or Yang/Yin, Male/Female, etc) by re-embracing and becoming one again.

So this Full Moon time heralds a time where we may be able to catch a glimpse of what is keeping us separated. If we can see this, and deal with it in an appropriate manner, we have a very good chance of making whole our seemingly polaric parts.

What does that mean for me?

Well, the best way to see how the Full Moon affects you is to see where it occurs in relation to your own personal Birth Chart. What House is it placed in? What does it aspect with? For answers to this question, you can contact me and see how the energy of this time plays out in your life.

I am available on Thursdays and Saturdays for consultations at the Belly Belly Pregnancy Centre

I realise its a little late to be posting this, but I feel it is important to talk about the solar eclipse that occurred last Friday.

The most important thing to obviously comment on is of course its position at 9° Leo, placed in the 5th House. Eclipses are gateways, omens of new beginnings, and this one heralds a time where we should be looking at all aspects of creativity – but given the sign on this House’s cusp (15° Cancer) points to aspects of nurturing and nourishing, we should be looking closer to home: what is it that nourishes ourselves, nurtures our soul? What activities will help us fulfill our potential? Of course, creativity can take many forms, from hobbies and arts, to having children. One interesting thing that happened with this eclipse was that China was one of the best places on the planet to view the eclipse, intriguing given that the Olympics are about to begin there, an event which that nation is using to step up to the plate as being a major Global player.

There are two other things about this chart that struck me as important. The first was the spread of planets amongst two quadrants. The 2nd Quadrant finds most of the inner planets (except Mars, and including Saturn), whilst the 4th Quadrant is dominated by the outer planets. The 2nd Quadrant points to issues of internal (self) security and relationships with others, and the placement of nearly all of the inner planets further strengthens this. In contrast, the 4th Quandrant focuses on goals of public service, and contributing to humanity, and it is no surprise that the outer planets sit comfortably here. It points to a time whereby we need to focus personally and internally on our self-esteem and sense of self-security. This is not a time for us to be insecure – the time is ripe now for us to finally deal with these issues, so we can begin to bring on the creative change auspiced by this eclipse. At the same time, we need to become further involved in community-building, directing the new-found energy of self-security outwards. In this time of dwindling natural resources and unstable economic circumstances, we need to be sure of ourselves and comfortable with ourselves if we are to direct our energies to helping our family, friends, and neighbours. All of the outer planets in the 4th Quadrant speak of the changes that this time heralds.

The other noteworthy points in this chart are the aspects Chiron (19° Aquarius) has with both Mercury (12° Leo) and Venus (24° Leo) (both in opposition). This is giving us a clue to the collective healing that needs to occur between the heart (Venus) and the head (Mercury). In a sense, we can look towards our service to others as the way in which we can reconcile these aspects of ourselves; aspecst which many of us keep poles apart (as it is seen predominantly in Western culture), but in truth are interdependent and actually quite connected. The 10th degree of Leo (in which the eclipse occurred) governs the jugular vein, a vessel which connects the head to the heart. Often, stiff and sore necks show an obstruction/blockage between head and heart, and reconciliation of these often frees up that stagnation.

All of this will be couples with the partial Lunar eclipse early in the morning of August 17, where again the emphasis is on identity and personal resources as the basis of all other success in one’s life, and the need to feel secure within oneself before stepping out into the world. So the next few weeks will see all of these themes come up as our buttons get pushed.

Ideally, we need to examine eclipses and other astrological events in contrast to our own personal Birth charts. Where the eclipse occurs based upon the individual chart is important, pointing to where all these themes of change occur for ourselves. Consult your local Astrologer for more information regarding this, as it is quite enlightening, and can often reveal a great deal about our journeys in life.

Stay happy and healthy,

LATEST NEWS!!!!!

I am now available to do sessions at the BellyBelly Pregnancy Centre, in Canterbury (Victoria, Australia).

This centre has been established to provide pregnant women and their families access to top-quality therapists in many fields, so as to ensure that mothers and unborn-children are given optimal health and support during this important time.

In today’s environment, pregnancy and birth have become highly medicalised, and the high rates of medical intervention lead to adverse effects on children in the womb (not to mention the effects on mothers, their partners, their families, and our society at large). This may be a big call to make, but there are plenty of websites, forums, books, and journals that document this bizarre state of affairs – keep an eye out for names such as Michel Odent (obstetrician and anthropologist), Sheila Kitzinger (birth educator), and Ina May Gaskin (Midwife).

Closer to home, there are some fantastic people doing some amazing work in this field: Joy Johnston (Midwife), Rhea Dempsey (Educator and Counsellor), and many others. There are also some worthy community groups such as Birth Options Association Australia (BOAA) and Birthing and Babies Information Education & Support (BaBs).

The time of pregnancy and birth are incredibly important. The future health of the child is determined by the health and wellbeing of the foetus in the womb. Thus, the health of mother and father at time of conception determines how healty the future child will be, and the the health of the mother during pregancy, birth and post-natally also determines how healthy the child will be and how it will be able to cope with the rigours of life on earth and infection. The introduction of medical drugs (as well as recreational) have an impact (most usually negative) on the child. How peaceful or stressful the birth process is also has consequences later on.

There is plenty more stuff I could write about – however, there is some much of it already out there, I strongly urge all parents and potential parents to look around and read for yourselves. Education is the key to everything in life, and if we are responsibly informed and take an active role in informing ourselves about our choices and their possible consequences, then we have done the best we possibly can for our children.

How does Spirituality affect pregnancy/birth?

Like I mentioned above, the amount of stress/peace the pregnant mother experiences will effect the unborn child. The womb isn’t silent, and children do hear the noises from the outside world. The mother’s own emotions will also play a role in the foetus feeling supported and nurtured and protected. If a mother is at peace, then so too is the child. This feeling of security plays its most important role during the time of birth: like all mammals, mothers will go into labour when they feel it is safe to give birth! This is why it is vital that mothers are not only protected but supported whole-heartedly at this crucial time.

The birthing process is a ceremony – once labour has started, those present are in sacred space and ceremonial time; the outside world no longer exists, and we are present in the most primal and original of rituals. Indeed, in my humble opinion, all ceremonies (from all cultures) are based upon this original ceremony – the beginning of human life!

This is something separate to devotional faith, ecclesiasticism, or religion. These are part of culture and society, and help us as individuals answer deeper questions of meaning and faith. What I am referring here is to that essential part of ourselves that somehow defines us as humans, and indeed is the kernel of commonality amongst all religions and spiritual practices. The Chinese refer to it as shen, and this ’spirit’ is a multi-faceted thing that is common to all humans regardless of race, colour, or creed. Our emotions, mental/intellectual capacities, and consciousness are all linked in with this concept; and as there is no mind-body dichotomy in Chinese Medicine, the health of the spirit is inextricably linked with physiological health. Of course, the Chinese had herbal medicine, acupuncture, and Qigong to bring this aspect into balance; however all cultures have some way of dealing with it, unique to their own realities and existences in their own eco-systems – we in the West, for example, have psychology and counselling…

‘Spiritual’ healing then is about bringing that facet of ourselves into balance. What usually holds birthing women back from a completely natural birth is Fear – that’s why they give up and allow the Medical system to tamper and meddle. A good Midwife knows this: left to her own devices, a mother will birth free of complications (provided the woman is healthy and happy) – this is very similar to the Daoist concept of wei wu wei (action through non-action).

A calm, healthy birthing mother will not need drugs, pain relief, or a ‘free ticket’ out. She will be able to go into herself, face her greatest fears, and come out the other side with a happy and healthy infant in her arms. This is no different to all ceremonies and rituals, where we simulate this journey of life-death-(re)birth.

So why do I have a passion for this, as a male?

As a father and husband I have a duty to ensure that women’s business is honoured and protected. The journey of labour and birth is for the individual mother to go through herself; no-one else can do it for her (just like any other ritual/ceremony, there is no passive by-standing, only active participation). As men, we have one role in this, and one only: to protect and support our women as they go through this ceremony! There is only one professional who has the ability to assist the woman in this process, and that is the Midwife. Obstetricians are surgeons – their expertise is in performing surgical procedures when all other avenues have failed! But until then, it is hands-off and let the woman do what she instinctively knows what to do. The human body is one of awesome and deliberate design – let it do what it is designed to do! This is the same for other practitioners also (acupuncturists, herbalists, etc) – there is no need for intervention, unless it is absolutely imperative.

As a healer of Spirit, my job is to assist the pregnant mother in helping and guiding her towards her own ceremony, to give her tools that she can call upon if necessary! It is also about helping her to be calm, happy and healthy during the time of pregnancy, so as to ensure as natural and calm a birth as possible.

I am available for consultations on Thursdays all day (9am – 7pm) and Saturday mornings (10am – 12noon) at the Belly Belly Pregnancy Centre, Canterbury (Vic., Aust.). For more information, see the Services Offered page.

Don’t get me wrong – I love toys! I just bought myself my first mp3 player, and its wonderful to be able to listen to music again… fatherhood tends to take away the times spent listening to albums in front of a stereo…

A funny thing has happened in the last few days however. Both a client and a friend have gotten themselves lost, even though they had sophisticated GPS systems in their car! You know the ones, they give you directions as you drive.

In the case of our friend, she even knows where we live, but placing her faith into her GPS, it took her somewhere else.

As for the client, it wasn’t until he got to the completely other end of the highway that he realised he was not where he should have been.

In both cases, the individuals “had a feeling” that they weren’t going in the right direction, but listened to the directions of the gizmo, because… well, that’s what its for, after all!

I did readings for both, and lo and behold! both people’s problems could be sorted if they listened (and trusted) in their own intuition, knowingness and abilities.

Interesting metaphor – for is not the GPS nothing more than an electronic brain designed to do one thing and one thing alone: navigate. Our intellectual and analytical mind often tells us to do things, even when we feel it isn’t quite the right thing to do (or say). I would argue that in all cases, our ‘gut feeling’ is what we know is right. But we can get tricked by our brain, and then wonder what went wrong and where and why…

This is the message of the 7 Swords in the Tarot – the trickster who comes in the dead of night and robs us. However, this is aspect of ourselves should never be castigated, for it is an important one. This is our ability to question and analyse and think about all the minute details. But sometimes, he gets a little out of hand, and takes over.

Its handy to remember this from time to time, and just like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (episode 4 – the original), we need to turn off our navigation computers and just do what we feel is right – coz chances are thats the best – and quickest – way to go!

This is courtesy of my friend Bud, from Pipestone, Minnesota. He emailed it to me – thanks to the author, whomever they may be….

“For nearly a decade we’ve had that small pond in our yard. We’ve had fish in it, plants in it and I almost fell in it once. But I’ve never been able to grow flowers in it,” I said in frustration.

I stopped by a local garden shop to talk to one of the experts about why I can’t get our flowering pond plants to flower.

“Every year I try a new one hoping that this will be the year. My sister-in-law has beautiful flowers popping up from the lily pads in her pond. I think my fish are laughing at me,” I said to the young man.

“Well, you’ve answered one question for me. If you have fish in there you need to be careful. Adding fertilizer for the plants won’t necessarily be good for the fish,” he said. “Are the plants spreading like they should?”

“Yes, in fact they spread too much. I actually have to remove some leaves.”

“How big is this pond?”

“Oh, about five feet by three.”

“That’s not a pond, it a bird bath!” he said joking.

“I know. But we love it anyway.”

“What else do you have growing in it?

“Some tall plant this year that supposed to grow a gladiola-like flower on it.”

“Is that growing?”

“Yes, it just keeps growing these big leaves. I thought at first I bought a palm tree. I bet if I bought one more I could tie a hammock in-between. Okay, it’s not that big,” I said. “But every time a new shoot comes up we think “could this be the flower?” Then more leaves drop down.”

“Wait for a moment while I go get Bill. Maybe he can help.”

I stood nearby their display pond. It had at least a dozen beautiful lilies growing out of the water along with some smaller bush type plants along the water’s edge. They had flowers, too.

“You know it just needs time,” a voice said softly.

I looked around and couldn’t see anyone. I thought I was having heat stroke. Then just on the other side of the bushes near the pond, this wonderful looking older woman standing no taller than 4′10″, came walking out.

“Oh, there you are. I thought I was hearing voices,” I said.

“They need time. Everyone of those shoots has potential. It’s like life. You take time to nurture every part of your life and you never know what part is going to go into full bloom,” she said.

“That’s true. I never thought of it that way.”

“How many times did you try something that didn’t work out the way you wanted it to, but you discovered something else of value?”

“I’m in the business I’m in because of that. I never thought I’d be doing what I’m doing now. I started off wanting to be something else.”

“So keep on nurturing all that you have and stand back in anticipation of beautiful things popping up. Yes, there will be some weeds mixed in. Be grateful for the weeds. They help you to appreciate the flowers more. But don’t ever just focus on one part. You are one spirit with many parts. In order to find the flower you need to treat the whole growth.”

The young man returned. “Sir, Bill’s not here today. He’ll be in tomorrow if you’d like to come back.”

“My friend, I think I found the solution.”

“Excellent, what’s wrong with them?”

“I need to appreciate the leaves more,” I said.

Upon my return home I walked out by the pond and took a second look at those plants. There springing up from the water was a whole bunch of potential. That evening Marianne and I sat on our deck and talked for about an hour. I told her we need to love the plants more and appreciate the beauty of their leaves.

“So, you’re saying we won’t have flowers again this year!” she said with a smile.

“Well, let’s be grateful for how tall this one grew. It has potential,” I said.

When we came out to feed the fish this morning one of the tallest, tightly wrapped shoots started to open. Behold, a flower is coming!

“I believe in You!”

In the sci-fi series Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski wove the archetypal struggle between good and evil into the plot; the agents of the Shadows (the ancient evil) always approached people by asking them, “What is it you want?” and then granting them that wish like a genie out of a bottle. From then on, these people became part of the Shadows, their Hearts growing colder and darker and leading them to perform acts that their previous morality would blanch at – but now having no choice but to do what they had to do in order to maintain “that which they wanted.”

This is courtesy of The Daily Om, forwarded on to me by Bud in Pipestone, MN:

We all encounter obligations in life, from spending time with family and friends to being present at important functions in the lives of the people who form our community. Many times, the obligations are actually fun and fulfilling, and we want to be there. At the same time, we all sometimes experience resistance to meeting these obligations, especially when they pile up all at once and we begin to feel exhausted, longing for nothing so much as a quiet evening at home. At times like these, we may want to say no but feel too guilty at the idea of not being there. Still, our primary obligation is to take care of ourselves, and if saying no to someone else is what we have to do, then we do not need to feel bad about it.

There is a skill to balancing our obligations, and it starts with simply becoming aware of our schedule. We may notice that three invitations have arisen in one weekend, and we know that we will pay energetically if we attempt to fulfil all three. At this point, we can take the time to weigh the repercussions of not going to each event, considering how we will feel if we miss it and how our absence might affect other people. Most of the time, it will be clear which obligation we can most easily let go and which one we simply can’t miss. Sometimes we have to miss something really important to us, and that can be painful for everyone concerned. At times like this, reaching out with a phone call, a thoughtful card, or a gift lets people know that you are there in spirit and that your absence is by no means a result of you not caring.

Meeting our obligations to others is an important part of being human and not one to take lightly. At the same time, we cannot meet every obligation without neglecting our primary duty to take care of ourselves. We can navigate this quandary by being conscious of what we choose to do and not do and by finding concrete ways to extend our caring when we are not able to be there in person. What do you think?

Happy Solstice Day to everyone!

(Summer if you’re in the South; Winter if you’re in the North).

But given I am situated in Australia, of course I celebrate the longest day of the year, the peak of the King of Light’s rule, and the inevitable birth of the dark prince. The wheel of the year turns again, and from now on our days begin to shorten.

Whilst many people are celebrating Christmas at this time of year, it is well of us to remember that the myth of Christ’s birth is steeped in ancient pagan tradition, where the birth of the Son of Light is celebrated at the Winter Solstice (December in the North). In Australia most of us are about to go on holidays, a time when we enjoy the summer sun and heat, and celebrate with friends and family. Many go on road trips, and travel to different places.

Now is a time for moving forwards and seeking that which our hearts desireth. But it is also a time for introspection – but not too much, as if we always and with much intensity gaze inwards we run the risk of getting trapped within ourselves, and missing the wonderful world that exists ‘out there’. Keep in mind that at this time, introspection should be pointed to our objective world (if you can grasp that oxymoron, paradoxical as it is). Enlightenment comes when we look without from the centredness of within. Being centredness, and pointing our introspective gaze outwards, means we have control over that vehicle which propels us along our own personal journeys.