Sun in Taurus: Time Out to Tune Up

How's your nervous system?

We’ve just come off a radical jolt of a Full Moon in Scorpio week where themes of death and regeneration, purging and transmogrification shook most everyone up internally – if you are paying attention. Shedding, morphing, regenerating through shamanic experiences, radical release, and strange illnesses have arisen for folks to help us evolve, release, surrender to the collective evolution. The Sun in Taurus conjoined radical change agent Uranus to surprise and shift us all – a sci fi movie that is not fiction at all – these changes are happening, and our body-minds are along for the ride, like it or not.

What’s a body to “do”? Ride the ride, and take care of your self best you can while the Cosmos goes through this quickening dance. The Sun continues his sojourn through the fixed sign of Taurus, the Bull, for another two-and-a-half weeks. For myself, I turn to All Things Taurean to make myself feel better. The springtime sign of the earthy four-footed Bull is best honored with the five senses: smell, sight, taste, and touch.

Staying glued to a device, whether phone, laptop, TV screen would not be healthy these days. Our eyes need a break – they need to see things far off in the distance. They need dimensionality, perspective, varying hues of color, especially green, and movement that is not programmed bytes of zeroes and ones.

Snow melt in the canyon

Our noses need the smells of the forests, of chocolate chip cookies baking, of our lover’s neck in a nuzzle, of the blossoms on a walk.

Our bodies need to feel, to be massaged, to stretch and strengthen.

Our ears need breaks from headsets and Bluetooth. Many folks have had tinnitus lately, and it seems to clear up a great deal by stopping the use of constant headphones, especially Bluetooth. Another way to take care of the ears is to sit quietly in a room or out of doors, just letting the energy purge off the ears. I also love ayurvedic ear oil (nose oil, too!) as a way to care for the ears.

And taste – try new recipes, even if we don’t know how they’ll turn out. I love Google recipe searches for this reason – just put in “tilapia” and “instant pot” and few hours later I’m smelling a fish curry wafting through the house, waiting for rice at dinner time.

But most of all, most of all… in time of Taurus… do get outside.

This past weekend, my Beloved and I went for a three-day backpacking stretch along the Pacific Crest Trail. A shorter trek, we wanted to slip it in before the crowds head up to the mountains. Incredibly healing, I could barely stomach turning my phone on again once we reentered civilization.

Was it the best night’s sleep? Was I cozy and warm all the time? Was it easy hauling straight up a mountain face with a pack for 8.5 miles?  No, it isn’t the Ritz. But it’s got a much larger return on investment, believe you me.

High Sierra Salamander

I saw a beautiful salamander on the trail, many American dippers (aka water ouzel, the only true aquatic songbird!) in the river, at least eight snakes (luckily not rattlers), a deer bounding away up ahead. We ate cheesy potatoes for breakfast, took a freezing cold bath in a raging snow-melt stream, and watched the campfire dance at night, a beautiful nod to Beltane (May Day) fires.  I savored Nescafe, instant oatmeal, beans 'n rice, and maxed out on trail mix.

My Beloved and I pondered doing the entire Pacific Crest Trail in chunks – he might do it solo with me joining in for certain stretches. I feel ready now to get out there solo myself, albeit for shorter periods at a time.

Another great thing about hiking for a few days in uncrowded trails is that it is a natural walking meditation retreat. It’s wonderful, if you’re with another, to allow at least a long distance between your pacing. No talking, texting, looking anything up on Google. It’s just you and the trail. And you have to pay laser sharp attention, or you might step on a snake. For reals.

Rattlesnake Spring

While walking and looking for snakes, thoughts often turned to the current World Changes, and how I am embodying this in my work and personally. I keep a lot of this to myself, though am hopeful that I can start to share this with others in private sessions. Having moved up to the High Sierra this past year, I have more time and space and access to a direct line of what is happening cosmically. The information I get is definitely far outside the norm (when have I ever been of the norm?) and it takes courage to admit even to myself what I am downloading. I am grateful for the few individuals that I am able to speak about this with. Talking to the trees and the sky and the mountains is a gift; they simply know.

Being in the woods for even a few days – absolutely no one around, early in the season, far away from restrooms, cell towers, and highways – is a blessing. It may sound hard, but perhaps you yourself can find a way to go for it, alone or with others. You may be uncomfortable, but the rivers will cleanse your bloodstream and the cold mountain air can clear your mind faster than any meditation practice.

Blessings to you in time of Taurus and always!

Heading Out on the PCT

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.  

New Moon in Scorpio: The Shadow is Confronted

This weekend, we welcome a New Moon in the fixed water sign of Scorpio. Themes arise of transmutation, magic, depth, intensity, and alchemizing the personal and collective shadow. This is the weekend of Kali Puja – celebrating the wrathful goddess and destroyer of illusion and egoic attachments. In addition, it is Diwali – the Festival of Light, bringing gifts! Mars stations direct after a long retrograde – still in Aries until January, confronting everyone with everything imaginable. And, last but not least – this week's conjunction of Jupiter and Pluto (ruler of Scorpio), just about puts us all into hyperspace!

What to do, Kathmandu?

We arise and shine, baby. When we face the shadow, we are no longer entrapped. Take a look at what is all up in your business, and accept everything. Truly everything. That which we dismiss as unpalatable, unacceptable, disgusting, unjust, unfair, unrighteous – well, those are exactly the things that we get to eat for lunch, and transform into nectar, ambrosia, amrita.

Such is the power of the Goddess Maa Kali. Remember: the role of the Divine Feminine is not to make YOU feel comfortable. Her role is to keep the balance of the universe.

Let’s examine this week’s impactful Jupiter/Pluto conjunction, archetypally. Jupiter is Zeus, ruler of Olympus and God of the Skies, and Pluto is Hades, God of the Underworld. Zeus and Hades are brothers (along with Neptune-Poseidon, but he's smartly sitting this one out, resting in the ocean of Piscean oneness). Think Cain and Abel. Karmic siblings. Both are necessary in the cosmic play.

The righteous Olympians, ruled by Zeus, truly despised Hades, lord of the underworld, and all he represented. They wanted to keep things looking good, kosher, organized, and righteous - they wanted him put away and out of sight, out of mind. But this doesn't work in the long haul, and that's what this week's meeting of Jupiter and Pluto is bringing to the fore.

We cannot disregard Hades-Pluto and lock him in the basement forever. Same goes for the absolutely despicable things that we try to deny or annihilate both within and outside of ourselves. It will seep up through the cracks, eventually.

Facing the Shadow

Now is the time when you need to ask yourself, can you hold the tension of opposites in your own soul? Can you experience true joy and elation and celebration in your heart, without being in opposition to something, whether a politician or a personality or part of self?

On the other side, can you feel pain, grief, powerlessness or put-upon-ness, and not polarize or make another suffer because you yourself have suffered?

Until we begin looking at our own individual shadows, we will have need to externalize it in the form of a despised leader or marginalized group or any easy target. We will continue to make them a repository of Hades, pointing fingers and doing our best to banish them to the underworld.

Ask yourself, what is your worst? What do you find absolutely unacceptable in yourself? This is where the real work begins. Are you jealous or envious of others? Do you crush others (or attempt to) in order to gain (false) power? Do you posture or politic with others in order to gain ground? To be liked? To manipulate outcomes?

In Truth, there is no elimination of any part of Nature.

From the perspective of the Absolute, and of Unconditional Peace, you are not separate. You are Life Itself. Face the Self as the Self, and it is easy to see there are zero problems in Reality.

Reality is Love, defined here as total acceptance. Zero resistance to What Is. No separateness from other, no opposition.

If you are celebrating some favorable outcome or 'win' this weekend, by all means dance in the streets, pop the champagne, and enjoy your victories. And if you want the joy to go all the way to your bones, be sure you check to see if you can LOVE that which you HATE.

Can’t stomach it? The very evil you are pointing a finger to is seething, boiling underneath your own ego.

That which you vilify will persist. That which you accept as part of the cosmic play will no longer make even a tiny speck of dust on the tabula rasa of an awakened mind.

The idea of being “just” or “correct” keeps one trapped in the layers and folds of dualistic thinking, a world wherein things must look a certain way in order for it to be acceptable, palatable, correct.

Love everything, and see there never was an issue to begin with.

So, as we head into this Scorpionic weekend, domain of the Serpent Eagle, the phoenix rising from the ashes, this Diwali-Kali Puji be sure to embrace the transformation of dark into light, through the very force of Love and clear seeing. See that the Love was there all along. For it is the Truth. It is What Is.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

~ Rumi

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. 

 

Transformational collage by Erin, November 2020

New Moon in Scorpio: The Hidden Gift of Resentment

On the horizon, this Sunday we have a New Moon in the fixed water sign of Scorpio, also appearing as the Serpent-Eagle or Phoenix emerging from the ashes. The Scorpion is a potent symbol of magic, transformation and metamorphosis, asking us to dig deep where we would often rather not go. We are reminded that power is often hidden as we experience the darker, shadowy emotions and states of being.

A pop astrology reference to intensity of Scorpio you will often hear is: “Scorpio holds grudges.” “To the day they die!” some folks insist. Now, is this true? Check it out, if you have a Scorpio Moon, Rising, or Sun – or if you have close friends or family in this camp. Certainly, it depends on the amount of work one has asked of themselves, for we know that built-up resentment in the body can lead to health crises, and an encrustation of deep-seated unhappiness.

We’ve all heard how important it is to “let go” of resentment, or to focus on forgiveness. The latter is a pet topic of mine. Forgiving others too quickly can simply be a “spiritual bypass,” in which we try to gloss over the pain to get to a happy ending. The result? The roots of the system are still rotten, and the disease agents continue to wreak havoc on our souls, our psyches.

Resentment feels different than the flash of rage, the rush of blood to the head or the hot immediacy of anger (another important indicator-emotion). Resentment seeps into the bones; some of us ruminate and savor our resentment – like a familiar old frenemy. But what about the gift of resentment?

I have learned to take IMMEDIATE notice when I become aware that I have a resentment toward someone, something, some situation. It doesn’t last too long, because the gift of emotion is a fast-acting one, sort of like ipecac, the substance formerly used to induce immediate vomiting to expel a poison. (The German word for poison is, literally, Gift.) The moment I am clear that I have a resentment, I know it’s time to set pen to paper, to work it through with a trusted advisor, or appeal to Self, to quickly understand where I – not the other – need to make a change.

Did you catch that? It is my own self, not the other – that person that seems to be disrupting our serenity – that needs to make a change.

We come out of victim mode, the “poor me,” the blame game. This may require us to stand up to another, even experience a very uncomfortable conversation, even (for shame!) raise our voice a tiny decibel. Of course, we can try to do it graciously, yet sometimes it gets sloppy. The important thing is this: a resentment is a sign that we need to take immediate steps to change something about our situation.

Let me repeat that:

A resentment is a sign that we need to take immediate steps to change our situation.

We may need to say no, to opt out, to quit something. We may need to request something from another, to ask for help, to speak up. We may need to stop provoking, or stop engaging with the person, or situation, that continues to get our goat.

We may need to cease having expectations about another person’s behavior, and that means letting go of hope that they are going to change. The short terminology for this, of course, is to stop shopping for bread at the hardware store.

Does this mean that we skulk away, and feel bereft, failed, empty, let down once again? No, for we learn to meet those needs in another fashion, perhaps by giving to ourselves what we are wishing for from another. We may start requesting things from another person or situation that is able to give us what we long for. And, it means that we may need to experience a spell of grieving when we are fully honest of the loss, that of another person not being who we hoped they would be. 

Resentment made conscious is so strong, so uncomfortable, that you can’t miss its cue. And it has a close cousin, called bitterness, who also bears gifts.

Bitterness: Resentment’s Tougher Cousin

Bitterness shows up like resentment but slightly colder; we now are on the verge of shutting down, closing the heart. It’s a big clue that we’ve got to go after something, to take a risk, to allow ourselves to be opened again by life. It’s a major toxin, but it doesn’t have to be – let it be a homeopathic to invoke healing. We hear of bitterness often when we hear of people shunted by love, let down by relationships, whether romantic or familial. If you notice that you’re bitter about the prospect of dating, or opening your heart in love, you may need to put yourself out there and allow yourself to go through the initiatory fires all over again – to be opened up again.

Bitterness can be used sparingly. It is a sign that something is OFF, out of kilter, incorrect or incongruent in your life. Use it, not as a resolve to stay stuck in the muck, but rather as a motivator to change your state, and do it as soon as possible. You might be scared, terrified even, but you will most certainly be brought back to life, resurrected like the phoenix, our Scorpio serpent-eagle rising from the ashes once again.

Need Spiritual Support? How to Work with Erin

As most of you know, I am a spiritual counselor, intuitive consultant, and teacher. I currently have space in my practice for two or three new clients. I am open to ongoing work with individuals, or couples, and I work via Zoom or Skype or phone with folks all over the world in several time zones. The rates are affordable when you purchase a 4-pack series of 4 hours at just $450 for 4 sessions. {This will be increasing soon so it’s a good time to get started – you can purchase as many packages as you like.} 

Frequency: I like to work with folks on average every two weeks, sometimes less, sometimes more; clearly, regular sessions seem to have the most benefit. We will usually spend ample time in a spiritual/psychological counseling capacity; I utilize the tool of tarot and intuitive readings as needed. It’s always helpful for me to know when you would like a reading, so let me know and we’ll work that into the session!

If you have any questions about my work, please email me here. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to support and guide my clients, and hope that this work benefits you, strengthens you, reassures and aids you in your blossoming and unfolding. With love, Erin

Erin Reese, M.S. is an author, spiritual guide, teacher, 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.