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| Holy Fool in Convertible on New England Coast |
These are wild times, eclipse days. Many of us felt the
recent Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius like being in a washing machine
on ultra-spin cycle. Sagittarius – expanding our view, stretching us even
further beyond the beyond. And now, we gear up for the New Moon solar eclipse
on June 10 in the mutable air sign of Gemini. Whew, another wild card en route!
Yakety-yak, don’t talk back – or DO
talk back. Gemini Twin energies want us to keep talking, writing, dialoguing with self
and other. We need new information, and we need to think critically (remember that?) about what
we are reading, imbibing, hearing. How do you know what you read or hear is True?
Because your heart, gut, intuition give you a green light. How do you know if
what you read or hear or even think is false? Because, if you give yourself a
second to sit with it, you’ll feel a subtle or strong feeling of disgust, heaviness,
repulsion, insidious anxiety. Allow serenity to be your barometer to Truth. And, that
doesn’t mean you are never angry, sad, frustrated, upset. These are gifts,
pointers to Truth as well.Simply remember that peace is the ultimate root underneath it all.
Another theme with Gemini/Sag eclipses is dissemination of information, through books and travel and movement, long and short distances. Where are you being moved to gather new inspiration? Are your mental moorings needing to be loosened, freed? Are you, as Kerouac wrote, allowing yourself to “be crazy dumbsaint of mind”? As we gear up for next week’s New Moon Solar Eclipse, we might have a chance of enjoying, loving, laughing and easing through it by cultivating our HOLY FOOL archetype.
Pilgrimages to Cultivate Your Holy Fool
Recently, my Beloved and I took a trip to the East Coast for a family wedding on the Maine coast (see Exhibit A: Holy Fool in Convertible). We also spent time in Boston and Western Mass. I took the opportunity to make many a literary pilgrimage to bless my Book Baby. I took my new book Truth Seeker to all of these sites to request the spirit of writers whom I admire to imbue the book with their love and to show them what their inspiration contributed to! Thoreau, Dickinson, Emerson – and most importantly, to me – Kerouac.
I invite you to make large and small pilgrimages to sites and spots that symbolize that which inspire you, that you want to amplify. Pilgrimages are powerful nods to the personal and collective psyche. I wanted to not only enhance my own connection to these writers’ work, I was remembering the metaphysical principle that “as we do one thing, we do all things.” We are not separate. My visitation to these sites was not just for me, for Truth Seeker – it was for YOU, too. I wish for YOU to keep reading, learning, thinking CRITICALLY and questioning the mainstream narrative. To keep digging in deeper. To keep jumping off your cliffs, and diving in to deeper evolutionary waters. Tell yourself the truth. What do you KNOW? What do you most need to admit to yourself? Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, or barely journal – you can use the principle of journalistic observation to tell yourself the Truth about how you feel, what you sense about the world, the cosmos, Consciousness within and without.
For this reason, I made an effort to visit these great masters of the written word.
#1 Parker House Hotel in Boston, MA, where Ralph Waldo Emerson
and Nathanial Hawthorne et al gathered to discuss topics of the day and
their Transcendentalist writing. Parker House is the oldest running hotel in
Boston and an historical hotspot, no doubt. Erin’s key inspiration in high school:
Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” (1854) – a treatise on individuation; highly recommend.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Emerson
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| Walden Pond, Concord, MA |
#2 Walden Pond in Concord, MA to pay respects to Henry David
Thoreau (1817-1862). Literary pilgrimage,
asking for blessings for my new book from this great Transcendentalist and
early environmentalist advocating simple living; Thoreau was of course a
disciple of Emerson and author of "Civil Disobedience."
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
-Walden; or Life In the Woods, 1854
#3 Paying respects at the Amherst, MA grave the great poetess Emily Dickinson, way ahead of her time. She inspires me in her depth of wisdom and clarity and soul. If you're a fan, I recommend watching The Belle of Amherst (1976) with Tony winner Julie Harris. Streaming on Kanopy with your library subscription.
Here’s another I drool over:
Some keep the Sabbath going to Church – 236
I keep it, staying at Home –
With a Bobolink for a Chorister –
And an Orchard, for a Dome –
Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice –
I, just wear my Wings –
And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,
Our little Sexton – sings.
God preaches, a noted Clergyman –
And the sermon is never long,
So instead of getting to Heaven, at last –
I’m going, all along.
-Emily Dickinson, 1864
#4 THE CRESCENDO. At the Lowell, MA grave of Jack Kerouac. “The road is life.” Bless you, Ti Jean.
I am a Beat Lit freak. Kerouac is a cornerstone, yet just the tip of the iceberg. I devour it all – Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg, Snyder, and the women Beats Joyce Johnson, Diane Di Prima, Patti Smith, JoAnne Kyger – these are my people. Spontaneous Bop Prosody. Allow Consciousness to do the writing.
We placed a cig for Jack on the grave, next to my book and the empty minis of tequila others had left. Inspiration: Belief and Technique for Modern Prose – must read! Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind.
As I said, pilgrimages are
beyond recognized spiritual spots. It can be a coffee shop where you first
met your lover. A chaparral trail where you saw your first phainopepla. Any
place where magic has occurred. Where your hero/heroine was born, walked,
loved, ate, taught, died. Your psyche, your soul will know – you are connected. Let Gemini move your feet to the beat.
Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind. Your Consciousness will live forever, for it is not separate from All That Is, and Ever Was and Ever Will Be.
All my love,
Erin
BOOK REPORT!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been busy with my book launch, which turned out GREAT. If you were there, THANK YOU. I appreciate the support! It was a lot of fun, and I was totally astounded by the geographical range of turnout. The two live Zoom calls, celebrating the birth of my book, Truth Seeker: A Spiritual Adventure of Love, Loss, and Liberation, had folks from the following places (among others!) in true Full Moon in Sagittarius international spirit:
Croatia
London, England
Glastonbury, UK
Berlin, Germany
Essen, Germany
The Netherlands
Malaysia
Bali, Indonesia
Japan
NY, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Joshua Tree
Santa Fe, NM
Tucson, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Costa Rica
Oakland/East Bay
Mallorca, Spain
Chicago, IL
Portugal
Lake Tahoe, CA
Baton Rouge, LA
Florida
Sacramento, CA
Houston, TX
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 Washington State:
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is alive!
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2021
This story is an energetic and forthright articulation of a personal journey written in easy flowing prose. The narrative flows outward from the pages and engages one's deeper attention in a subtle manner becoming a bridge of consciousness - as if one were bathing in her vision. It is a "living" experience pointing at the core, inexpressible truth of love and life shared from the heart.
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.
