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7 x 7 = 49 - Evolution of Personality through the Chakra System.

26/8/2014

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I turned 7 years old in 1972 in my hometown of Williamsport, PA (7th generation of my family to live in the same county).

I remember being an awkward and amusing kid, who had way too much to say, who was more interested in books and adults than other kids, and who already understood I was a little too much for most of the world...

I was pretty attached to my older sister; I was pretty much as distant as I could've been from my older brother. My dad worked a lot, my mom was involved in a lot of social organizations, but we traveled together for extended trips each summer.

I turned 14 in my hometown in 1979. I was already clearly an outsider. I continued to grow up, in my family, but mostly by myself. At 11, I was sexually abused, but we didn't have 'problems' in my family, so I was pretty into shutting up, even though I had a lot to say.

School wasn't going great for me, bored, under-stimulated and pretty much constantly bullied and ostracized.

I don't recall this being a great time in my life, but I did learn a lot - just not in the traditional realms. I was into the arts, so at least I had started visiting NYC... there seemed to be some hope there.

"I turned 21 in prison, doing life without parole..." well, ok, I didn't, but that song was playing on my car tape player on the day I turned 21, the year 1986. I was somewhere in the Appalachians, headed to my brother's place on some army base, to buy his car. I was pretty much only listening to Grateful Dead soundboards at this point.

By 17, I was out of my hometown and in NYC. I spent 18 or so glorious months there and in the UK, becoming everything and everyone I wanted to be. I did a lot of drugs, worked for drugs, sold drugs, danced in cages, had lots of fluid sexual encounters, had a girlfriend murdered and 3 close friends OD.

I boogied out of NYC, did a semester in a CC, then went into a couple different community and cooperative living situations. I lived in a Quaker Community, I did educational studies on a school bus through 5 Provinces of Canada and 46 of the lower 48. I got into sustainability, I'm sure I had a very high PSR (Naked and Afraid joke - I can totally start a fire with a bow-drill, and yes, it is that hard, like 3 hours of work)...

anyway, drugs and fun folks lead me to the Grateful Dead, and then I was on tour... somewhere in that, I turned 21... I recall really liking myself and knowing that other folks thought I was worthy. I recall feeling pretty alive.

I turned 28 in 1993, here, in Austin. This was a really beautiful time in my life... I'd thrived on Dead Tour, made great friends and had excellent experiences.

I left Dead Tour in Philly in the Fall of '87, then moved to Dallas to help my sister with her first child; I had met TX Deadheads and stayed connected and after my sister delivered my first niece, Molly, I headed to Austin.

I loved Austin, felt at home right away. I moved in with my friends, 6 of us sharing a one bedroom, one bath at 42nd and Burnet. But, we were hippies, and 2 went to UT, two had day jobs and two of worked overnights at Kerbey Lane. So, there was always someone home, waking up or crashing, trading couch or bed. And, we just skinny-dipped at Ramsey Pool, nightly.

We used ATX as our base, went back on Tour, and then we all went to Europe. I ended up in Israel, tried to stay, SCUDs feel in the First Gulf War, no more gas-masks for non-citizens, so back Stateside, back to Austin.

I had started working at WFM, settled down, was back in school at UT and got set up on a blind date by a good friend. It took a year before we went out - I was enjoying lots of freedom and no entanglements and had solid intimate friendships, so I didn't really care.

Finally, we both broke down and gave in.... that was October 19, 1991, and we've been together since. I did a Fellowship, went back to the Middle East to study and she bought a house. 6 days from now, 22 years ago, I came home and we moved into this house. I left school, got serious at WFM and was getting promotions.

At 28, I was happy, successful, in love and loving life. Bright future, excellent present, a blessed past - even the hardships, all add up to me.

I turned 35 in 2000.... as a kid, I thought I'd be on MoonBase Alpha by the time I was 35, but I was living in Rochester, MI, deep in the midst of my own career rise, taking the work opportunities as they came.

I was still working for WFM - I had looked for opportunity, and that took me to Madison, WI, where I helped open and establish a store, and then took on my own. We moved to MI, that was never in the plans. We end up in one of the whitest, most conservative and Christian places I've ever lived. We make a nice life for ourselves.

What I recall most from that year was the insanity around Y2K, and WFM went in, full force, all hands on deck. So, I spent that New Years, in my store, with my wife and two dogs, some Champagne, lots of beers, and of course a home-made Surf-and-Turf, waiting for the world to end, the lights to go out and the looting to begin.

I had had enough time in my role to be well respected and honored, and had just begun to win some awards. I was confident in what I was doing and what I could do. We had a lovely house, we had two great dogs, but I recall that really, I just worked, a lot.

I didn't sleep much, I was really successful, but worried about my job, everyday. That seems so silly in retrospect, but I have to say, I talk to folks and see that still everyday, and it's usually the highest performing folks that feel the worst.

I cared a lot about my team and the folks I worked with - I had one of the guys from my Meat Team who was just so loveable and outgoing. He'd been there like 6 years, everyone knew and loved him... he was a party-dog, with a heart of gold. He had a girlfriend, two kids and one on the way. One night, Ramon was out with his crew, and he just keeled over. Massive aneurism, pretty much brain-dead immediately, but about a week before the machines got turned off.

That was intense. I'd been around death and loss, senseless and violent loss and had had to process. But, as me, my experience. Not as a leader, not as 'go-to figure.'
I think I grew up a lot in that period. Holding that space, loving that crew and getting to really know them, identifying potential in folks who had never been encouraged and watching them succeed.

I liked my job, I liked my life, I loved my wife - I was great for WFM, I worked WAY too much and gave it my all. I could feel this was what I wanted, but I knew it wasn't sustainable. I was becoming a Spiritual Black Hole.

I turned 42 in 2007 - what an interesting time... a really positive time.
My career went very well. I kept on taking on the hard jobs, hanging in there and delivering and getting rewarded. In fact, I was so good at it that by the time I was 38 or so, I'd figured out I could probably retire at 40...

Took on the hardest job I ever had and managed to not only get it done, be a hero, and make a lot of bonuses and awards out of it, but also keep my integrity and feel like I'd actually made a situation better for everyone, not just the company.
It allowed me to write my own ticket for the last few years I worked. I trained a lot of folks, did a lot of work with Succession planning, helped open the first store in Canada, got to have my own store back, and managed to travel extensively the entire time.

Amsterdam, Belgium, Canada - Vancouver to Montreal, Spain, the UK, rent a Castle in Scotland, Portugal, the Balearics, went to China and Tibet for my 40th, and basically was living large, traveling well, and enjoying life. But none of it had to do with work - it was there, it paid my way to have fun and it let me be who I wanted to be, but at the same time, my 'fame' and my charisma was really threatening to a lot of my 'leaders' - frankly, I wouldn't want to have me as a subordinate, I'm really hard - there were a lot of folks who were in power positions who were not really confident, and I know as always, I can be a big trigger.

At 40, it was time to bow out. I was ready, so I retired. I had been collecting and buying fine art for a few years so I had a really nice diversion to sink into, and I started to go to some think-tank-type conferences and meet freaks.

I had also told Susannah, probably in the midst of that 35 range, when she was concerned about my sleep, stress and well-being, that I would do whatever was right at 40, if she left me alone to my work in my 30s. She did, so I had to. Many failed attempts, gyms, all kinds of stuff and I thought I'd be a liar.

One day, begrudgingly guilty, I throw on some shitty sweat pants and a t-shirt and follow her to yoga - how bad can it be, I think.. HA, it sucks and I hate it, but that's another entire story. I just kept going back, maybe to see why I hated it, maybe just to gather evidence why it sucked and I shouldn't do it.

Three months later, I'm going 12 times a week, I'm in Teacher Training, I'm hired during my final exam and teaching within the week.

At 41, I'm free, living in great house that Susannah and I remodeled and built from bungalow to MTV Party House, and I'm just taking and teaching yoga, traveling and feeling good. At 42, the market has crashed, my house is worth a quarter of what it is, and the place I live, Oakland Co, MI, is leading the nation in foreclosures.
I'm really glad I'm teaching yoga and listening to what I'm talking about. But, we need to be done with MI...

I turned 49 last Sunday, here in ATX. I'm blessed to be here, to be healthy, to be taken care of and in love and loved. It's been a trip... here's the most recent installment.

We stayed in Michigan just long enough for me to marry some really good friends. It was lovely and a perfect way to conclude our time up there. Then, we sold almost everything we could, packed up some PODS, packed up our two cars, towed my '65 VW, and loaded up our two dogs for the three day drive back home, to Texas.

The first time I moved to Austin, it was August - that's how you knew if you could make it. Move here when it's 100 everyday, it'll only get better for the next 11 months. So, first week of August we arrive back in Texas. The year is 2008. 20 years to the month that I first moved to Austin.

We settled in, I started working a lot - we rented out our place in Michigan, but the value and rents were really low. I had a lot of debt, and huge taxes to pay from when I did have money - so interesting - so we just buckled down. I was lucky to have a career where I was able to work in my passion, and be exposed to and become friends with many incredible yogis and teachers and mentors. Unfortunately, I loved what I did, I loved the folks I did it with as we worked together, but I just could not create a sustainable relationship with integrity with the individual for whom I worked. Luckily, I had generally fulfilled what I believed I could do, knew that the rest was untenable, accomplished my personal goals and paid off the majority of my debt.

So, once again, retired and a solo agent. I started a few of my own little business. I threw a benefit with some excellent collaborators and was able to raise several thousands of dollars to help support women who had been liberated from sexual slavery. I was active in a 'Secret Society' and won awards. I taught Mindfulness, Emotional and Spiritual Intelligence in some corporate settings

I've been teaching, I took on private clients, I've mentored folks, I've done some weddings and ceremonies. I've continued my training, I've broadened my scope. I've assisted my teacher and I've made great new relationships. I've continued to be open to the evolution of my own needs, my own practices and my own goals.

I saw my dad turn 80 - longest lived male Phillips we know of, and we know way back! I saw my oldest niece, the one whose birth I attended, get married and start her career.


I went to school for Massage Therapy - I'm really pleased right now to be in alliance with having the skills and passion and opportunity to help create incredible, individual change, one person at a time.

I've invested a lot more time into my studies, exercises and pursuits of mysticism and have really benefited from taking the time to explore mysteries without a desire to intellectualize them. I've been working on a personal tantra, working more in collaboration, exploring more areas of opportunity for community change, and exploring my own discomfort. I'm going to write more, but less 'factual' and more 'emotional'. I'm going to do a few more things that make me uneasy.

I'm going to take this time and bask in how fortunate I've been. And, give thanks and praise.
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The Loveliest Day of the Week

22/8/2014

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Friday,
the sound alone sometimes just soothes the soul
... last day of the week, and the first day of the weekend, a time of transitioning from our mundane to our more elevated states.


Friday feels good, as it should. It's a day to celebrate beauty, the arts, the graces, our muses, our sensuality and all things that stem from physical creation and love as expressed through adoration. Get over that bad ole Friday the 13th shit, the Black Friday, get into the TGIF, but don't be forgetting your flair.

No matter what your tradition, the
myths live with us daily. Whether you come through the Western world via the Romance Languages or the Old Norse/Germanic sources, we pray to the old Gods, all the time. With very few exceptions - notably, just numbering the day of the week, e.g. 'fifth-day' or observing the preparation for the liturgy of the sabbath, day names we use today stem from the visible planets, and those were given  the attributes of the Gods and Goddesses.

First, some wiki-backround stuff, then my own esoterica...



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The name Friday comes from the Old English Frīġedæġ, meaning the "day of Frigg", a result of an old convention associating the Old English goddess Frigg with the Roman goddess Venus, with whom the day is associated in many different cultures.

The same holds for Frīatag in Old High German, Freitag in Modern German and vrijdag in Dutch.



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The modern Scandinavian form is Fredag in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, meaning Freja's day. The distinction between Freja and Frigg in some Germanic mythologies is problematic, but they appear together to conglomerate almost all of the Venusian attributes.

The word for Friday in most Romance languages is derived from Latin dies Veneris or "day of Venus" (a translation of Greek Aphrodites hemera). This includes such as vendredi in French, venerdì in Italian, viernes in Spanish, divendres in Catalan, vennari in Corsican, and vineri in Romanian. This is even reflected in the Celtic Welsh language as dydd Gwener.

In most of the Indian languages, Friday is Shukravar (or a derived variation of Sukravar), named for Shukra, the Sanskrit name of the planet Venus. We might also think of Lakshmi - somewhat of the Hindu Venus - she represents wealth, prosperity, happiness, luxury, beauty, and adoration amongst many other attributes.

In Japanese, 金曜日 is formed from the words 金星  meaning Venus (literally gold + planet) and 曜日 meaning day (of the week).

So, we see, over and over, far and wide, spontaneously and through influence or borrowing, Friday is associated in many cultures with the love goddess Venus, and/or the planet named for her. Venus is symbolized by that planet's glyph ♀    ---- no coincidence, this is the universal symbol for women, as well. Friday is truly the day of the Beloved, best represented within mythology via the relationship between man as humankind, and divinity as the Goddess.

Now, into some of the esoteric ephemera:

Even though Friday has always been held an unlucky day in many Christian countries, still in the Hebrides it is supposed that it is a lucky day for sowing the seed - sowing the seed, the birth potential, the earth as womb, the invocation to the Goddess for fertility - that's all pretty potent stuff.


Here we are, right at  the end of fiery Leo, just about to enter the cycle of the Virgin - the Virgin represents Goddess, but rather than some sexual chasteness, the word is more akin to 'maiden', which ultimately is about the young girl budding into woman. The appreciation of the beauty of life, in the cyclical maturation of life.

Fertility cults, pretty important when you're living harvest to harvest in a cruel and capricious world. Therein, the Goddess was imagined and invoked, mythologized and venerated, and in her observance, created ritual. Prosperity, fecundity, fertility - we posit the earth and nature as both being inherently feminine, and their examples are powerful. It's not wonder we still sway to the deepest rhythms of from whence we've come.

So, Friday - consider it a luxurious day, a day to be sensual and indulge your senses, to partake in beauty. Feel prosperous, feel adoring, project love for the sake of loving beauty... Notice prosperity and chance grace in this world of dull cares. Hold a handshake or a hug just a little longer - look right into the eyes of a stranger until they become as clear, inviting and radiant as that of the Beloved.


We all seek connection. We all desire fulfillment of our deepest loneliness. We want that union, and the most mundane and yet holy way we can prepare and train ourselves to accept that great love is to find the Beloved in the Divine, and then find the Divine in every place, action, event and consequence.


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Friday is a great day to give flowers or sweets to the lover, or to someone lovely - to the artist, the muse, the sweet graceful feminine soul that offers solace. To find your own senses, and within them, your sensuality.

And of course, always an excellent day to give thanks and praise!

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How Prideful and August is the Lion!

20/8/2014

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August (noun): the eighth month, first coined in 1097, from Latin Augustus mensis, sixth month of the later Roman calendar, renamed from Sextilis in 8 BCE to honor emperor Augustus Caesar, literally - the Venerable Caesar - recall this as we explore the adjective, next.

In England, the name replaced native Weodmonað - weed month - being one who follows the Celts and those traditions more closely, that's an entire 'nother post!!

August (adjective): from the 1660s, deriving from the Latin augustus  - venerable, majestic, magnificent, noble. This was more than likely in its original usage - consecrated by the augurs, with favorable auguries -  or else - that which is increased - (think of augment).

Ok, so that's August - comes in with the Lion, leaves with the Lady. Hot, simmering, yet the end of the build and the onset of the settle, as I discussed in the last post...

Now, onto the Venerable Lion of August. Lots of the basics and background of this that follows, I'm thanking Wiki and other sources for - I've condensed and highlighted, collected and collated. Thanks for the backup, internet.



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Leo is a constellation of the zodiac - not just our Western one, almost all historical cultures venerate the Lion - coming between Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east. Its name as I'm sure most of you know is Latin for lion, and to the ancient Greeks the star-shape represented the Nemean Lion killed by the mythical Greek hero Heracles (known to the ancient Romans as Hercules - servant of Hera, he is the first Hero - but again, another post) as one of his twelve labors.
The glyph of the constellation of Leo is such -         ♌

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Leo was one of the earliest recognized constellations. There is archaeological evidence that the Mesopotamia had a similar constellation as early as 4000 BCE. The Persians called Leo Ser or Shir; the Turks - Artan; the Syrians - Aryo; the Jews - Arye; the Indians - Simha... all meaning "lion."

In Babylonian astronomy, the constellation was called UR.GU.LA - the Great Lion -  and the bright star, Regulus, was known as - the star that stands at the Lion's breast. Regulus also had distinctly regal associations, as it was known as the King Star. So, we know we associate Lion with this aspect - King of the Jungle, the Pride of the Lion, the regal nobility inherent, and the iconic symbolism: Lion of Judah, Lion of Africa, Lion-Hearted, Couer-de-Lion, Corleone, Leeuwen, Osama, Ariel, Leonardo, and on.

As mentioned prior, early Hindu astronomers knew it as Simha, or in the Tamil Simham -  सिंह. You might recognize that Simha from lion's breath in yoga, or even know that it's the origin of Singh, the surname that still means Lion, sometimes Lion of God. We even have Singapore - the City of Lions. Simha occupies the same space in this zodiac, the same aspects and many of the same mythic qualities... it's a fixed sign, bringing Sthira - steadiness. It's also a Fire Sign, ruled by the Sun, so there's a lot of power, creativity and expansion.

In Greek mythology, Leo was identified as the Nemean Lion which was killed by Heracles - Hercules - during the first of his twelve tasks.  Realizing that he must defeat the Lion with his bare hands, Hercules slipped into the Lion's cave and engaged it at close quarters. When the Lion pounced, Hercules caught it in midair, one hand grasping the Lion's forelegs and the other its hind legs, and bent it backwards, breaking its back and freeing the trapped maidens. Zeus commemorated this labor by placing the Lion in the sky.



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Hmmm, I seem to recall there was this other, mythic, heroic, liberating persona that also slew the lion - not just the lion, but the lion as symbol of the ruling class, the standing nobility, the current regency, corrupt as it may have been. Samson --- Hebrew - שִׁמְשׁוֹן or Shimshon; Tiberian - Šimšôn or Shamshoun; Arabic - شمشون‎  Shamshūn or Šamšūn; Greek: Σαμψών or Sampson --- meaning - Man of the Sun. His hair was as the lion's mane and the rays of the sun - each, noble and regal forces.

According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God
in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats such as killing a lion, slaying an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass, and destroying a pagan temple.  You probably remember the temple bit, but let's digress to the slaying of the lion.



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On the way to ask for the woman's hand in marriage, Samson is attacked by an Asiatic Lion and simply grabs it and rips it apart, as the spirit of God moves upon him, divinely empowering him. This so profoundly affects Samson that he just keeps it to himself as a secret - as with any boon.

He continues on to the Philistine's house, ultimately winning her hand in marriage. Later, on his way to the wedding, Samson notices that bees have nested in the carcass of the lion and have made honey in the lion's head. He eats a handful of the honey and gives some to his parents - the gift of the boon, and the return home - classic elements in the Hero's Journey.

Now, let's talk about those big fuzzy things that we may see in this world... albeit fewer and fewer, and that's again, another post...


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The Lion -
Panthera Leo
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in it's remaining habitat.

Again, big thanks to wiki, I couldn't make this stuff up! ;)



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Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia (where an endangered remnant population resides in Gir Forest National Park in India) while other types of lions have disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.


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Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily identified by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture. Depictions have existed from the Upper Paleolithic period, with carvings and paintings from the Lascaux and Chauvet Caves, through virtually all ancient and medieval cultures where they once occurred. It has been extensively depicted in sculptures, in paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature.

Now, here's where we - the Leos, the fiery prideful lions amongst us - get it all wrong!!

The facts: lions typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they are also expert scavengers obtaining over 50 percent of their food by scavenging as opportunity allows.

Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day. Although lions can be active at any time, their activity generally peaks after dusk with a period of socializing, grooming, and defecating. Intermittent bursts of activity follow through the night hours until dawn, when hunting most often takes place. They spend an average of two hours a day walking and 50 minutes eating.


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Simple as this - just lay there in your Savanna and digest that carrion... not prideful, lazy; not aggressive, passive and restful.

Not trying to spend every moment stalking the bush and brush to make something happen, but rather, socializing, being fairly opportunistic, and yawning like a King.
Simmering down, taking it a little easier...

I leave you with all of that - take lesson if you can!! And, give thanks and praise!!


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Glowing Like the Metal on the Edge of a Knife...

14/8/2014

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Just like that thing called life, within the asana practice
there can be times of struggle and times of ease.
Times where we feel the need to coax just a little more out of it, and times where we realize that we are simply coasting through it. We need to be aware of those moments that take us from our intention and attention, or attraction, to the natural and innate tendencies to push too hard, or to simply drift away into the ease and mindlessness to distraction.

The edge --- not the ‘edge’ where they say if you aren’t living there you’re taking up too much space edge --- no, the edge of the practice, that vital space of information and transformation; any less effort and our mind wanders out of the asana practice – any more effort and we would lose the subtlety of pranayama and sacrifice the benefit of the practice!

So, I would liken this ‘edge’ in the practice to a campfire – come along for my story. The campfire is warm and it represents safety. Its light and warmth are a comfort and it’s a refuge from the darkness. The light keeps the critters away, it casts a protective circle. The heat keeps you warm and contained, and present. The dancing of the flames on the embers is entrancing, mesmerizing, and timeless. It’s what is happening, it’s the primary conversion of energy that we can participate in, it offers purification and possibility; and, potentially danger as well.



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If we rush too quickly towards that edge, the campfire, we may stumble, or create too much momentum and not stop in time. We may choke on the smoke, we may get cinders in our eyes, and we may singe our hair or even be injured in the manifestation of the fire! We lose clarity, we hurt ourselves, we gasp and recoil, and we cause stress.

If we tarry, or we hesitate, we also may suffer. We may remain cold and distant; we may be lost outside of the safety and comfort of the circle of light. We may be prey to those things in the shadows that aren’t pleasant, and without the light of the campfire, we may imagine them to be larger or more persistent than they are. We would miss the community, the reverence, the dancing lights of the embers and flames, the energetic exchange of the fire and the folks.



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And, what is the ‘edge detector’? How do we know that we aren’t playing with fire, or giving ourselves a cold shoulder? The breath, the breath is the detector of the edge in our practice… Does it lose the quality of mindfulness when we don’t fully engage and bring ourselves into the asana – not the fullest expression, just engaged integrity and focus? Does it become shallow and unattended and does the mind wander? If you can plan your day, you should rather commit to being present and engaging in the practice.

Likewise, do you take every expression, greedily rushing in, mindless of the edge and then finding yourself gasping, panting, mouth-breathing?
If we rush too quickly to the heat and the transformation or purification, we can’t sustain the healthy fire without the pranayama. So, a difficult question to take into our practice – are there poses where you know you sacrifice the breath in order to ‘nail’ the pose? What is the benefit of that?? Does the expression of the asana that you seek undermine the integrity of the pranayama and turn you into a mouth-breather? The horror!!


That’s why I like this metaphor of the ‘edge’ and the campfire. Don’t rush in and get burned and ruin your trip; but don’t hang out in the cold woods and get bit by a big bad wolf!! Practice working gently to and fro, right at the threshold where you maximize the internal mantra of ‘I am breathing in, I am breathing out’ and let that be the whole of your mind. Breath, linked to engaged expression in posture. Pranayama, Asana, and perhaps, Pratyahara – the intentional withdrawal from your senses and into the moment in front of you – and edgy concept, but a worthy one!

Give thanks and praise, see you ‘round the campfire!

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Simmer Down - on the way out of Summer...

4/8/2014

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This past weekend began August -
or as I like to call it in Texas, Simmer - marking one of the cross-quarter days; that is cause for celebration, gratitude, praise and reflection.


In the solar traditions, the ones that predate, yet indicate, all of our current religious holidays and festivals, there are the Equinoxes and the Solstices. But in the depth of the traditions, there are also the Cross-Quarter days, the ones that fall equidistant between the major days. Lughnasadh or Lammas marks one of these eight-spoke-wheel days of solar celebration. Halfway from the Summer Solstice on the cyclical journey to the Autumnal Equinox
.

Lugh or Lu, was one of the Northern pagan gods, and celebrated as a 'hero-king' or 'the long-armed one' and is attributed with many skills; well equipped for the Hero's Journey. And, to this day in the Gaelic languages, August is named after him. The skilled hero is the artful servant of the divine - and, he knows when to do the work and when to yield.


Lammas is 'half-loaf', coming from the times when this was the season of the first harvest - halfway between planting and the last of the Autumnal harvests. This is the first corn, the first of the grains, the ripeness of fresh-fruit, the sweetness and the juiciness of the berries. Half-loaves of bread were baked to symbolize the swell to potential, both that which may be enjoyed today, and that which is still coming.
It draws an end to the period of fruitfulness that swells to July - July,  the moon cycle named for the Caesar of the Julii line... a lineage that claims to be descendent from Venus herself.

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Heat, fruition, first-harvests, sensuality, and the season of the Lion and the Virgin... August is a month of passion, heat, profit, abundance, fertility, love, regard, investment, fruitfulness. the fullness of what can be, the promise of abundant harvest in the view of the grain in the field and the fruit on the vine...

Where are you at in that cycle? What have you been tending, bringing to fruition? Are you tasting the first fruits and the sweetness of those efforts? Did you forget to tend that vine and the fruit is a little bitter? Are you prepared to keep watering and tending here in the furnace of the fullness of summer?

This is the cyclical work, celebrated for as long as we as a species have been able to mark or arrange rocks. The wheel keeps turning, the sky keeps revolving, the eight-spoke-wheel of the year shows us again and again about our fluid, cyclical nature. The rise and fall, the ebb and flow, the expansion and the contraction, the fruition and the decomposition.


But let's let the lesson come full circle - if this heat of Summer, the fire of creation and production, the catalyst for action has come to it's swell, then shouldn't we mark and note the subtle descent? The summer is like the forge, and we take our lives and dreams and intentions into the fire, then hammer them on the anvil... but any good Smithy knows that there needs to be tempering for all of the work. The metal that has been heated and hammered and worked needs to be rested and tempered... to cool.

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To simmer down... that is the lesson, for many of us. Stop creating, observe. Stop directing, follow the flow; stop hammering on things and let them settle, rest and temper. Simmer down, the heat must abate, within and without!

Getting into the cycles around us, taking moments to make purpose and create intention - imbuing the ritual into our all too habitual lives - that's the great work we should resolve to. To take the time, to notice ourselves, to examine our own growth, what remains, what moves, what is solid, what we haven't honored and what we haven't released.

Take the opportunity of the slow, sluggish nature of these Simmering days to just sit and dwell. Take the opportunity to slow down, listen deeply, examine and discern - then, give yourself a break, surround yourself with friends and allies, celebrate your skills and magic, and shine on.


Above all, give thanks and praise!

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    Chrispy - Bhagat Singh

    Random thoughts I've had, while teaching, about the teachings, about my teaching, and while talking about teaching.

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