ABRACADABRA! What you Speak, you Create…
Happy First Lunar Eclipse of 2019 Everyone!
Since my last article, all was going pretty routinely, albeit my living situation was not in the most stable of states — however, I was quite happy living with my two dear soul brothers. I had not the faintest (conscious) idea that I wanted to move, but in hindsight of course — I had aligned with the very powerful energy of 11–11–11 (November 11th, 2018) to catapult my desire to manifest a medicine space of my own to be able to practice in peace and quiet… DUUUUUH… Anyway, the day before new year’s eve, I was approached by some dear sisters of mine and asked “out of the blue” (although it never is) whether I was looking for a place — a quiet back house? with beautiful gardens? in a serene neighborhood? surrounded by crows? with Padre growing in the backyard? AND at a price I could afford?! I was like, “uh, are you serious?” then the mad dash was on… if I were to make this happen, I had to find a perfect new roommate for my brothers, and QUICK! all the while working a schedule packed to the rim! So I put my head down and put to work, and I managed to put in the elbow grease to fulfill my part of this manifestation equation. And BOOM! there I was preparing my things for this move into my very own idyllic medicine space on eclipse day! So here I am… one medicine space richer, in such deep gratitude to the mysterious workings of this universe.
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After the previous new moon phase in Scorpio, where our world is turned upside down for the purpose of accelerating our ability to transform, and expand the state of our conscious awareness, we work the next new moon phase in Sagittarius, “the Hunter.” This new moon of January 5th, as mentioned, was accompanied by a partial eclipse of the sun, which was primarily visible from northeastern Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Russia) and the northern part of the North Pacific Ocean, including Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Below are the major celestial movements for January at a glance:
So the eclipses here at the beginning of 2019 may be bringing some unexpected plot twists — my medicine space manifestation as a little example. The specific flavor of this plot twist, however, is Sagittarian in nature, meaning it specifically toyed with our connection to our higher belief systems, philosophies/religion, life purpose/meaning, teachers & teachings, higher education, ideas of hope, luck, & fortune, but also children and students, who are our greatest teachers. In my example, for instance, I was given the opportunity to “put my money where my mouth is,” to “practice what I preach,” so to speak. I had specifically set the intention of acquiring my own medicine space, but in my current situation (barely getting by check to check) I felt I was putting out a pipe dream into the ether. Even with so many doubts in tow, I set the intention anyway during the 11–11–11 gathering held in the desert. And even with all the auspicious signs surrounding our gathering, I still doubted. So when those sisters approached with the offer, I actually replied, “hmmm… I can’t possibly afford to take it, but perhaps I can check it out so that I might refer someone in your direction.” But when I walked into the little gem, an expansive, warm feeling in my heart emerged — “I really want this place,” I thought, and I knew it was to be mine. And as though my mouth were moving without my conscious control, I made a leap of faith and blabbed out a crazy offer to the owners of the space… and the next day she messaged me with a counter offer I couldn’t refuse…
Sagittarius is ruled by the most auspicious one of them all — Jupiter, Guru Dev — our highest teacher, who imparts knowledge and blessings to all his children. Jupiter, as Guru, teacher, guides us beyond the darkness of our fears and doubts, and helps us to return to the light of our highest truths, inner wisdom, and faith in the Great Spirit. He supports us as we hold the light of faith even in our darkest hours, and brings his gifts and blessings that we may return to holy union with the divine. And although my little move is a seeming small gesture in the grand scheme of manifestations, it most certainly impacted my ability to reinstate my faith in my own truth as a creative being. As Neale Donald Walsh has transcribed in his work, Conversations with God, book 1:
There is nothing you cannot be, there is nothing you cannot do. There is nothing you cannot have…
[But] for thousands of years people have disbelieved the promises of God for the most extraordinary reason: they were too good to be true. So you have chosen a lesser promise — a lesser love. For the highest promise of God proceeds from the highest love. Yet you cannot conceive of a perfect love, and so a perfect promise is also inconceivable. As is a perfect person. Therefore you cannot believe even in your Self.
Failing to believe in any of this means failure to believe in God. For belief in God produces belief in God’s greatest gift — unconditional love — and God’s greatest promise — unlimited potential.
During this time is also when I began the reading of this most extraordinary book, and it has been a most tremendous gift. And as my medicine practice, and practice of Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) have helped me to understand, nothing happens at random, and there are no coincidences in the universe. But to know, and to experience and feel, are vastly different indeed. And so our lives will bring forth opportunities to experience that which we know in our heart of hearts — granting time and time again, constant, on-going circumstances to remember the truth of Who We Are. And if you’ve not had such opportunities in your recent days, call them in, and see what happens…
Now as is always the case, the situations in your life will be in direct reflection to that which you most need, to bring about your own growth and inspirations. For my little medicine space manifestation may not seem like much to you, but it was exactly what I needed to keep my little faith puttering on, like a tugboat — moving slowly, but pulling a heavy load surely and steadily. As Walsh has transcribed: “Each soul is a Master… each creates the situation and the circumstance for its own highest purpose and its own quickest remembering — in each moment called now.”
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A lunar eclipse always takes place within one fortnight (approximately two weeks) of any solar eclipse. And so, on Sunday, January 20th at 2116 (9:16 pm) PST (TODAY!!!) we experience our First Total Lunar Eclipse of 2019! And this total eclipse is a very exciting one indeed, for it will be VISIBLE FROM THE AMERICAS, plus much of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, AND this will be the last total lunar eclipse to grace Earth’s sky until May 26th, 2021! So if you can set aside a bit of time for the viewing, it will be well worthwhile.
These are the optimal viewing times for PST:
BUT PLEASE BE SURE TO USE PROPER EYE PROTECTION WHEN WATCHING ANY SOLAR ECLIPSE!
And as this eclipse will be taking place in the sign of Cancer, it is sure to bring attention to the most vulnerable aspect of ourselves, our hearts, and thus emotions. I already feel this one coming for sure… for it takes me back to last year’s eclipse cycle during this time, which happened in Cancer as well. During this time last year, I said goodbye to my very dear, and best friend, Skunk Dog, my loyal companion of over 12 years. Just writing these lines make my eyes well up. It was such a turbulent, and fearful time for me, as I gave him up with far from honorable actions, and it brought to question my entire character, my ability to love, as well as deep feelings of guilt and shame — so much so that the year 2018 was one of my darkest since the abysmal time of my narcotic addictions and alcoholism of my early/mid 20’s — after I left the military with my whole life pulled out from under my feet. And now here I am in this amazing medicine space, yes, but for the first time in my life, living completely alone*… so this is the particular flavor of a total eclipse in Cancer…
A part of being a practitioner of Jyotish is not just to make note of what is happening, but to partake in what is happening in conscious, life-changing ways. Having identified what these energies bring forth, one can hold ceremonies & rituals for honoring and remembering, or simply set aside some special time for creating intentions and sending out your heartfelt prayers. For the full moon is when the light of our consciousness is brightest, so aspects of our selves and our lives have the opportunity to be highly illuminated. And this is where the chaotic associations of the full moon stem — for when what is illuminated is something one dare not look at and examine, it can literally drive one mad, make one a luna-tic.
But as Cancer is the sign ruled by the Moon, the Moon is Swakshetra (in her own sign) during this eclipse, and thus highly intelligent. And so the energies support us for making deep heart connections, and for evolving consciously in tremendous, potentially miraculous ways. But the growth of this time comes through the gauntlet of Rahu, the Northern Eclipse Point, which is the shadow planet we are actually seeing when we are viewing the eclipse on the 20th (as the shadow planets only make their “appearance” during eclipses, and are not visible during any other time; although they are always energetic points in space).
The current viral trend is calling this eclipse a “Blood Moon (Supermoon**) Eclipse.” And although it is a bit redundant by astronomical standards*** (as a total lunar eclipse will always cast a blood red hue on the moon), it does capture the ominous quality of Rahu’s energy. For Rahu is an illusionist — using smoke and mirrors to tantalize our heart strings into the allure of our deepest, often darkest, hidden desires — allowing us to experience how it is to be completely carried away by our obsessions, infatuations, and our fears — sometimes to the point of delusional paranoia or hopeless despair. Ultimately, however, Rahu presents to us the opportunity to deeply connect to the truth of our heart’s desires, through the contrast of our ego’s illusions. And as we work to fine-tune our awareness, we can observe with more neutrality as we become enthralled by the projected look of our ego’s infatuations & fears — ambitions for fame, wealth, the “perfect” mate, the “perfect” look, the “perfect” life, etc., and we can move beyond these deceptions to see our true heart’s desires more clearly, and come to understand that our heart’s desires may not have the “look” we had previously projected upon them, but rather that they have an intangible feel beyond the limited space of the relative/physical world. And as is always the strange case with this mysterious journey, we acquaint ourselves with What We Are by letting shed What We Are NOT, as we come to experience it.
This can be a profoundly powerful time indeed to connect deeply to our heart’s true desires, but it can be a tremendously confusing, painful, and frustrating time as well. And so a strong guiding principle to hold close to is, again, spoken of in Walsh’s work:
Every action taken by human beings is based in love or fear, not simply those dealing with relationships. Decisions affecting business, industry, politics, religion, the education of [our] young, the social agenda of [our] nations, the economic goals of [our] societies, choices involving war, peace, attack, defense, aggression, submission; determinations to covet or give away, to save or to share, to unite or to divide — every single free choice you ever undertake arises out of one of the only two possible thoughts there are: a thought of love or a thought of fear.
Fear is the energy which contracts, closes down, draws in, runs, hides, hoards, harms.
Love is the energy which expands, opens up, sends out, stays, reveals, shares, heals.
Fear wraps our bodies in clothing, love allows us to stand naked. Fear clings to and clutches all that we have, love gives all that we have away. Fear holds close, love holds dear. Fear grasps, love lets go. Fear rankles, love soothes. Fear attacks, love amends.
Every human thought, word, or deed is based in one emotion or the other. You have no choice about this, because there is nothing else from which to choose. But you have free choice about which of these to select.
When we develop our ability to feel into ourselves, to connect deeply within, we can more clearly identify the source and intentions behind our thoughts, words, and actions. And this ability can help us during this powerful eclipse time to discern whether we are being deceived by the empty promises of Rahu (being led by fear), or whether we are being inspired by our true heart’s desires (being spurred on by love). Do you really prefer to be single? or is this an illusory desire rooted in the fear of intimacy and the rawness of connection? Are you really happy with where you are in your career? or is this an illusory desire based on deep subconscious fears of failure or even success? Do you really prefer to keep your life & creative work to yourself? or is this an illusory decision based on your fears of vulnerably sharing your heart with the world? Do you really prefer to abstain from having children? or is this an illusory desire reflective of your own childhood wounds? This last question is one I had the painful, yet revelatory opportunity to work with through 2018’s eclipse (and retrograde) energies, for my parting with Skunk Dog was, in hindsight, a very crafty reenactment of one of my earliest childhood traumas — my own abandonment by my mother at the age of 1 1/2 years. Damn universe… your work is flawless, and you have shown me without a reasonable doubt that there is no need to fear, and that Love is all there is…
Blessings on your inward journey,
Jane Oka Kaya Shin
p.s. Skunk Dog’s work with his human companion (me) has been tremendously healing and profound. He has been given special accolades by the universe for his meritorious work, and has therefore gone from being a pauper to a prince, and now lives in a multi-million dollar mansion in San Francisco where he takes long romantic walks on the beach with his new ma, and receives weekly acupuncture treatments for the joint pain he had been living with for some time. This is a picture of Skunk at 13! late last Fall, looking very handsome with his “little” brother, Bodhi:
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* This happening is also reflective of the nature of Ketu, the Southern Eclipse Point, which was casting its shadowy effect on the Sun and Moon on January 5th, when we experienced the partial solar eclipse. Ketu is the monk, non-attachment & true spirituality, and thus often a very harsh energy for those of us who are here to live in the material world (the vast majority of us). But on occasion, like this one, it can come as a sweet respite from the chaotic energy of human societies — in my example, for instance, I was living right smack in the middle of the urban jungle (on 4th Street, right off “Retro Row” in Long Beach — sirens a-blare, the local color constantly a-stroll along the walk right below our balcony, the thin walls mercilessly transmitting the intimate lives of neighbors, etc.), and suddenly I’m transported to this seemingly isolated place where not a car can be heard passing on the street. And as mentioned, I am living completely alone for the first time, and in a very monk-like situation, to boot, where there is no where to escape from the silence, and the inner workings of one’s own psyche.
** The term “Supermoon” was just recently coined in 2015, and refers to a full moon occurring at its closest to Earth, as it travels its elliptical orbit around the Earth.
***As EarthSky.org’s Bruce McClure explains:
A full moon nearly always appears coppery red during a total lunar eclipse. That’s because the dispersed light from all the Earth’s sunrises and sunsets falls on the face of the moon at mid-eclipse. For some decades at least, it’s been common for astronomy writers like us to describe an eclipsed moon as blood red. You just didn’t, until recently, hear the same eclipsed moon called a “Blood Moon.”