Lately I've been feeling the energy of the Tarot card the Hanged One, major Arcana number XII, corresponding to the Easter cross as well as the Grand Cross that is aligning in the celestial realm. My dear friend, Shyla Nelson, of One Earth. One Voice. has asked, Is the Earth Herself being crucified? Indeed that which we deny or repress in ourselves is likely to be projected outward onto others and even onto the Earth. We often live and work at cross-purposes with our inner promptings, social conditioning seems to be at loggerheads with true spiritual teachings and the double speak of corporate politics has reached a fevered pitch of nonsensical ranting.
The Hanged One can be Odin, trading worldly sight for inner vision, making the sacrifice of the superficial or single view for multi-dimensional perception by trading an eye for the gift of wisdom, bringing the runes to his people, and also by turning upside down, which is certainly a different view of things. He is no longer standing on solid ground, which itself defines a good part of our usual reality, being upright, on two legs, rooted deep and crowned high, as the Tree of Life. Now he dangles from that tree in opposition to the usual direction of energy and completely helpless, the opposite of standing on your own two feet.
The vertical energy of chakras aligning, spring sap rising in the trees, bulbs sprouting from the darkness of the Earth, consciousness lifting many people out of dark despair as grassroots movements gain momentum from Occupy to the Cowboy and Indian Alliance to Interfaith Power & Light, even as many more people find themselves in crises of one sort or another as they lose their jobs and houses or begin to absorb the enormity of the violence humanity has done to the Earth and Her living systems. There is a new and different kind of call to ministry awakening in people of all paths transcending antiquated regulations of religious hierarchies and reaching out from the spiritual core not to convert but to partner with others in restoring sovereignty and healing power to our soul paths. From the Vernal Equinox to the lunar eclipse to the transition from sun in Aries to Taurus to the four planets of the Grand Cross now aligning, the Earth and heavens have been raising some mighty energy these last few weeks with Easter, Passover and Earth Day thrown in for good measure.
Now we can bring balance to that incredible stream of vertical energy by channeling learning, growth and blessings from the trunk of the Tree of Life out into the branches of the world and our mundane lives and personalities. Hanging upside down from the Tree we can release from our attention the details of every day life and receive guidance from that vertical flow, opening in surrender while we are held firmly by the Tree, receiving gifts to bring back to ordinary consciousness. Then standing upright, arms outstretched, we are like the World Tree and also the cross, streaming energy from Earth below and the cosmos above, radiating those gifts out to the world through our homes, families, work, practice and communities. We extend our arms as branches to bless and embrace, opening our hearts.
We are human after all, not celestial beings but Earthlings and our life's work is here on this garden planet, as Thomas Berry called it. So as important as my yoga and ritual and meditation and Reiki are, I also have the down-to-Earth tasks like bills to pay and checkbooks to balance, fencing to put up for the cow and her new calf, milk to make into yogurt, hides to tan, wood to bring in before it rains, compost to dump, hooves to trim, and dairy and meat spreadsheets to update and email as well as perhaps loftier interfaith climate conference work, holistic marketing research, Permaculture business planning.
I have learned to make a list for “today” and quickly rename it “this week” but it still doesn't all get done. A wise librarian mentor of mine once said about time management and juggling tasks, “Some things just don't get done.” She said it with such nonchalance I was shocked – like this is okay? Well, it's just inevitable, I suppose, but no reason to feel guilty or defeated. Just regroup and center and try again. Let it go and let it flow. Another wise mentor taught in a workshop on library administration that it's okay to schedule time to just think, and in fact we should. This was also stunning. We don't have to be “busy” all the time.
Today, I am invoking the energy of the symbolic cross to infuse both the homestead and community work with gratitude, divine guidance and magical power for the greatest effectiveness both materially and spiritually. It is all Practice, even the parts that bug me and challenge me to reevaluate my intentions and priorities and explore my resistance. For instance, guilt can show us where we're working at cross-purposes with our desires or callings but we don't need to crucify or condemn ourselves. Instead of sin we can look at our shortcomings as opportunities to learn and grow. There is no failure as long as we are willing to learn from mistakes. Maybe it's just time again to climb into the tree and hang from those majestic branches, get a different perspective, trade outer focus for inner revelation and then return with gifts for the community.
I want to bring grateful attention to the many crossings of paths I have witnessed and participated in lately among people of various faiths and no faith but their own personal paths. It feels like the proximity of so many of the spring holidays this year along with the portentous astrological alignments have brought people together to cross the boundaries of religion and explore deeply together the mysteries of symbols and myths, to share personal experiences and ancient traditions. We are truly at a crossroad in history, and the cross is also the axis of the turning Wheel.
The Celtic cross, not coincidentally, has retained the ancient primal symbol of the circle around the hub, or in some cases surrounding the entire cross. It is this cross that resonates the most for me, balancing the linear and cyclical, unity and duality. The circle is the Wheel of Life, Death and Rebirth, the Wheel of the Year, all the cycles and seasons of time and the journey of the life force manifesting.
The word “control” is derived from contra + rota or “against the wheel” and this is where we find Western modern society, trying to go against the natural cyclical flow of life when we need to both let go and hang on! Working against Nature isn't going to get us anywhere but dead and isn't doing much for the planet either, and more people are starting to notice this, whether they call it a social justice issue because it disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized or climate change because the weather is showing the effects of humans' violence against Earth's body and being.
Instead of this control working against Natural and Spiritual Laws, we can choose power, a word derived from possere or ability. We have ability or power within us and we share power and ability in relationships and communities. This is the energy I choose to channel from the Tree of Life, the cross within the Wheel of Life, the hub that is at my heart, blending the spiritual and material on this most blessed Earth Day.
The vertical energy of chakras aligning, spring sap rising in the trees, bulbs sprouting from the darkness of the Earth, consciousness lifting many people out of dark despair as grassroots movements gain momentum from Occupy to the Cowboy and Indian Alliance to Interfaith Power & Light, even as many more people find themselves in crises of one sort or another as they lose their jobs and houses or begin to absorb the enormity of the violence humanity has done to the Earth and Her living systems. There is a new and different kind of call to ministry awakening in people of all paths transcending antiquated regulations of religious hierarchies and reaching out from the spiritual core not to convert but to partner with others in restoring sovereignty and healing power to our soul paths. From the Vernal Equinox to the lunar eclipse to the transition from sun in Aries to Taurus to the four planets of the Grand Cross now aligning, the Earth and heavens have been raising some mighty energy these last few weeks with Easter, Passover and Earth Day thrown in for good measure.
Now we can bring balance to that incredible stream of vertical energy by channeling learning, growth and blessings from the trunk of the Tree of Life out into the branches of the world and our mundane lives and personalities. Hanging upside down from the Tree we can release from our attention the details of every day life and receive guidance from that vertical flow, opening in surrender while we are held firmly by the Tree, receiving gifts to bring back to ordinary consciousness. Then standing upright, arms outstretched, we are like the World Tree and also the cross, streaming energy from Earth below and the cosmos above, radiating those gifts out to the world through our homes, families, work, practice and communities. We extend our arms as branches to bless and embrace, opening our hearts.
We are human after all, not celestial beings but Earthlings and our life's work is here on this garden planet, as Thomas Berry called it. So as important as my yoga and ritual and meditation and Reiki are, I also have the down-to-Earth tasks like bills to pay and checkbooks to balance, fencing to put up for the cow and her new calf, milk to make into yogurt, hides to tan, wood to bring in before it rains, compost to dump, hooves to trim, and dairy and meat spreadsheets to update and email as well as perhaps loftier interfaith climate conference work, holistic marketing research, Permaculture business planning.
I have learned to make a list for “today” and quickly rename it “this week” but it still doesn't all get done. A wise librarian mentor of mine once said about time management and juggling tasks, “Some things just don't get done.” She said it with such nonchalance I was shocked – like this is okay? Well, it's just inevitable, I suppose, but no reason to feel guilty or defeated. Just regroup and center and try again. Let it go and let it flow. Another wise mentor taught in a workshop on library administration that it's okay to schedule time to just think, and in fact we should. This was also stunning. We don't have to be “busy” all the time.
Today, I am invoking the energy of the symbolic cross to infuse both the homestead and community work with gratitude, divine guidance and magical power for the greatest effectiveness both materially and spiritually. It is all Practice, even the parts that bug me and challenge me to reevaluate my intentions and priorities and explore my resistance. For instance, guilt can show us where we're working at cross-purposes with our desires or callings but we don't need to crucify or condemn ourselves. Instead of sin we can look at our shortcomings as opportunities to learn and grow. There is no failure as long as we are willing to learn from mistakes. Maybe it's just time again to climb into the tree and hang from those majestic branches, get a different perspective, trade outer focus for inner revelation and then return with gifts for the community.
I want to bring grateful attention to the many crossings of paths I have witnessed and participated in lately among people of various faiths and no faith but their own personal paths. It feels like the proximity of so many of the spring holidays this year along with the portentous astrological alignments have brought people together to cross the boundaries of religion and explore deeply together the mysteries of symbols and myths, to share personal experiences and ancient traditions. We are truly at a crossroad in history, and the cross is also the axis of the turning Wheel.
The Celtic cross, not coincidentally, has retained the ancient primal symbol of the circle around the hub, or in some cases surrounding the entire cross. It is this cross that resonates the most for me, balancing the linear and cyclical, unity and duality. The circle is the Wheel of Life, Death and Rebirth, the Wheel of the Year, all the cycles and seasons of time and the journey of the life force manifesting.
The word “control” is derived from contra + rota or “against the wheel” and this is where we find Western modern society, trying to go against the natural cyclical flow of life when we need to both let go and hang on! Working against Nature isn't going to get us anywhere but dead and isn't doing much for the planet either, and more people are starting to notice this, whether they call it a social justice issue because it disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized or climate change because the weather is showing the effects of humans' violence against Earth's body and being.
Instead of this control working against Natural and Spiritual Laws, we can choose power, a word derived from possere or ability. We have ability or power within us and we share power and ability in relationships and communities. This is the energy I choose to channel from the Tree of Life, the cross within the Wheel of Life, the hub that is at my heart, blending the spiritual and material on this most blessed Earth Day.