On this first day of Spring…the Spring Equinox, we are reminded of the passionate, pulsating power of life bursting at the seams of nature in our northern hemisphere. As fecund life fertilizes our imaginations and souls with desires, I reflect on life’s purpose in me. What am I called to birth into life this season?

One question seems to haunt so many of us, “What is my purpose?” Quite frankly it is what inspires many of my clients to seek me out. It inspires many a long soulful conversation with friends late into the night. It is the subject of poetry, plays and books. It is the bedrock of most religions and spirituality.

Hermeticism, and its dear sister Alchemy, are ancient arts/philosophies that seek to answer this soul question. You may be familiar with the Alchemist’s quest to turn lead into gold through the mystical Philosopher’s Stone. Yet alchemy was never meant to be a chemical way to wealth. It was a soul art designed to unlock your deepest purpose, transforming all that was dark, heavy, inert in your life and world into a pure, radiant, vital force for beauty, the highest good, and “perfection.”

What is your purpose and my purpose as humans according to Hermeticism and Alchemy? Simply and profoundly, we are created by the Divine to complete the Divine Purpose. And what is the Divine Purpose? The creation of Beauty!

Our purpose is to complete the Divine Purpose of making things, the world, our lives beautiful – transforming lead into gold. Robert Place, author, Alchemist, and Tarot creator tells his clients, “Your desires are not yours. They are the desires of the Anima Mundi (Spirit of the World) that you are embodied to carry out.”

Your desire to make things better in your life and world, to create moments of Beauty, Joy, Truth, Light…is really the Divine Light, the Spirit, the Christ Consciousness, the Trinity, Buddha… within YOU, coming through YOU, into the world.

In my way of thinking, your Soul is the fabled, mystical Philosopher’s Stone. It is the means, the catalyst for transforming your life and the world around you. Every act of creating beauty, no matter how small or momentary that change may be, is a further completion of the Divine Purpose of transforming the world into Beauty, the face of the Anima Mundi. Every time you take something leaden, heavy, inert in your life and transform it through soulful activity and consciousness into the gold of beauty…creation is one step closer to its completion.

Is the world a mess? Are people suffering? Does your own life seem more lead than gold? That is not a reason to doubt or despair of this wonderful philosophy’s truth and efficacy. A world weighed down by the lead of despair, death and disease is a sign that creation is still in process…still transforming. The missing ingredient is the Philosopher’s Stone of the soul-conscious activity of you, and of me, creating beauty one small piece/event/place at a time.

The task is not to “change the world.” The task is to change one very small part of your own world. Is there one small way that today you can create beauty, something seemingly small and insignificant? I remember when my beloved companion-dog of 16 years died recently. An unknown neighbor, perhaps in his or her daily walk past my house, noticed that my aged and infirm dog was no longer surveying his world from his bed on the porch, and that his bed on the porch had disappeared. That person placed a rose in a small vase next to his water bowl on the porch with a simple note, “I miss Strong Heart.” That simple act of kindness did more to create beauty in my world…help me transform the lead of grief into the gold of joy than she or he will ever know.

Pause and reflect. Where can you make things more beautiful today? What are you waiting for? Go DO IT!

Do not worry about the size or significance. The effect is cumulative, domino-like. The Divine Purpose of making this world beautiful will be furthered, and you will have achieved another milestone in your purpose in this life.

Happy Creating!

How often have you wished you could go back and do it all over again…only “get it right this time”? Regret and remorse often tinge our lives with somber hues, sapping the vibrant color and joy of a life lived to the full. The desire to return to an action, thought, decision, words spoken or unspoken, a judgment, or a chance to recover missed opportunities — is a common human experience. In its essence it is a longing for rebirth, a chance to start all over again with the wisdom of lived experience now to guide you to a new and better life.

Almost every major religion offers some type of rebirth through ritual, meditation, or divine intervention. Baptism, reincarnation, repentance and forgiveness often through an intermediary like a priest or priestess, sacrifice to the gods or goddesses…the list is long and rich. Metaphorically, metaphysically, or miraculously we experience a rebirth through a return to an original wholeness, a new chance, a new life….rebirth.

Our dominant religion and metaphor of the 21st century, namely Science, also has its offer of rebirth and renewal. Of course there are the cosmetic shams of botox, creams, and nips and tucks which are a vain attempt at hiding the truth rather than a genuine return to the original wholeness. However the science of embryonic stem cells offer what may some day be a genuine return to original wholeness with a restored organ or limb, healing from a dreaded disease, etc. Through the marvelous cells present during our gestation, we can truly return to the original state and experience a rebirth on some level.

In all of these scenarios, healing is the central theme. Healing drives us to seek out the priest/priestess, physician, metaphysician, psychologist, shaman, guru. Healing has at its root a desire for the chance for renewed growth, a new life, to be a better and/or different person. Healing is the cry of every human heart and it fills us with hope for a better tomorrow.

Astrology is no different. At its root it too offers the promise of a return and renewal, a rebirth - a rebirth no less real than the rituals of the psychologist’s office, the temple or church, or the shaman’s trance. The natal, or birth, chart is a sacred symbol. It captures the moment of our original wholeness, our moment of birth into this existence. It is a mandala, a sacred symbol of wholeness, an image of our Cosmic Name. The marvelous order and harmony of the macrocosm and the wisdom of its design and purpose are reflected in the microcosm of our own Soul. Our Soul is a divine design of harmony, order, wisdom, grace and beauty. To enter into our birth chart is to enter back into the moment of our birth. There we can glimpse, ponder, and reflect on our deep design and purpose. The harmony and majesty of our original template, free from all the missteps, miscues, wrong choices, and mistakes of the past, stands before us inviting us to rebirth.

By thoughtful reflection upon our original design, we have a chance to rediscover and realign ourselves to that design; and thus rebirth ourselves into a new and fuller reality of Self, a reality of Self closer to the deep wisdom and divine majesty of our Soul’s original intention for us. Astrology, done well, with proper respect for the divine energies and patterns our Soul has chosen for us in this life, can give us a new lease on life, and a renewed hope and passion for living. It is an embryonic stem cell of the Soul, a mandala of wholeness, a baptism in the cosmic waters of divine intention, sacred healing therapy.

The original meaning of the word “therapy” derives from the Greek and means “the service that must be rendered to the gods.” As an astrologer, when I enter the sacred temple of your birth chart, and stand before the divine energies, intentions and wisdom of your Soul (what we once named as gods and goddesses) I am filled with awe and reverence for the majesty of the being who sits before me. As a priest of the Soul, an anam cara, I submit humbly to the service of the gods and goddesses within your Soul, thus helping you to find healing and restoration, a rebirth into new possibilities and empowerment.

Halloween —> Hallow E’en —> Hallow Evening —> Holy Night

This venerable sacred night, called Samhain in the tongue of my Celtic ancestors, has a rich and controversial history. As with most ancient cultures, there was a powerful belief in the continuation of life after death. With that belief was an equal certainty that the dead still had ties of relationship and communication with us. The dead, the deities, and other spiritual beings could provide us - the “living” - with support, counsel, and blessings or troubles.

Among the Celts Samhain was the night when the veil that separated our world from the other worlds, including the worlds of the spirits and the dead, was the thinnest. On that Holy Night, our communication with the ancestor spirits was indeed powerfully present and vibrant. It was a time to remember, commune, laugh, cry, forgive, bless, and celebrate our loved ones who have journeyed to the “Summerlands.” Anyone who had died between the last Samhain and this one was believed to be still wandering the earth, awaiting the veil to thin enough to cross over. So remembering them and supporting them, we helped them to find their way into the next world.

Somewhere between the pages of history this awesome night became transformed into the Christian feasts of “All Souls Day” (10/31) and “All Saints Day” (11/1.) Yet the ancient memories and deeper realities still cling to these “baptized” pagan feasts. The soul’s memory is older and stronger than the passing tides of men and women’s religious affiliations and fancies.

True, modern culture has done much to erase the great spiritual meaning and longing in this holy night. Beasties, ghoulies, and various incarnations of nightmare and fairy-tale characters dance at parties, feast on sweets, and “trick or treat.” They are but pale remnants, true ghosts of a much richer, deeper, more powerful celebration.

Yet I want to call us back to our soul’s feast. A time of remembering that life in this world is but one glimmering of a far greater and mysterious reality we call LIFE. It is a time to remember that our dead are not truly gone from us. They live and move and dance and have their being with eternal bonds of affection with us. We are all still connected, a living communion of souls stretching from the dimmest sparks of the far-distant past into the ever arcing glow of our future lives.

Take a moment this All Hallow’s Eve to re-connect in a conscious way with all those you love who have passed through the veil into the other place. Clear a spot on a table or desk and place upon it pictures of them, and/or perhaps some mementoes that remind you of them - a treasured locket, an old fishing knife, a small toy, etc. Light some candles around these pictures and “sacred memory” objects. Dim the lights. Sit quietly gazing upon them, recalling fond and treasured memories. Slowly, when the spirit moves you, speak to them, sing to them, cry with them, laugh with them… and most especially forgive them and bless them, so that they can cross the veil knowing that peace and healing and love are the only ties that bind you now.

Then go out to dinner with friends, or prepare a special meal at the house for family and friends. Make a point of each person sharing silly, laughable, poignant and treasured memories around the table about their passed loved one(s). Let each person raise a toast to “dear departed______” with a delicious wine, mead, or favorite non-alcoholic beverage (just be sure to make it a beverage that you truly enjoy and relish.) Maybe if you are feeling really adventuresome - and you are blessed with understanding friends and family - set an empty chair at the table with its own place setting of food and drink. Then as each person round the table recalls stories of their loved ones - you can address your toasts and cheers to the “empty” chair - which we know is not truly empty at all! The point of it all is to feast and celebrate these loved ones with much laughter, tears, and soul-full memories.

Then maybe, just maybe, in a night of “trick or treats”, you will find All Hallows Eve to be one of the most special treats of the year. A moment when the veil parts and your treasured loved one touches your heart and reminds you that you are never truly alone.

Happy feasting blessed souls!

December 25th (in the Julian calendar) marked the feast of the Winter Solstice. Originally known as the Feast of “Sol Invictus” (Latin for “The Unconquerable Sun”) it celebrated a deep and abiding faith that despite the darkest and longest night of the year, the light would triumph and return to its ascendency over the dark. The Winter Solstice marks one of the 4 major soli-lunar events of the year. This feast has been celebrated in almost every culture and historical period under one name or another. Yet the theme is always the same - hope and joy in the face of darkness.

The title, and the thematic centrality, of the feast was too great a temptation not to “baptize” it in the blood of Jesus and make it a central feast for the Christian faithful. Yet if you read the Scriptures closely you realize that the Jesus story has him born in the Springtime, the lambing season, when flocks in the grazing fields were watched over carefully by shepherds to prevent the vulnerable newborns from predation. (In the winter months sheep were not out in the fields at night due to the inclement weather.) Placing Jesus’ birth at lambing time also served the gospel writer Matthew’s theological purpose to have Jesus imaged as the newborn “Lamb of God” who would later escape the ravenous wolf, King Herod, in order to ultimately give his life at the time of the sacrificing of those very lambs on the primal feast of Passover.

So many of the Solstice customs and rituals have become part and parcel of the Christian celebration of Christmas. The tree with lights, holly and mistletoe, evergreen wreaths, red and green colors, gift-giving, special carols, etc. are but a small listing of the many symbols and customs appropriated from more ancient celebrations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus
http://www.tryskelion.com/yule7.htm

http://www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_date.htm

Yet in the religious intolerance that seems to crown this season, the true origins of so many of our beloved traditions get covered over, as religious demagogues lament the expropriation of Christmas by the godless masses. Foaming at the mouth about keeping “Christ in Christmas” they spread intolerance, misinformation, and even fear and hatred of those who choose to believe differently.

Would it not be more in keeping with the nature of this feast to realize and celebrate its utterly diverse origins, customs, and traditions - as an abiding witness to the unity of humankind? as a shining witness to our central and common human need for a time to express our undying hope and joy, in the face of the seemingly unremitting horrors and darkness of this world (most often perpetrated and legitimated in the name of religious “truths”)? Surely a feast that unites so many cultures, falths, and epochs can serve as the basis of our coming together in a spirit of gentle tolerance, respect, and community… rather than a “my god is better (or more “real”) than your god” religious truimphalism and exclusivism.

I hope for all of you… amidst the darkness of fear and the “slaughter of the innocents” that Christian and Islamic and Jewish “terrorists” spill across Iraq, Palestine, and nations around the world… a time of hope and joy BIRTHED in the unquenchable human thirst for justice, peace, dignity, and love.

Let the Light return!

My father died some time this morning.

Death is a welcome yet uninvited guest
She bides the time of her own choosing.
A surrender, a sigh, a severing -
a whispering into eternity
to begin again with someday newborn cry.
Embracing the fullness of emptiness
releasing the emptiness of fullness
the soul waits
surrendering into life.

My vigilant grief keeps sentinel
its own memories awake.

I am the desire of the star
for the planet in its circular embrace
I am the desire of the wood
for the fire’s sweet immolation
I am the desire of the song
for the ear of its beloved
I am the desire of the soul
for the soul of its desire
I am

all