Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Sorry so few blogs this month friends. In an interesting turn of events, the motherboard in my computer crashed after writing the blog about Mercury retrograde.

Really.

So, a little catch up time -- how was your Winter Solstice? Full lunar eclipse that day. Look back to the symbols, day before, day of and day after.

How were your holidays – and how did you do with the karma? Family and otherwise? I hope you were patient with yourself (and everyone else) and became aware of some long-term patterns.

Next up, a partial solar eclipse, along with some other interesting planetary action, on January 4, 2011. Another big day to observe with wisdom the symbols in your life and in the world around you.

And, right in the middle, the calendar New Year, January 1. Ahhhh, time for that annual tradition (which I hope is not drinking your weight in champagne). Resolutions.

Or, in yogic terms, maha tarka. Maha=great. Tarka=review.

Because though you don’t want to spend your life looking backward, you must see what has transpired in order to manifest the future with wisdom and insight. Take some time to peruse your 2010 journal, if you keep one, or your calendar before we begin. Light a candle. Take a couple deep, centering breaths. Have your paper and pen ready, because I have some questions for you.

1. How was your relationship with yourself this year? Are you pleased with your personality? Are you the person you have dreamed of being? Are you the person you think you are?

2. How is your relationship with money this year? How about with anything you value; your possessions? And what about that ultimate possession, your memory track?

3. How well did you communicate this year; with yourself, with others? How is your relationship with your siblings?

4. How was your relationship with your Mother this year? And how about your home life? Did you create a stable, comfortable, safe place to retreat to daily?

5. Did you have fun this year? Have you carved out a portion of your life for pleasure, joy, and creativity? Speaking of creations – how is your relationship with your children?

6. How’s your job? You know, whatever it is that you do that pays the bills. How about your service to others – or do you serve others at all?

7. Let’s talk about your relationship – with your partner, spouse, lover, or whatever moniker you assign to that special person. How’s it going? Not a list of their foibles and problems – you. How did you feed and grow the relationship?

8. Did you spend any time investigating the occult? (meaning that which is hidden); how are the deepest places within you shifting and transforming? How’s your sex life? (Yes, I said, sex life.) And, did anyone around you transition out of this place – did you resolve any issues you might have had with them?

9. How did your spiritual journey progress this year? Did you make time and space to grow and learn and challenge yourself to expand the parameters of your mind and spirit to encompass this beautiful planet, and the Universe you reside in? School and church fall in this category.

10. How’s your relationship with your Father and/or other authority figures in your life? And also with your greater work in this world? There’s the job that pays the bills, and then there’s that something that you alone bring to this world; are you sharing it? Nurturing it? Bringing it?

11. How is your relationship with your friends? With groups of people that you spend time with or are involved with?

12. Finally, the areas of your life that are hidden; were you able to tap into your deepest reserves of strength, or did you tend to wallow in those ways of being that lead to your own self-destruction?

These 12 areas of life correspond to the 12 houses in astrology. They tell you where in your life things are going along smoothly . . . as well as where they’re not flowing harmoniously. Hopefully by looking at your answers, this will give you a little insight as to the areas of your life where you need to work a little harder; be a little more self-aware; or, perhaps, change the way you live.
And then, create your resolutions.

Start at the root of the problem. You cannot just say “I want to improve my relationship.” You need to resolve to change your behavior in the relationship; perhaps resolve to take a breath and ask yourself if what you are about to say to that person is kind and true. Maybe the person in relationship with you doesn’t feel loved because you are offering love in the way that you would like to receive it, instead of looking at them and realizing what would make them feel more loved, more cared for.

If you decide to lose weight for the new year, don’t resolve “I will lose weight.” Resolve to walk more and sit less; resolve to eat healthier foods and drink more water; resolve to see your body as a temple and treat it accordingly. Those are the kinds of resolutions that get results.

I wish you a 2011 filled with love and peace. I wish for you the self-awareness to navigate the karma with wisdom. This year is not going to be an easy one; but we will all learn a lot, and grow in ways we cannot even imagine today.

Shanti,

Jill

Mercury Retrograde

Alright, darlings; buckle your seatbelts; Mercury goes retrograde tomorrow (Friday, December 10).

Pooh-pooh me all you want; that’s my karmic payback for my pooh-poohing astrology for years and years. But I’m telling you; it’s going to be an interesting month.

Things have already been rocking a little bit – noticed some computer issues since about December 1? Funky issues with your car, or electronics? Problems with communication in general?

If not, then lucky you. You just keep doing whatever it is that you’re doing, and ignore me. This blog is for the rest of us.

Planning to buy a tv or some other technology item as a holiday gift this month? Um, don’t. Get them a gift certificate and they can go get it in January. It will have some kind of problem, break, or be totally out-of-date in no time. Seriously.

And while you’re at it, practice your relaxing, calm-yourself-down breath. Because Mars is being activated this month. Perhaps you’ve noticed people being a little grumpier? Yep, it’s not just because they weren’t in line early enough to get that $199.99 television at Wal-Mart. It’s the Mars (and the Pluto, but let’s not get too deep here). This will help give us all a little energetic push to get things accomplished, but don’t allow it to drag you into being less than the kind, generous person we all know you are.

Dates to watch this month include December 13-14, as well as the upcoming Winter Solstice on December 21. That day is also a full lunar eclipse, very big energy. Examine the symbols in your life and in the world at large a day before and after each of these days; don’t wait for December 31 to ponder where your life is heading.

And for heaven’s sake, have your happy plan in place. It’s COLD; it’s DARK; it’s the holidays. You need to do the things that keep you grounded and happy. Whether that’s eating only warm foods and getting to bed early (um, no, 11:00 pm is NOT early); scheduling a massage; saying NO to that holiday party that you really don’t enjoy, or finding a fantastic book and diving in. Whatever it is that keeps you sane, put it on your calendar and make it work.

Hanging out with fun people helps, too, so I hope you’ll join us for the Uttara Yoga Solstice Celebration at the Studio on Saturday, December 18. We’ll do a kirtan (call and response chanting, you can just listen if you like) and a brief ritual with prayer and meditation. Afterward we’ll have a veggie potluck starting around 6:30 pm. I hope you will join us for one or both.

Whether your tradition this time of year is to celebrate the return of the Sun OR the return of the Son, honor the cycles of life, honor the people around you; and, honor yourself.

Shanti,

Jill