The original Mystery school is the ceremony at Eleusis. We can only guess of the rituals it entailed. There was fear and shock included to gain entrance to the enlightenment of the divine.

We must probe the limits of our psyches to reach the understandings we seek.

Persephone’s innocence was taken from her in a violent way. Pluto desired her and made her Queen. Through the shock she gained the power of individuation.

As we try to be gentle with ourselves, we are in a time of restructuring. Science deals with catastrophic theory. Environmental issues and human society gone haywire are the bylaws of the endless media regurgitation. We cannot turn the clock back to a time of few choices. We can and do boil down the essence in the kettle to oversimplification of our likes and dislikes.

Catastrophe can also bring revelations, mystical insight and wisdom. In times of crisis the odds are pretty good we reach out to find and give solace. In this process we can sense or feel connections that empower love. Colin Wilson wrote “our human senses show only a small part of the world at present”, he suggests the reality function must be awake. Our imagination and memory supplement the present moment with other times and places. The mind needs to add a dimension of reality to the 5 senses. In youth we have eager expectations, the first time we saw the ocean waves provided a need to dive in but also a fear of being swallowed. As we age the excitement of novelty wears off. What we need to do is to draw optimism as a repetitive exercise.

Anxiety pushes us to embrace the worst. Entitlement does the rest.

The letter of the law intimidates. Law is in constant flux both in human society and religion. If religion’s goal is to be at one with the highest mystical power, what is the goal of law? We need barriers to confine the irrational behaviors of some. Is a wall so different?

The whole purpose of life is discovering our ability to love. In this process we must have knowledge and discipline. The power of love is to serve.

Fancy words for simple solutions. The garden is a good spot to contemplate, as is the dance hall. Making clothes for dolls or cleaning the garage are perfect tasks.

Change is a bit of fun and a bit of fear. When we have purpose and power we can create breakthrough. Not always as we see it, but if we try, we can feel it.

Overcoming the age issue. It is very true that the surety of knowledge becomes deceptive. When we are younger, it is easier to be adamant. With age we vacillate. The enormous amount of information that we are exposed to, does overwhelm the unique perception of consciousness.

 The very words we rely on “truth and lies” have elastic borders to the vagaries of a particular point of view. Most differences come from our very real fears of being less than others. Whether it is based on color of skin, or sexual preference, or nationality or aging, we all have antennas that want to simplify the reality. The popular culture requires that we identify with those that have become famous. History gave this power to those who ruled. So then it becomes, why did the mythological characters of every age change their components of hero worship?

What do Zeus and Hera and OJ and Othello have in common? Is Andy Warhol’s art as important as his statement of “we all want our 15 minutes of fame”?

When we make an argument we rely on the popular fashion of a point in time. In Venice in the Renaissance one-fifth of the population were courtesans. Admitting or admiring such a thing today would require a lawsuit. The worlds oldest profession is rarely considered a desirable occupation. But, have we all not felt our power diminished in some way that resembles the sexual dominance of another? “Bastard” has usually carried a larger discrimination than that of a different race. We all try and resolve our inner conflicts by projecting the chaos of them on to a singular perhaps limited point of view.

Religion has also had moments of acceptance that varies through the ages. The differences between the Vikings and the Romans became about the style of faith imposed by Constantine. The Spain of the Visigoths accepted the Muslims. The Inquisition changed all that.

And today Art is the new religion.

Remember the cartoon of the angel whispering on the guys right shoulder and the devil whispering on the left? Our brains seem to be endlessly struggling with the fight of duality.

Which is why, praying, meditating or repetition of any kind are there for us to connect the distress of polarity.

The soul may be weighed as the Egyptians believed but it definitely becomes singular.

Our brains take over and our emotions are left out to dry. If we can remember, name, and just observe our feelings we may find solace in the simple peaks and valleys of our psyche.

All religions say this.

Like territorial boundaries, politics are the human condition that need to be in control. For me to be right, you must be wrong. To stay out of the fray and realize this is the thorn.

In the northern hemisphere we are moving towards the shortest day, December 21. The lack of light is equated with the murkiness of falsehood. Maybe this is why the holidays can be so restricting. The material frenzy is fun, in that there is busyness in the discovery of finding presents. To make another happy is a wonderful reflection. The down side is the cloud bursting with hot air, when the surprises are over.

The Dutch brought Sinter Claes over to America. His true origins are unknown as all good Shamans can shapeshift. He brought fire as the ultimate gift to us all. He rode the reindeers Thru time and had wee folk to help sort thru the gifts of the naughty and nice.

Celebrate the light returning.

As Venus is in Scorpio there is a saying of Baudelaire, “là où il y a la beauté, on trouve la mort.” Where we have beauty, we have death, the circle of rebirth. The eighth house of Scorpio in astrology represents sex, death and power.

The poet Keats suggested the “negative compatibility concept”, “a willingness to embrace uncertainty and make peace with ambiguity.”

A beautiful and scary entity is the octopus. As it has 8 appendages, it is reminding us of the symbol for infinity. It lives in the ocean depths and can inspire understanding of the unconscious mind. It has 3 hearts and 9 brains. It’s blood is copper infused to produce the color blue. Is there a correlation to Royal Blood?

The design of this creature is a spiral whirlpool. It’s immediate talents are flexibility and unpredictability. It’s intelligence is renowned.

We can feel the pull of many different directions, when we feel the octopus essence in our gut. The complexity of focus and intellect and instinct, brings out our warrior spiritual psyche. The octopus is in constant motion. An artist of camouflage, the mystery is of an esoteric nature. Ejecting thick black ink to escape predators is a marvelous tool.

Being able to disengage a limb in danger and regenerate the same limb, is another miraculous evolution of this creature. If we give something up, we can create acceptance.

The life span is short and breeding is the cause. The male dies from starvation and suffocation immediately. The female gives birth and expires soon afterwards.

The fear factor in the study of wisdom is allowing the introduction of our darkness and foibles. Many early traditions considered the octopus good luck because of the perception of a strong intuition. It knowingly embraces light and night.

It can multi-task and contain control. The flexibility allows for unpredictability. The feelings of being pulled in too many directions is uncomfortable.

The Kraken and the Hydra are the monsters that demand a fighting spirit. They love their heads and limbs and, when dismembered they grow back, rather like the addiction that replaces itself, when you give something up. We have an enormous adversity to pain and growth. The octopus reminds us.

In the Bond movie Octopussy, Maud Adams is the head of a group of Amazonian like ladies who use the power of disorientation and manipulation to aid 007 against an Indian villain.

Lady Gaga chose this character to embody as the sexual is demonstrated with undulating movement. The numerous suction cups are equally erotic. The octopus has no spine.
Like the water it lives in, it can seek its own level with mutability.

Perhaps we need to equate sexy with spiritual?

•••
As above
So below
•••

In visiting a Hindu temple, to be admitted you must ring a bell. It keeps evil away and provides a pleasant sound to the gods. It also creates an enduring sound which brings the two sides of the brain together. The echo for 7 seconds reaches all the chakras of healing. Which leads to eliminating negative thoughts. The Hindu god of architecture, VishwaKarma also rules the 64 mechanical arts and Designs weapons.

Hestia is the Greek goddess of the home and architecture. She invites and receives all who come to her door. Her temperament is passive and non-confrontational. She was the oldest child of Cronos and Rhea and the first to be eaten by her father and the last to be delivered by her brother. Hearth is Latin for “focus”, and another translation of Hestia. Like a moth to a flame, fire is what keeps us centered. Her Roman counterpart was Vesta and she was the one who protected the home.

Venus, the goddess of love is also the lady of money. The passion of money is your self worth.

The word decorate means to embellish, beautify, honor. Do you think the cold white, and ice box looking buildings and apartments and homes of today, are any of these things?
What we live with, is where, with whom, when and what we brought into our home as an object of remembrance. Each individual has a memory that no one else can imagine. Does clutter matter? Dirt or decay does.

Design means to create a look that may or may not have a function. Today’s world seems to worship at this alter. By design we can illuminate or discriminate.

Is our mind cluttered with stuff we are ignoring? For some, like the minimalistic creators of design, the opinion is, empty spaces equate empty mind. Which is fashionable in a Zen sort of way. Tibetan Buddhism celebrates color and minute details. Many ascribe to the rule, clean up, before the maid comes. The main reason for this is, memory. How can you find something you did not put away? Often, what will spark the memory is a memento that reminds us of a certain special person, place or event.

Now the bones or structure of our safe haven are another matter and certainly nurturing and repairing are extremely important. The issue always becomes the trade-off of, the enormous effort to get the best deal. There is a price to pay to allow others to spend your money.

Do you think you are special? Are you a snob? Relationships form, from the need to explore imperfections. If we are all equal, how can we all be special?

Can we be addicted to information? To know something someone else doesn’t? Interpretation
is 90% of the equation. A fact can describe someone as dishonest, but does one immediately assume the truth as golden?

“When I am mad, there is no room to be scared.” A Wrinkle in Time.

Travel can be scary. The unknown is understandably anxious making. But the enforced rules and regulations today can make you mad enough to appreciate the differences in your journeying experiences. And give you more energy to get going.

It is a delicate balance as you do not want to just keep running. Seeing others in their environments often sheds light on your own day to day habits.

Habit is such a huge word. There are good and bad ones in our puritanical society. Many like to point them out. But, to change a habit of thinking, most inevitably we replace it with another. So be prepared to pick a good one. Emotions and thinking are so intertwined. We honor thinking, like science, and generally denigrate feelings as weakness. We see truth in science and lies in emotions. Most philosophies temper the lies and the truth. What we see and hear as lies, often are an emotional reaction to an incomprehensible chemistry.

In Katherine Shields book “Celebrating Ones Insignificance”, she says “Without cultivating virtue, one cannot realize anything”. The root of the word virtue has similarities with verity. Verity equals truth and honor. Virtue suggests moral excellence.

To tell a story we must have the characters of theater, which are comedy and tragedy. There is usually a journey involved with peaks and valleys. The Little Prince shows us the faces of characters we encounter often. The snake, who embodies the death experience, but embraces rebirth by shedding his skin, the fox whose wisdom comes from his need to survive thru cunning. He says, “ Only through the heart can one see clearly, what is essential is invisible to the eye”. The drunk who drinks to forget he is drinking.

The rose is the character of love and she is unique because she is the ephemeral and fanciful concept of the Prince. He learns to appreciate the impermanence of time through her.

My friends new expression through her grief is magnanimous, hopefully she sees and can integrate.

“It is all part of the journey.”

Pictured above:
· "Unique Rose" drawing from The Little Prince  by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
· A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle (cover: Leo and Diane Dillon) 
· The Little Prince (1974): Bob Fosse Scene ... Watch it on youtube...

Is Love evil?

The stories of apples and the nature of relationships.

For Venus and Hélène of Troy the addiction of beauty and love provided disharmony, and discord.

Because Eris, like Sleeping beauty was not invited to the party, there were repercussions. The apple that she threw down like a gauntlet, may have correlations to the puritanical idea of Eve celebrating her sexuality by embracing the serpents offering. Why is the apple the symbol of difficult choices?

Inside the Apple cut in half is the 5 pointed star that DaVinci offered as the symbol of mankind. Humans seem to be endlessly fixated on the feelings of ecstasy promoted by love. The passion of it on the one side and purposely denigrate the ephemeral chaos of the other. Venus’ rivals, were Juno and Athena. Power/Juno and wisdom/Athena will often wilt in the face of the immediate satisfaction of love.

Is this evil? Fear is the thing that makes us face mortality. Is mortality evil? The earliest storytellers created the polarity to stimulate the pleasure of an emotional roller coaster. Our early forbears needed to explain the nothingness of death, and belief systems were created.

The beast’s love for beauty overcame the evil spell that had been put on him.

Snow White was given the poisoned apple to contemplate her fear, sleep is the enemy of conscious insight. Even our dreams can only be seen clearly on waking. The need to have the myths told in our unconscious is the necessary first step. Her step mother the queen’s, love of beauty was a quality of Venus. How often do we want immediate satisfaction over tedious/evil mundane exercises. Can speed overcome the premise of sustained growth?

The boundaries of Saturn are the rings. The understanding that comes from him is Time and Patience and Persistence. We can idealize these qualities but we rarely love them. They are a reality of our lives. Most of us prefer fantasy, color and comfort. There are those who regiment their lives with Saturns disciplines. But somewhere, even those people, slip into the clutches of Cupid. Release the restrictions of fear but embrace the influence of acceptance. In asking questions, realize the release of any advantage the querent may invoke. Rhetorical questions allow much more space to contemplate rather than provoke. Is order synonymous with truth?

Allow this momentous eclipse in Capricorn some space for your bodily structure to relax.

Passion is the motivating force in our lives. Drama and comedy descend from this emotion. The Origen of religion spread through theatrical performances. Storytelling is the Origen of connecting.

Any kind of focus, faith, physical discipline and prowess or even difficult habits like overindulgence brings our need for wholeness into focus. Wholeness or holiness are similar thoughts.
 
It is great if you can hold on to the concept on your own, but most of us want company.

Then there is the foible of hearing and remembering the last titillation that excited you.

It is quite easy to believe you have every illness the pharmaceutical industry promotes on TV.

What is desire? It feeds a physical sensation. Food, the tongue, beauty, the eye, melody, the ear, smell, our chemistry with one another are one type. Another is the longing for peace and happiness. Isn’t it a bit like the carrot, always out of reach. Although a grand sense of accomplishment can give a token of this desire, a seat at the table.

Mars in Cancer is definitely sitting on the chart of United States, born the 4th of July. How do you reconcile the angry: Mars, and wanting to Mother (Cancer) everyone? Trust, belief and hope are all necessary to move on. Can you remember to find the habit of “courage”, not fear? Tears can be happiness, not sadness. The emotional pull of happiness can be harder than sadness or despair. But, the memory of it stays on to pull you up and forward. Remember all that you watch and read is only fleeting and ephemeral. News is a diversion to steer you away from your search.

With Neptune in Pisces you have support from the sea. See the power of it. Remember there is more water around and in us than dense earthly matter.

Music is a thread to follow with any turmoil that may surround you. Moods change so swiftly, hang on to what is a potent reminder of warm and melodic power.

Make a list of how certain songs make you feel.

Here are a few of mine.

May Day, spring, endless possibilities.
 
Watching the rediscovery of fashion, science, and metaphysics.
 
Age cannot wither her.
 
Diane von Furstenberg said “ I think of age as an acquisition, not a loss.” In today’s real estate world, the age or the recent ness of construction is paramount as a selling point. What about Stonehenge or the Great Wall of China or Hagia Sophia?
 
A simplistic design sense is dramatic, it often goes together with enormous art work. The small and intimate are another direction to acknowledge. With the over population of the planet, building structures or objects to fill them provide many a life’s work. The media portrayal of one over the other can be distorted.
 
With the chaos so many points of view encourage, is it any wonder, the news, seems conflicting and different truths are denigrated. Emotions are our prevalent perceptions. How we describe them can be like a ping pong match.
 
Do we change our ability to analyze? In youth we can state a belief that carries the conviction of the “new”. As we age, the levels of insight mutate and spiral. “Don’t worry, be happy” a popular song provides tranquility.
 
As the body is 98% water, is intelligence our most important attribute or is it emotion? What does intelligence mean? The dictionary says it is knowledge, linguistics and math. To know, is to understand or literally stand under. Is there a case for emotions, I.e., water to take precedence? How often has science, law, or medicine been based on instinct? With way too much information, supposedly factual, we are balancing opposing concepts to our emotional bodies.

The mystery of cats. Rat catchers, mesmerizing movements, and contrariness are a small portion of their qualities. A cats purr can heal itself by vibration. Cats are usually lefties, unlike humans, so the controlling part of the brain,is the right side, which governs imagination.
 
Puss and Boots, an ancient story retold by Perrault in the 1600’s extols the virtues of this animal familiar. The boots may have been to relieve the perspiration, cats have thru their paws. But more intriguingly they also created a bravado and swagger necessary to convince the king to let the cats owner marry the princess. The chicanery of Puss appeals to the mischievous in us all and perhaps to a small child, it is a necessity.
 
The Mesopotamians were probably the first to have domesticated cats 100,000 years ago. The Egyptians worship them through the Goddess Bastet and the Indians through their goddess Sasht.
 
Pope Gregory in the 1200’s declared a ban on them as they were associated with pre Christian belief systems. This may have contributed to the plague, as cats kept the parasites on rats under control.
 
Queen Victoria developed an interest in cats thru archeology that was prevalent in her day. This reawakened the cat mythology to the totem standard of a hero.
 
One of the oldest games in human history is the cat’s cradle. A loop of string creates complex patterns moving from one person to another. Kurt Vonnegut’s book of this name, describes the differences between religion and science and wherein lies the truth?
 
Harry Chapin’s song of the same name shows the bittersweet cycle of our human condition. How we repeat the lack of time we take with those we love.
 
In memory of Michael Katz. 1953-2019