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November 29, 2008 | Advent Expectations 2008
Living in a Heart Centred Space Ok, so I was a bit premature in thinking that July would birth a smooth ride, but what it did unfold was fantastic opportunity for growth. Ari and I gained possession of our new home on the 1st July, which is also Canada Day over here. I was on my own admist the celebrations going on around me, which was a bit sad, but the knowledge that Ari had a home to come back to was heartening. As always the move was a major endeavour, and one that we were doing for the second time within 6 months. Exhausting to say the least. We knew when we first stepped on the land that it was special, and that we were being asked to become caretakers of an amazing power core. What became evident within weeks of being in our new home was that we couldn't do this without some significant lessons and releasings of our own personal baggage. For me this has been an interesting journey - learning my limitations and learning to face my birth choices, trauma and learning most of all to trust the medical profession again. You may have noticed that one of the first things that I say on my homepage and in my literature is that I aim to bridge the gap between conventional and complementary therapies, using my background as a medical guineapig to facilitate this. Well, the words were well intended, but I realised that for years I have been paying lip service to this intention. Through two months of massive acute ear and sinus infections with no discernible cause, and being told by my doctor that I need to have an MRI and possible surgery, I have learned to face some of my deepest and oldest fears. Firstly, mistrust in the medical profession as a whole - I have learned that doctors are able to listen, and listen well to their patients. Secondly, that they are able to hear the unspoken fears of being a guinea pig, of dying on the operating table, of not being taken seriously and to replace them with understanding and compassion as well as concrete options that are less scary than imagined. My past may have come back to haunt me, but I am able to remedy the chronic aspect of the infections holistically, use prescriptions safely for the acute bouts, and take advantage of modern medical technology (over and above my own quantum biofeedback machine)that can provide me with the first picture of how various surgeons have constructed the inside of my head over the first 18 years of my life. I am now looking forward to my MRI and have heard so many good things about the appointed surgeon, that I am even looking forward to discussing my options with him in January. Two of the major components of this very painful lesson were forgiveness - forgiving myself for running scared and judgemental for so many years, and forgiving the actions/attitudes of medical personel who had no other choice but to use me as a guinea pig. They were just as fearful as me of it all going wrong. The other component was realising that this was the baggage I needed to shed in order to move forward in joyous expectation of my work and life in the future. So I invite you to join with me this Advent - and really celebrate the joys, growth and opportunities to come. love and light, Rasma Dates Salt Spring Island, BC By appointment - email or phone Victoria I come over to Victoria quite regularly, and can provide a session in the comfort of your own home. UK and elsewhere Sessions available by subspace. See Book an Appointment Page. Other Events RED TENT Monthly women's circle to share songs, stories, ritual, life's joys and grief. Meeting at Arbutus Therapy Centre, Ganges (above Apple Photo) at 7pm on the Fridays closest to the new moon. Next meeting: January 23, 2009 WINTER'S LIGHT - CELEBRATION IN SONG My first Salt Spring solo recital featuring music celebrating the festivals in December from Advent to New Year, including St Niklaus, Bodhi Day, Hannukah, Solstice and Wren Day. All Saints by the Sea, 12:10pm on 3rd December 2008 SEKHEM TRAINING If you have 4 or more people interested and would like me to teach in your area, please contact me for details and costs. Please check the 'Workshop' page on my website for updates to schedules for Salt Spring Island and nearby localities. My Qualifications
Phone: (250) 931 2269
I look up at the night sky and see Orion clear and bright, hunting across the sky, his dogs, Canis Major and Minor at his side. I think about the advent of a new phase in mankind's history and the expectations we are beginning to develop in ourselves, in leaders like Barak Obama, and in community, at home and globally. Canis Major is an interesting dog - his brightest star is Sirius, from which galaxy comes the divine energy of Sekhem, given to human civilisation eons back with the expectation that we would use it wisely and compassionately to better ourselves and our world. Canis Major also contains Murzim, the Announcer; Aludra, the Virgin; and Furud, the Bright Single One. Orion contains a number of nebulae, the largest of which is M42. I wonder whether Douglas Adams knew that he was right about the answer to the meaning of life...M42 is the largest birthplace of stars, and from here many of our own star children on earth have come. Thinking about all this reminds me that 30th November is the first Sunday of Advent. What does Advent mean? Literally, it is translated from the Latin adventus as 'to come'. It is the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the rebirth of the sun at Winter Solstice, and for the birth of the son, Jesus at Christmas. If Advent were a tarot card, it would be the seven of Pentacles. We are unable to do anything but wait through the growing darkness until we can celebrate the return of the light. Throughout Europe, northern Asia and Egypt this holiday has had festival connotations of light and the sun. Even the Jewish festival of Lights (Chanukah) falls very near to Christmas on the calendar and is celebrated through the lighting of one light at a time, in thankfulness and wonderment that oil, which was not expected to last 8 days, miraculously did. Most Advent customs have to do with the marking of time: lighting one candle on the Advent wreath each week; opening a door on the calendar every day. These markers show us how much time is left so we can wait with joyous anticipation. I believe a factor in that many of us suffer 'winter blues' is because we are too impatient and have lost touch with the anticipation of this time of year in the commercial aspect and stress of Christmas. It is no coincidence that Orion and his dogs shine so brightly at this time of year. We really are entering a time of great expectation; we are being asked to shed our baggage as quickly as possible so that we may be prepared for the next phase of our global transcendence - a light filled, joyous time where great positive changes can be made in our hearts, our homes and our world. It is no coincidence that time is speeding up - we have to get with it, or we will lose ourselves altogether. This is humanity's last chance, and it is such a positive, glorious, wondrous opportunity, that I hope we can all embrace it with the love, joy and fun that it deserves. The Light at the end of the tunnel is beyond our human expectations and is truly Divine. Welcome Change When changes occur in your life, and you feel uncertain about what the future holds, a meditation on the theme of change can generate a sense of positivity about the future. 1. Sit cross-legged on the floor, or on a cushion with your legs straight out in front of you, if you find this more comfortable. Help to create a meditative mood by lighting a candle and placing it safely in front of you. 2. Think of the life cycle of a butterfly. The larva hatches into a caterpillar that spins itself a cocoon out of which emerges a beautiful butterfly. Spend 2 - 3 minutes in contemplation of the butterfly's metamorphosis. 3. Now, reflect on how your life evolves from one phase to the next -just as the caterpillar transforms naturally into a butterfly. Release any need to control your future - try to believe in change as a positive dimension to life, which you accept with confidence. FORGIVENESS Man must evolve for all human conflict a method, which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation.Martin Luther King said that. I believe that the fundamental root to the method is forgiveness. Forgiveness can be defined as ceasing to feel anger, resentment or indignation for perceived offence, difference or mistake. A cessation of the demand for punishment or restitution. A rejection of revenge, aggression and retaliation. Forgiveness and resolution are the only ways for us to shed our baggage. We cannot go forward bearing grudges, hatreds and resentments. As time moves more quickly and our response time becomes more instant...leaving the negative and concentrating on the positive become more and more important. I am already seeing with myself and my clients how quickly a negative emotional response manifests in the physical. As an example, speaking ill of someone behind their back, rather than facing them with how you feel in compassionate truth, often results in mouth ulcers. Long term resentments can build up and cause joint pain, particularly in the knees; corrosive anger is linked with cancer. Obviously, there are other factors too, but the emotional pattern is consistent; so consistent, in fact, that the 'language of the body' has become a study of many people including Louise Hay. The only way I have found to consistently reverse these physical responses is through forgiveness and really concentrating on living in a heart centred space, which has no room for fear, anger or greed, except as tools for protection. You wouldn't use a chisel to hammer in a nail. Neither should you use anger to get a point across. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives, in terms of the person forgiven and/or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, forgiveness may be granted without any expectation of compensation, and without any response on the part of the offender. For example, one may forgive a person who is dead. In practical terms, it used to be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, apology or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe they are able to forgive; however, the following is a meditation that can help anyone forgive themselves and others, anytime, anywhere and for any situation. It just requires the positive intention to allow this to be successful. So the first step is to identify the root emotion/emotional situation that is causing you grief. You may remember immediately when it first manifested, but you also may have brought it through with you at birth, from your parents' patterning, or even older. Once identified, ask if it is ready to be dissolved. It is unlikely to say no! If the emotion/situation is to do with another person, visualise sitting with them (no matter how many of them there are) in a place that makes you feel happy and safe. Otherwise, see yourself sitting in that place. Get involved with the sounds, colours, scents and tastes of your happy place. Become relaxed and open. When you are ready, take each person by the hand (one at a time) or clasp your own hands to your heart. Give yourself the gift of forgiveness so that you may both/all be free. If you cannot visualise the person, it is perfectly good to visualise the essence - and what that essence looks like to you - of this person. In strong cases, the essence may be a demon, and you can feed your demon by dissolving yourself into a nectar of what it most wants, feeding it until it is satiated. You should see your 'demon' change into a more acceptable form, which you can converse with and continue the exercise as normal. Be aware of the strong feelings that come up, but do not let yourself be taken away by them - just let them flow over you. You may wish to repeat the following poem: I now easily release all resistance. I FORGIVE EVERYONE I FORGIVE MYSELF I FORGIVE ALL PAST EXPERIENCES FORGIVING EVERYONE...FORGIVING MYSELF I AM FREE...I AM FREE ADVENT MESSAGE This message was brought through the Osho Zen tarot deck. It celebrates the simple and is very apt for this time of year when we get caught up in the commercial expectations of present giving and in complicating Christmas ORDINARINESS Beauty can be found in the simple, ordinary things of life. We so easily take this beautiful world for granted. Cleaning the house, tending the garden, cooking a meal - the most mundane tasks take on a sacred quality when they are performed with your total involvement, with mindfulness, love and for their own sake without thought of recognition or reward. We are facing a time now when this easy, ordinary and natural approach will bring far better results than goin for brilliance, cleverness or the extra-ordinary. The gift you have to offer now is best presented by just taking things easily and simply, one step at a time THE SOURCE When we speak of being 'centred' or 'grounded' it is Source we are talking about. When we begin a creative project, it is Source we tune into. This card reminds us that there is a vast reservoir of energy available to us. And that we tap into it by doing, not thinking - getting grounded, centered and silent enough to be in contact with Source. It is like a personal sun giving us life and nourishment. Pure energy, pulsating and available, it is ready to give us anything we need to accomplish all that we wish, and to welcome us back home when we want to rest. THE MISER We have created a fortress around ourselves, and we are clinging to all the possessions we think are our treasures. In fact, we have accumulated so much stuff that we have made ourselves and our surrounding ugly in the effort to look beautiful. You are challenge to identify what you are clinging on to - what do you possess that is so valuable that it needs to be protected with a fortress. It needn't be a big bank balance or a box of jewels...it may be sharing our time with a friend, or taking a risk of expressing our love to another. Like a well that is sealed up and becomes stagnant from disuse, our treasures have become tarnished and worthless when we refuse to share them. Whatever you are holding on to (the good and the bad), remember that you cannot take it with you. Loosen your grip, lift the burdens off your shoulders, drop your baggage and feel the freedom and expansiveness sharing can bring.
Bit of a twist to this one! Thanks to Helen and Selwyn Meyers, my mother and father in-(out)laws. For a Wonderful Friendship 1 cup Courtesy 1. Mix together; stir in a pinch of praise 1/4lb Organic Fair/Green&Blacks chocolate - flavoured or not Melt the above together, stirring frequently. Add 2 egg yolks, one at a time, stirring constantly (you can use the whites for meringues). Add 2Tbs of liqueur of your choice that goes with the flavour of your chocolate - rum, amarula, black cherry, sambuca all work well, or for the non alcoholic version, make up 2Tbs of cocoa, ginger tea or other liquid. Enjoy and the Best of the Season to you all. POEM O Oriens - Charles Douglas (Charles Douglas is a poet living in Victoria, BC. This poem is from his Advent collection entitled O Antiphons.) O Oriens
O spur of justice, balm of justice, Arising, time-transforming
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