Full Moon in Capricorn: Slow Your Roll

When Your Love Takes You to a Barn Dance

 

Today, we welcome the full moon in the cardinal earth sign of Capricorn, the Sea Goat. The Sun in watery Cancer trines the fortuitous planet of expansive Jupiter in Pisces, harmonizing well with the Moon right now. Earthy Capricorn connects us to Mother Nature and Cancer/Pisces brings in the cooling, yin, feminine side of life This is good: we need a little ease as the recent yang Gemini (air)/Sagittarius (fire) eclipses and Mercury Retrograde, along with unseasonal heat waves, put many of us on edge mentally and physically.

What is happening under the surface is that the messages from the culture (i.e. mainstream) tell us that it’s time to get back to “normal.” The state of California,for instance, is declared “open” and it’s magically time to socialize, see everyone again, move about, get busy, spend money, and do a lot of things that weren’t available to us over the past year of lockdown, whether because they were officially shut down or the fear factor was too high.

The problem is that our animal bodies and our soft underbellies, and our intuitive souls, may not be ready to get back into gear. The empathic wisdom in all of us is attuned to something much deeper than what is being fed to us on the social media feed or the news… If you’re one of the empathic people or sensitive spirits who feels this, you are not alone. Trust your body’s wisdom. Just because the society tells you to come out of your lockdown hermitage and run around again, it may not be time to do that for you.

When Kitty Encounters Her First Stag

As the veil covering that which is hidden has been fully ripped open since the past year, empaths and intuitives are acutely aware of what is behind the curtain. The collective shadow is knocking hard on the door – some of us can’t sleep at night as our guides are speaking to us, our ancestors are teaching us, our souls are doing heavy lifting and processing in the nighttime hours. If that is you, it is vital that you adjust your lifestyle to rest more often during the day. Take more naps, lie flat on your back, and definitely schedule less on the calendar.

Explain to your family or friends that you are needing more time to rest. If they’re in tune to you, and attuned to themselves and their own processes, they will understand and support you in this. Speak up: you are practicing good modeling!

When You Finally Attempt to Garden

If you do travel, whether by air or land, make sure you build in ample time (like, weeks) before and especially after your journey to ground, to earth yourself. Let yourself be in an “ordinary” lifestyle and chop wood, carry water, hang your clothes on the line, plant flowers, take a walk in the woods. Driving in cars and getting on planes stimulates vata, the air element, which in Ayurveda can create pain or stiffness, anxiousness, and confusion in the body-mind. Slow down, do less, especially talk less. Bed earlier, cook your own food, sit quietly and feel into your spine and hips and legs.

Same thing goes for social events and visiting friends and family: before and after the event, make sure you have plenty of time built in for quietude. The theme is spaciousness. Our bodies and souls are begging for more space and a slower pace. It’s totally OK to let loose or attend highly stimulating events or crowded situations – we just need to ground, root, and center all along.

Last but not least: IF you have plans to go somewhere, to have a visitor, to do something, and you feel a sense of unease or even dread about said plan – stop immediately and reevaluate. Adjust, minimize, or cancel. No hemming and hawing. This is a time in our evolution that we cannot compromise that which is for our body-mind-soul’s highest good. If you’re still hearing the internal message that “it would be good for you” or “it’s not nice to cancel on someone” or “it’s good to keep your commitments always,” realize that it is completely outdated conditioning. What is good for you IS what is good for everyone else, for the whole. When you are tuned into your body, your spirit... When you slow down and listen... When you pay attention to your belly, your root, your heart... it is absolutely PERFECT to change or cancel plans. You can trust that is perfect for the collective and everyone involved.

Do not deny any insights you are having.

Do not gaslight your soul. Honor your soul’s truth, and be free.

Enjoy your precious Presence.

with love,

Erin 

When You Take a Long, Solo Hike to a Secluded Beach

 

 

THE KING (OR QUEEN) IS AWAKE!

from Rumi

 

There are people with their eyes open

whose hearts are shut. What do they see? Matter.

But someone whose love is alert,

even if the eyes go to sleep,

he or she will be waking up thousands of others.

If you are not one of those light-filled lovers,

restrain your desire-body's intensity.

Put limits on how much you eat

and how long you lie down.

But if you are awake here in the chest,

sleep long and soundly.

Your spirit will be out roaming and working,

even on the seventh level.

Muhammed says, I close my eyes and rest in sleep,

but my love never needs to rest.

The guard at the gate drowses.

The king stays awake. You have a king inside

who listens for what delights the soul.

That king's wakefulness

cannot be described in a poem.

- RUMI

Have you read Truth Seeker yet? If you prefer supporting your local brick and mortar bookstore, you can order the book straight from your local bookseller. Otherwise, it’s available on Amazon Prime in paperback and Kindle here. I continue to be touched by the reviews (keep 'em coming, please), like this one from an appreciative reader in Berkeley, CA:

 5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, inspiring, and a joy to read

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2021

This book took me on a journey through India, and through spiritual awakening, with a front-seat view from the author's perspective. The honesty of the author's writing made it a joy to read, and her tone always remains humble and relatable, even when she shares her experience of awakening. I gained a greater understanding of the core principles on non-duality and I was moved by the piercing description of her love for her guru. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a spiritual "seeker", and to anyone who shares a passion for travel in India.

 Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary non-dual spiritual teacher, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering. Visit erinreese.com for more information.  

Follow me on Instagram for more frequent updates and photos and goodies! 

 

 

 

Freedom in the NOW: Spiritual Retreat with Erin February 5-7 via Zoom

Freedom in the NOW

Retreat with Erin Reese 

February 5 to 7, 2021

This is an unprecedented moment in time to drop into the Present, and discover the ultimate supportive resource of unlimited Being.

Such talks and meetings are called "satsang," which means "a spiritual discourse or sacred gathering." In Sanskrit, sat means "true essence, or nature" and sang means community or gathering. There is something powerful about gathering together in this manner, witnessing others' inquiries, and receiving transmission of wisdom in a safe, open space where the focus is on true freedom.

Therefore, I'm offering a three-day "intensive" the first weekend of February, wherein we will join together four times over a period of three days to go deeper into these teachings, which are called "non-duality" or advaita in Sanskrit ("not-two"). To put it most simply, All Is One, and the total and complete realization of this truth is called awakening by some. I call it freedom.

Freedom In the NOW

A 3-Day Intensive

Spiritual Talks and Meetings

with Erin Reese, M.S.

via ZOOM

Friday February 5 to Sunday February 7

Friday 4:30pm to 6pm PT

Saturday 10am to 11:30am PT

Saturday 4:30pm to 6pm PT

Sunday 10am to 11:30am PT

Saturday 12pm to 2pm (optional):

15-minute private meetings with Erin

Cost: $195 to $395 sliding scale

Scholarships Available

Register with Erin directly

There will be no outside "work" or practices outside of the satsang meeting times. It is entirely up to you how you spend your time between sessions, whether you choose to read, meditate, be in nature, dance, be with your family, journal, be silent, or work. The teachings will naturally deepen in you through simple Existence.

Some folks have expressed a sincere interest in participating, but are experiencing financial stress right now; therefore, I'm offering a scholarships, so please email me soon for information on applying. If you are drawn to attend, the way will be made available to you.

The whole point is freedom. Freedom from suffering.
The peace that is always and ever-abiding, in the NOW.

I look forward to seeing you soon.
With love,
Erin

Liberation is not an acquisition but a matter of courage, the courage to believe that you are free already and to act on it.

- Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary non-dual spiritual teacher, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering. Visit erinreese.com for more information.

 

 

Summer, Serenity, and the Beauty of Inanimate Objects

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.”  ~ Albert Einstein

Hello Beloveds,

With the recent Summer Solstice and New Moon Eclipse in Cancer, we have entered the time when the solar life force is the strongest in the Northern Hemisphere. With so much intensity on the planet, it’s critically important to notice what helps you feel in alignment. If you’re feeling out of sync, off-kilter, confused or garbled, it might be a sign that you are not living in a way that is congruent with your soul, your authentic self.

When we live in accordance with our True Nature, we feel good. We feel good even when we feel “bad.” There is a residing peace and contentment, daresay happiness or even joy, underneath even the so-called “negative” emotions. When we are seated in our self, we experience grief, anger, sorrow, loss, even frustration, with an ease that permeates all. There is a knowing, a holding, a basic trust that we are exactly where we need to be.

Think about it. Think about times when you’ve felt the blood-boiling of rage, or the bone-core-barrenness of deep grief, and you’ve just flat out felt good about it. This is because it is TRUE. It is real, it is here, and it is the authentic You.

When you’re living out of alignment with True Nature, even that which is supposed to feel good has an edginess to it. This is a sign you’re coming from ego, from separation from Source. You’re living from an idea that this is what is supposed to be happening, this what you are supposed to be doing. But it’s an idea. It’s not reality.

Reality is always easeful. It is always here. It is the place of rest, no matter what is unfolding.

The Beauty of Inanimate Objects

In summer, as in all seasons, we are urged to listen to the land. Listen to the wind, the trees, the flowers, the clouds. Listen to the rivers, the lakes, the sky. Listen, and you shall know exactly what is needed and called for in each and every moment.

These days, I’m reminded of the beauty of inanimate objects, not just of those found in nature, but also things human-crafted, human-made. I love that in most other languages besides English, we have feminine, masculine, neutral articles (e.g. German, der/die/das; French, le/la; Spanish, el/la, etc.) to indicate the gender of an object. We refer to objects as “she” or “he” and the whole object comes alive even more. “Der Zug,” or “the train” in German gives us the impression of a mighty creature huffing and puffing up the hill as we say, “there he goes! Watch him climb!” “Die Blume,” or “the flower” becomes She. “Look how beautiful She is!” as we gaze at the perfect rose.

Even the most unlikely candidates become alive through hints in language. This is a great pointer to the fact that All is Consciousness. Recognizing the Consciousness and beauty inherent in inanimate objects, we find aliveness, alertness, consciousness and story even in a hayfield. Above and below are photographs I took last week of two pastures and their recently collected haystacks and hayrolls. We can have an entire conversation with a hayfield when we really look. I am enamored with their beauty.

Aliveness is everywhere…

The other morning, my Beloved and I were driving across the valley and we had to slow to a stop as the most beautiful pronghorn antelope was standing right before our vehicle. Gorgeous markings shone vividly on her face, as die Antilope stared directly at us. She was looking for an opening to the prairie but was blocked by the cattle fence. Luckily, no cars were coming behind us, so we were able to sit and wait for her to find an opening in the fence. After a moment, she dove into a small opening in the barbed wire and pranced quickly across the cowfields, off into the sunset plains. Free again!

The Consciousness present in this animal was clear as a bell, as we looked directly into each other’s eyes.

We instinctively and collectively know there is intelligence present as we anthropomorphize animals and inanimate objects in Pixar, Disney, graphic novels, fairy tales. A teapot transforms into a friendly trickster, a pelican embodies the wise old man, a sea turtle a surf bum.

Non-humans are smart, flawed, perfectly imperfect, and just as conscious as we humans. Any animal lover will know that True Love is there and a connection is made, eye-to-eye, when one truly looks. This goes for trees, rivers, lakes and streams as well. Who’s to say that the Love is not reciprocated? Perhaps we experiment with extending this idea to every apparent separate object, every inextricable part of the whole.

Consciousness is everywhere. May joy and aliveness fill you as summer reveals its splendor and gifts!

With love,

Erin

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary intuitive, spiritual counselor, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a spiritual counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. Erin also offers non-dual meetings and retreats on embodied liberation and freedom from suffering.

  

One Month Later... Audio Talk Series Available

In March 2020, the proverbial sh*t hit the fan, and I responded by offering a series of Zoom community talks on the theme of "Peace in Times of Fear and Confusion."

The talks are with the tone of compassion and fierce grace, designed to help listeners deepen into the Unfolding Now, where suffering ceases no matter what conditions arise.

I'm now pleased to offer the series as a free streaming bundle on my website! You can stream the audios for free, and donations are appreciated to support the work.
 
Click here to access the series.

March 2020 Audio Series: Peace in Times of Fear and Confusion

A series of three spiritual talks from Erin Reese on the topics of the end of suffering, the paradigm shift, and the opportunity to deepen into Pure Being Now. These talks were offered to the community during the onset of the corona virus pandemic and global shelter-in-place.

• March 15th, Peace in Times of Fear and Confusion
• March 22nd, The Great Unfolding
• March 29th, All One Consciousness

 

 

Next Satsang, Thursday May 7th

My next free Spiritual Talk is a nondual satsang - a conscious gathering - focusing on The End of Suffering and Unshakeable Peace. Transmission, teachings, and deepening in understanding and awareness. You are invited.

Click here to register.

Thursday, May 7th, 9am Pacific, 10am Mountain

By Donation

 

Fighting, resisting, controlling is an impossible action.

What is really needed is to yield, to see things as they are.

~ Ramesh Balsekar (Erin's advaita teacher)

Sending you all love,
Erin

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary intuitive, spiritual counselor, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a spiritual counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. For more information, visit erinreese.com.

 

erinreese.com

Rebirth, Quarantine, and the Inner Spring

Wherever You Are, Is Perfect

A quote I've long appreciated, oft attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson is, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

Yet these days I’ve decided to turn it on its ear. Let’s make it the following:

“The destination is the journey.” Meaning. Wherever you are, it’s perfect. You are perfection. You are that which you seek. You yourself are the destination.

I’ve noticed on the collective consciousness stage that folks are energetically leaving their quarantines even though the shelter in place hasn’t been lifted. People are wanting to travel more in their minds, and bodies, even locally. They are socializing more, trying to find new ways to fill up the space, to bring a sense of what used to be “normal” back into their lives. Perhaps it’s the spring weather; perhaps it’s boredom, a need for distraction. Perhaps it’s simply human nature.

However, many souls are not ready to focus on the outer world yet. You will know that you are in this group if you feel confused or garbled when you’re at the grocery store, when you’re trying to have too many virtual social gatherings, or neighborhood six-to-ten-feet away chit-chats. You might feel like you get clobbered by externalizing your energy. You might get easily fatigued. It might show up in your dreams, imploring you to pay attention.

Last week, I dreamed I was being pulled out of quarantine, and my soul balked. It wasn’t ready. I was attempting to secure a reservation for a weeklong silent retreat, to go back inside. Upon analyzing the dream, it became clear that, even though the earth is laughing in flowers right now, and coyotes are (literally) howling in North Beach SF, for us humans, it is an Inner Spring this year. A deepening connection to the Self, rather than the World, civilization, unnecessary activity. We are springing forth, from the inside first. The destination is us, and we ourselves are the journey.

Sheltering In Place

Time Out of Time

Many of us are in a gestation period, pregnant with something new. It needs a bit more time to cook – that symbolic bun in the oven. Some of us have already birthed a new idea, project, vision during quarantine, and that new baby needs a bit more protection before it is trotted around the neighborhood and exposed to all and sundry outside. Think of a snake that has shed its old skin, a death and rebirth process. It takes time for the new skin to grow, and the animal needs this coat to form before revealing itself to risky elements. Sensitivity is high. 

I find it notable that the animal associated with this pandemic (whether science or symbol) is a bat. In many indigenous traditions, Bat represents Rebirth, and the shamanic, symbolic death of the healer. Jamie Sams and David Carson write of Bat in Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals (Bear and Company, 1999), “If Bat has appeared in your cards today, it symbolizes the need for a ritualistic death of some way of life that no longer suits your new growth pattern. This can mean a time of letting go of old habits, and of assuming the position in life that prepares you for rebirth, or in some cases initiation. In every case, Bat signals rebirth of some part of yourself or the death of old patterns...”

 

These processes of rebirth constitute "time out of time," and take time. In the recent newsletter from the ashram of Sri Ramana Maharshi in Tiruvannamalai, India, the writers describe Ramana’s various retreats under massive epidemics of the first half of the 20^th Century, from cholera, typhoid, bubonic plague. The ashram was shut down to the bare minimum of activity during these times. The sage fondly remembers these months as some of the ashram community's happiest, most peaceful times. A time of deepening and lessening of distractions.

I know many of us absolutely need to get back to work in the world, financially and psychologically. I completely support this and hope this does happen as quickly as possible for folks. Yet, we can also keep in mind: This quarantine is going to pass quicker than we think, even if it chronologically and paradoxically lasts longer than initially thought. When we look back on 2020, and these inner months, we’ll realize that it was restful, healing, revealing. It is an opportunity, and it’s moving fast. We can make best use of the time, and not opt-out of the inner journey before the miracle occurs.

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary intuitive, spiritual counselor, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a spiritual counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. For more information, visit erinreese.com.

 

erinreese.com

Announcing Affordable Spiritual Counseling Group!

Hello Everyone,

I’ve wanted to offer an alternative and affordable form of spiritual counseling during this time. Even before the shelter-in-place, it was brewing: a spiritual support group online. And, so I’m going to start this as soon as possible! The Zoom technology works perfectly, and I trust you will feel at ease as well. I know many of you out there have a need for psychospiritual support yet want to find an affordable option or supplement your individual sessions.

The first group will last four weeks. These sessions will be 4-6 participants. I will offer one or two sections depending on the interest. 

The sessions will be 75-minutes each, weekly.

Each group asks for a four-week commitment. After four weeks, the timing will be reevaluated together. We may very well (I hope!) continue the group.

Description
In this four-week group, you will receive the holding and spiritual direction you most need at this time in a supportive, loving environment. We will adhere to group confidentiality. As a facilitator, teacher and spiritual therapist, I will create a safe container for you and others. I will guide you – sometimes gently, sometimes with fierce grace – to self-heal and examine your intuitive and knowing, your fears and state of consciousness.

Each session will begin with a few minutes’ presentation on a prominent theme that I sense the group is facing, i.e. principles and tools for self-healing and awakening. This will be followed by consulting and dialoguing, one-on-one, with me in the group setting.

You will learn and grow through your own one-on-one work with me, by witnessing other’s processes, and through your own wholehearted presence. The understanding and support will be amplified by the group alchemy.

Prerequisites:

• Having had some background in your own personal spiritual development and or therapy or counseling.
• A brief check-in with Erin by email to confirm your interest and enrollment.
• Agreement to group confidentiality and guidelines
• A willingness to listen and witness others’ processes of psychospiritual unfoldment, to examine your own self and practice self-reflection on a regular basis; a commitment to develop an inner life and connection to self.

This is not a substitute for individual counseling sessions or satsang with Erin. It is for those who would like to:

• Have access to affordable counseling
• Benefit from a group shared experience
• Supplement individual counseling

Cost:

Series of Four Group Sessions: Sliding Scale $150 to $250

PayPal, Card, or Venmo

Interested?

Which of the following times would work for you? Please reply.

·      Wednesdays, 4:30pm to 5:45pm PT (April 15, 22, 29, May 6)

·      Wednesdays, 6pm to 7:15pm PT (April 15, 22, 29, May 6)

·      Fridays, 9am to 10:15am PT (April 17, 24, May 1, May 8)

·      Fridays, 10:30am to 11:45am PT (April 17, 24, May 1, May 8)

If you are called, I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

With love,

Erin

Erin Reese, M.S. in Counseling, has facilitated the following groups, among others:

• Grief and Bereavement
• The Artist’s Way
• Goddess Circles
• Women’s Groups
• The Art of the Tarot
• Intuition Mastery
• Non-Dual Satsang 
• Financial Recovery

Erin Reese is a contemporary intuitive, spiritual counselor, author and guide. A modern mystic with over thirty years of experience, Erin Reese offers incisive, practical intuitive readings to her clients worldwide. She is a spiritual counselor, guide and mentor to those seeking an alternative to traditional psychotherapy or business coaching. For more information, visit erinreese.com.

erinreese.com