Sun Enters Aries: Spring and the Super-Powered Seed

Jet Martinez, Te Quiero Tantito (2016)

Tomorrow in the wee hours of March 20, the Sun enters fiery Aries, the sign of “I AM.” We celebrate the vernal equinox with its full potential of springtime, and all that is new. Our hearts and minds, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, are prickling with fresh energy.

At this point, however, we know not exactly how this potential energy will take shape. It is tempting to force it into being, to have a plan, to make up a story with your ideas of how this, that, and the other thing are going to unfold this season and into summer. We immediately impose a mental framework onto this new baby potential of springtime. When this happens, we are in great danger of missing the magic.

I am about to launch my second book, Truth Seeker: A Spiritual Adventure of Love, Loss, and Liberation, into the world. It’s a matter of days now before the paperback and Kindle version go live on Amazon. I’m relieved, and thrilled, that this seed is going to burst onto the scene – finally! People will be able to read this spiritual memoir that I’ve toiled with for over ten years. Finally!

Now, have I any firm intention as to how this book is going to find its way in the world? How and when it will start walking and talking? To find its way to a bookstore virtual reading, an interview, a top-book-pick list? Nope. Do I have an agenda as to what it’s going to result in – more recognition, more students, more money, more, more, more…?

Nope. When I think of imposing a limited collection of thoughtforms – ideas of how it should be – onto this book baby, I lose all the magic, all the wonder, all the faith in Existence to show the way.

Of course, I absolutely hope that people enjoy the book and benefit from it, are inspired by it, or even transformed. But is that up to me? Not a chance.

I’ve done my part. I’ve fertilized the soil, I’ve weeded and tilled and toiled. I’ve been pregnant for years, had many false labors, premature contractions. I was in the delivery room for eons, it seemed, without epidural. Without drugs. A raw, natural childbirth that had both mother and emerging babe screaming and wailing in fits and starts. So many breach moments, so many crownings, fantasizing about forceps, asking for help, and more help, and more help.

Until finally, the little truth-seeking infant lands on the scene. Just about ready to be shown to the world. Packed chock-full with all its DNA ready at the helm, a life stored within from start to finish, a blessed star is born.

And of course, I have heard, seen, and felt pressure within and without to do a book launch the right way, the correct way. To get Facebook ads, more advance reviewers, a larger mailing list. To which I say, let’s see what happens! Let’s let the baby herself have a moment to show me the way.

At this time of Spring Equinox, when the potential energy within and without is throbbing, pulsing, ready to burst forth, see if you can take a moment to let it reveal itself to you, rather than imposing an idea of what should happen next.

We are coming off a year of being isolated, limited in movement, and more turned inward than ever before. We are ourselves blessed new seeds. Rumblings of reentry back into the bustling world are being heard across the globe. They are real rumblings, and surely we will reengage in a new way. Yet, let Life lead the way, try not to push too quickly or too hard. Lest you miss the magic.

Art by Casey Weldon

Equinox 2021

 

Reenter the world

come out gently but slowly

like a tiny bud at the tip of a branch

barely quivering at first sun.

A babe is borne, really raw

very tender and fragile.

 

What have you learned this past year?

Must you pick up all the old crap?

Can you leave those old patterns,

dust motes, habits, compulsions,

convictions aside?

Salvador Dali, Rosa Papilio

Can you accept the spaciousness

of a raw, empty palate-palette?

 

This is the opportunity you have been

waiting for.

The unknown, the void

with pure potential.

A seed with all life force energy

packed inside.

 

Release the need to control the outcome.

Trust the unfoldment of life.

 

Allow the sun, the rain, the

rainbow to feed the seed.

No need to know.

All by itself, life will grow.

~ Erin Reese

 

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. 

 

 

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

Full Moon in Virgo: It's Heavenly Holi!

Heavenly Holi

The Full Moon festival of Holi celebrates the vitality of spring, and the blessings of Lord Krishna.

 
Ah, Mother India! Beauty, beauty everywhere, created by showering each other with vibrant color. Children, tourists, merchants, priests, and mothers. No one, but no one is immune from the paint pummeling and powder play.

(Book excerpt from: The Adventures of Bindi Girl: Diving Deep Into the Heart of India by Erin Reese. Available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback). 

"...we fell seamlessly into the ruckus, playing full-out with huge smiles in our hearts. We hooted and hollered, laughingly layering color after color on each other and anyone that moved. Even the village goats and month-old kittens were plastered with paint.

At the jetty park, the Holi play was still going strong as I strummed my guitar. The children swarmed around me, smearing me with oodles of paints and powders. I looked like a spumoni ice cream sundae – and I loved every bit of it.

The kids giggled, clapped, ogled and laughed along with my songs, gifting me with gallons of warm fuzzies.

This is why I lug my instrument around!

Such moments, such smiles, are what I came to India for.
Moments of pure, unbridled self-expression,
And shared, Shakti-filled joy!

(Book excerpt from: The Adventures of Bindi Girl: Diving Deep Into the Heart of India by Erin Reese. Available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback).

Erin Reese is an author, spiritual teacher, counselor, 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: erin@erinreese.com

New Moon in Aries: Self-Actualization

This Thursday, April 7, we have a New Moon in the cardinal fire sign of Aries, the Ram. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, the supersonic seed that bursts through the ground, proclaiming new life. While all new moons are ‘seed planting times’ for the next lunar cycle, April’s new moon packs extra punch. The Sun and Moon are dancing closely with Uranus, also in Aries. Uranus is the great waker-upper, the individuator, the one who does not play by the rules. This energy can feel like très shaky ground if we are too stuck in our ways; yet, if we willingly heed the call of initiative this month, it will be a lot less disruptive.

A forthright Aries friend (and yes, I know “forthright Aries” is redundant) who is also an astrologer reminds me that Aries is holding that “A” for pure Authenticity. Aries’ motto is “I AM,” and is here to exist in all its potential and fullness of expression. Nothing is subtle for the fiery Ram; what’s done is done to the hilt, and with effectivity and potency.

At this New Moon-time, we are called – nay, make that provoked – to be even more authentically ourselves, and to make that self even more known to the Other, to the world. If we try to hang on the bench, cling to the sidelines, then we’re bound to feel stifled, to crumple, to cave in. This could cause resentment, irritability, and – in the deepest cases of entrenchment – even illness.

And if we have this fore-knowledge, we can use it. That’s the gift of astrology. So, where are you holding back? Where are you playing it safe? Where are you afraid to ‘make yourself known’ to the world? Helpfully, this New Moon is also nicely trine to Saturn, the workhorse of the zodiac, in fellow fire sign Sagittarius. With Saturn’s practical support, we are assisted in bringing our purposefulness to earth with a useful, grounded sense of meaning. Those passions are planted in reality; they are important, even necessary for Existence. Your energy, vitality, voice, and contribution matter.

Self-Actualization and the Hierarchy of Needs

If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being,

you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.

~ Abraham Maslow

Most of us are familiar with Abraham Maslow’s psychological Hierarchy of Needs, first presented in his 1943 paper entitled “A Theory of Motivation.” While this model has been around for a long time, I find it truly meaningful, and beautiful in its simplicity, clarity, and potency – a lot like Aries. In fact, as I type these words, I have an intuitive hunch that Abraham Maslow is an Aries – for his model is energetically Aries, with a pyramid shaped like an apex arrow pointed straight up, like the glyph of Mars, planetary ruler of the Ram. So I check and boom! Wikipedia reveals he is born on April 1, 1908 – a happy, wise April Fool indeed.

You’ll notice at the top of the Needs pyramid, the mountain peak, we find “self-actualization.” Once the basic human needs (physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem) have been fulfilled, we are left with expression of the highest: creativity, spiritual enlightenment, quest for knowledge, and the desire to give back to society, to serve.

It is at this point that things that may seem like a luxury to some, become a necessity to others who have the potential, the resources, the gifts. For example, for an impoverished family in the Sudan, it would seem unreasonable to expect that such a person could have the time or energy to explore philosophical questions or desire deepened states of meditation and spiritual development. They are far too busy getting food on their table. However, if you take a well-fed, well-educated individual from the U.S., who has sufficiently fulfilled all of the other aspects of the pyramid, they are only going to be antsy if they don’t strive for a higher realm of expression. It becomes not a luxury, but a necessity – even a responsibility to self – to give back to society, to attain higher heights, to self-actualize.

This is important. We can pay attention to the temptation to lull for years at a stretch, to chunks of time where we may be trying to rest on our laurels, chilling out, cruising through life comfortably. But if we listen closely, we realize something is nagging. Something is pricking. We can’t sleep at night. We know we have more to offer, we know there's more to learn, to develop, to bring to the surface. This is indeed that Aries seed, poking through the soil. Your calling. It’s nigh time, once again, to burst forth and climb higher. Is this the moment to actualize your potential? You must, for it is Who You Are.

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.

The Alchemy of Completion

Temperance (Alchemy) tarot card

If you’re at all like me, you’re a restless, adventurous spirit. This does not always stem from dissatisfaction with the way things are; it comes from being energetic, creative, growth-oriented, and ALIVE. I am motivated and excited by life when I’m learning, changing, and accomplishing new things. When Life is seemingly stagnant, I get nervous, edgy, and fearful that – for shame! – I’m getting stuck. And being stuck is a death knell for adventurous people!

But sometimes, the path to the next adventure is not clear – at all. We have no idea what Life is telling us. Life is holding out on delivering our next big mission, our next vision. We may be asking the right questions, we might be making a bucket list, we might be asking the Divine, our dreams, or our friends for guidance. But nothing comes. We grumble and fret: “Am I dead? Is life over already?”

If we’re feeling stuck or just plain tired of coasting (because that gets boring too) and we’re clearly restless, there might be another solution:

THERE’S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO FINISH.

Yes, finish. Bring to completion. You know what it is: that nagging project, relationship matter, ambition that you’ve set aside or buried so far deep in your subconscious, denying that it matters, that you’ve conveniently ‘forgot’ for the time being. Yet, your true self has NOT forgotten: you pledged you’d do it someday. You promised yourself you’d finish. You told yourself you wouldn’t give up until you had done it, made the big change, achieved the aim.

The thing is, goals and dreams and other desires have magnetism of their own. They become real, like people. We may squelch their voices, but they don’t forget us! Dreams come ‘round for our attention, nagging our subconscious until we pay attention. It’s much easier to put the focus on something else: our partner, our kids, a new ‘big idea.’ But that old Thing You Promised You’d Do will not let up.

What do you need to finish in 2013?

Perhaps instead of looking Way Over Yonder to the next vista, we would do well to complete something in the Here and Now. Maybe that thing is too daunting to tackle all at once, today. We can start by creating the Alchemy of Completion within ourselves, symbolically, to get the wheels turning. Start harmonizing yourself with others and your environment with a mind to completing your Golden Task.

First, identify what has been nagging you. 

It’s likely a significant goal, and something uncomfortable to face (otherwise you would have done it already!) but you know it's important in the long run. Is it a career move you need to make? A relationship you need to change? Do you need to publish your book? Display your art? Create a website? Take that trip to Paris you’ve promised yourself for… oh, say, twenty years?

Second, start the alchemy process of completion. 

Show yourself you can finish things on a smaller scale to build confidence. For example:

• ·         Clean out your garage, closets and drawers. Give stuff to Goodwill.
• ·         Reorganize those cluttered shelves in the kitchen.
• ·         Feng shui your living room, bedroom, office space to reinspire you.
• ·         Update your finances and track your numbers. Get clear on income and expenses and accounts.
• ·         Write that friend or relative a handwritten letter or card. Go to the post office and mail it.
• ·         Fix the curtains. Mend your trousers. Call your mother.

In other words, FINISH whatever has been taking up BRAIN SPACE so that you can get moving on what is REALLY important.

And looky here! It’s springtime, and we are given the energy and increasing daylight to gather strength for the road ahead.  Why not consider clearing the decks and making space to finish that thing you started (even if it was in your head) a long time ago? This spring, perhaps it’s time to summon the Alchemy of Completion.

Erin Reese is a writer, astrologer, and intuitive consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For readings and spiritual counseling by Skype, phone or email, contact her via email.