New Moon in Libra: Truth, Unfiltered

Today, we welcome a New Moon in the cardinal air sign of Libra, the scales of balance, justice, equanimity. The seventh house of the horoscope is Libra’s home – the domain of self and other, formal marriage, contracts, partnership, you ‘n me. While it is the natural house of “we,” most of us don’t realize is also the traditional house of open enemies – those situations where the disagreement or confrontation is clearly on the table. The seventh house of Libra is also the terrain of counseling, and other close one-to-one situations (like meetings with an attorney or consultant or advisor), and of course, therapy.

Since we’re on the subject of therapy and counseling, let's enter today's edgier realm.

This past month, I’ve had a couple of dreams about my former therapist. In waking life, she was a fantastic practitioner – masterful in attachment therapy and Jungian psychology. We worked together intensively every single week – see you Tuesday at 11am – for over three years. A large chunk of cash, to be sure, and worth every penny. I will forever be grateful to her and our deep work together.

In these dreams of late, I’ve seen her as a crunchier, older version of her usual, polished, fashionable self. Her dream self smokes cigarettes, has a side gig as a bad pizza delivery person, has personal friendships with past clients (verboten in licensed therapy), and lolls about in red crushed-velvet robes on the therapy chaise lounge, making herself and others more comfy. She’s undergoing early menopause, her face is aging. She hates spiritual platitudes and pop positivity psychology, and rejects formal religion. She’s a rebel, and a somewhat unkempt one at that. Truly, she simply doesn’t care.

After having two of such dreams, I got the message. This dream therapist is an integrating aspect of my own self and my own work with clients and students. While I wouldn’t be so messy, unbounded, sloppy, or careless, I might also not be following the usual cultural expectations of traditional therapy. I would bring my rock-and-roll, bohemian self to the fore, use the F-word, hear about your favorite beer, and be so frank as to make a person start to feel more Frank herself.

Truth, Unfiltered 

A spiritual teacher is going to tell you the Truth. By being and embodying the truth, sans artifice. The boundaries of one’s personality are seen and experienced as that which they truly are – edges, hues, skeins of color and light indeed, but they are no longer identified with. 

When a person works with a spiritual teacher, they’re not going to receive traditional talk therapy or trauma/attachment work, though that might be an aspect of it. Working with a spiritual teacher is a facing of your self, and even more True, it is a facing of the Self – where is your soul aching to go, what is Life Itself longing to express? Where are you telling yourself a story, where are you believing the lie, perpetuating the lie, indulging in the lie?

Spiritual teachers are not necessarily going to help your egoic self feel better, though you may end up that much closer to knowing you are truly Free, and that is the ultimate “feel better.” Embodied liberation does not come and go. It is not contingent on outside people, circumstances, politics, health, finances, relationships, and all of that. It is not a state.

The Truth is unlimited, as You are unlimited. The Truth is not bound by an idea of what should be happening, or what might occur next. 

The throes of achievement, accomplishment, and aspiration come and go, no longer important – unless, of course, it’s what’s happening. Status, recognition, image no longer sub for the real thing.

Yes, it may look normal, it may look buttoned-up, professional, smiley and welcoming.

But Truth may also smoke cigarettes (unfiltered), loll around on the couch in red crushed velvet robes, and eat bad pizza. Nothing is excluded. Truth faces everything, because it is everything. And that's pure Love.

Truth. It's What's for Dinner.

Truth. It's what's for dinner.

It's what's for dinner, lunch, breakfast, and your midnight snack.

Truth. Open 24x7.

Erin Reese, M.S. is a contemporary 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.

*Weekly nondual satsang in the advaita lineage is held Thursdays, 9am Pacific. Email Erin for more information. The November 13-15 retreat is currently full yet there is a waiting list available.

Fun with Memes

I’ve been getting creative on Instagram and Twitter, finding new modes of creative, visual pointers to the Absolute. Here’s a few of late:

New Video Post: Boundaries, Energy Processing, & Relationships

Hello everyone,
We have fully entered Libra season, with themes of balance, partnership, relationship, and self and other.

This all warrants a conversation on ENERGY BOUNDARIES.

Have you ever had the feeling that you are experiencing emotions, thoughts, vibrations that are NOT yours? Perhaps you are processing for another person. It is important to distinguish when this is happening, because YOU are not the person to do that work. It is up to the other person to do the work for him/herself.

I wanted to write an article about this today, but instead, I'm experimenting with video! I've created a new, 5-minute "vlog" (video blog) up on YouTube here discussing ENERGY PROCESSING and relationships.

Check out my New VLOG Video Post: 
Erin Reese talks on Energy Processing & Relationships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v89nxRy1C3g&feature=youtu.be

With love,

Erin

P.S. Don't forget about the Fall 2019 Client Appreciation Special! Book by October 1st.

Fall 2019 Intuitive Reading Special 🍂 🍁 Through October 1st!

Erin Reese, M.S. is a non-dual spiritual teacher, author, and intuitive consultant based in the SF Bay Area. Erin is deeply rooted in the the Divine Feminine and a channel of Kundalini. She spent many years studying yoga and non-dual philosophies in India, receiving transmission from masters and sacred sites. Erin works online with clients all over the world.
 

Cosmic Update: Love and War in the time of Aries

Aries/The Rebel, Osho Zen Tarot

This week, we have experienced two potent astro-whammies: the Sun entered fiery Aries on the Vernal Equinox, and we had a 0 degree Full Moon in Libra, the cardinal air sign of justice, contracts, partnerships. Both of these events continue to reverberate through our systems and will continue to permeate the next weeks.

The Sun in Aries, ruled by Mars (war) and Moon in Libra, ruled by Venus (love), have had a face-off. All is fair in Love and War, so the saying goes. Sometimes it gets bloody before it gets better. Meaning, a final nail must go in the coffin. A culmination, ending something outdated. A personal or professional contract that has become harmful to our souls.

Burning Old Contracts

The stronger the bond, the harder it can be to break it. But what happens when our relationship with a depleting career path, a narcissistic parent, unconscious ex, or abusive boss/coworker has been clearly exposed as toxic and dangerous to our well-being? We must come out of denial. The scales must begin to fall from our eyes, one-by-one. It can be a long, slow, painful process that takes years. Or, it can happen in one radical swoop of revelation and vivid knowing.

 Venus-ruled Libra tends to focus on the Other: what does he want/need? How may I serve her? Will they be okay, happy, pleased? No. The poles are shifting. Keep the focus on yourself, it is Aries' time. Are you afraid of being selfish? If you are asking yourself that question, more than likely you’re not in danger of being a narcissist.

What is more likely is that you are a creative, sensitive, empathic human being who tends to over-give, over-love, and over-extend. (Yes, there are some exceptions. Hard-wired narcissism can hijack any situation to make it suit his or her self-interest! You can survey your trusted long-term friends to check yourself. Ask if you’re being unreasonable or are actually taking good care of self. Make sure they’re honest and not scared of you or pleasing you!)

  

No More: Cutting Cords

 

A simple exercise: Get a new candle. Surround with symbols and allies: stones, deities, power objects, feathers, pictures, oils, potions, natural items – you will know. Burn sage, incense, palo santo, or ring a bell, to cleanse the space and your own energy field. Write down what you need to remove from your energy field, whether that is a person, situation, contract, or fear.

Take a symbolic cord – piece of string, yarn, thread – whatever you have. Hold it taut by tying it or weighing it down with something strong enough, and holding the other end in your hand. Visualize that “Other” at the other end. Use a lighter, match, or scissors to sever the cord. Lay the remnants at your altar. Let the candle burn down over a period of hours or days. Let the Divine take it, handle it, transform it. So that You May Be Free.

In order to plunge into the fierce, positive potential of this beautiful spring Aries rebirth, filled with creativity and abundance, we must do the final cut. Will there be tears? Likely. Will it be painful? Possibly.

What’s the anesthetic? Courage. And prayer. And support from those who love YOU and support YOU and believe in YOU. In order to flourish, to establish new bonds with healthy partners and creative allies and nourishing dreams, we must be willing to kill, destroy, let whimper and die the draining, parasitic demon that has been feeding off of your soul for too long.

At this time of the Spring Equinox, as the Sun bursts fresh and awake over the Aries line, we are asked to face some difficult truths about our relationships with persons, places, situations. Burn up the outdated contracts. This is because Life wants us to step into the Truth of our Existence, which is not suffering, not indebtedness, and not being controlled by others who are harmful to us, mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

Aries is the Warrior/Warrioress. The Amazon Goddess, like Wonder Woman. When necessary: Ares, god of war comes forth and She channels the battle energy with the power of Love. And in this case, we must LOVE OURSELVES enough to cut the cords.

 

Erin Reese is an author, spiritual guide, astrologer, and modern psychic reader based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She works with clients all over the world. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her directly. She can be reached at erin@erinreese.com.

Pop Postscript: The Two-Letter Magic Word

Remember the B word. Boundaries.

Followed by the two-letter magic word: NO.

Think of Meghan Trainor, in all her pop-wisdom glory, belting her song, "NO." Listen here.

“NO”

 My name is no

 My sign is no

 My number is no

 You need to let it go You need to let it go

 Need to let it go

 Nah to the ah to the, no, no, no