Lost in Translation

You must learn how to crawl before you walk…How many times have we heard, or said those words?  The logic of the process is painfully obvious. Observe and learn, thought into action. Try, try, again. Sucessful baby steps, new found freedom…and then we fall.

I’ve been reflecting on that inevitable fall; particularly failure and wanting to give up on the process. I’m astonished at how much energy and time is wasted in the negative thoughts of falling, retreat to the comfortable “known”, the fear of failure, and so badly desiring for the process to be over.  Here’s what I’ve realized and can actually laugh at – they’re nothing but thoughts – aka mind chatter. And what’s most firghtening is how paralyzing these thoughts can be. We listen to those thoughts like its the ultimate Truth. Being in that thought space offers no possibilities, and severely limits the access to that which we really want in life. As for me? I want to be happy. I want to be in love. I want to be first string in the symphony of life. I feel like when you surrender to your thoughts, you have given up on the action, the actual “work” that needs to take place. All these thoughts need to be translated into actions. By doing, not thinking, we are being. And isn’t that what we all are anyways? Human BEINGS? So instead of thinking about how a situation is/was/or could be; or what he said/she said; or about the drama of a break up – it’s time to act, to move on, and start crawling, falling, walking, falling, running towards your dreams. And if you fail, fail fast, then get back up!

 It takes almost no effort to give up. In fact, its much easier to give up, than to get up, dust ourselves off, and try again.  Along side wiping our tears and tending to our wounds, we must also remember to forgive ourselves and others, and then…let go. We have the ability, (it is a choice)  to let go of past hurts and past thoughts. If we can’t let go of past failures and upsets, one thing is inevitable: Your past will become your future.

 Although I have forgotten at various moments, I’m getting re-related to the power of free will, choice, and action. Read carefully: no where am I’m saying  any of this will be easy. But what I am reaffirming is that there is always a choice in the matter. And I offer to you, the choice is yours… 

Everyone has problems and life is problematic. If we didn’t have problems, we’d be dead. Trust me, I know that things are heavy, loaded, and complicated. There is always much at stake, and the mind chatter will work overtime to keep us busy and distracted. Don’t lose yourself for too long in thought. Focus your energy on translating thought into action. For me, it’s time to get back to work. I leave you with a quote from Anais Nin:

 ”and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”

 

Always,

J

PS – You are a circuitry of inspiration.

Laid back, with my mind on my money, and my money on my mind…

One of my favorite things to find in my inbox are reflections from www.dailyom.com. I love reading the messages and pondering the powerful and inspiring words. The messages always seem to fit into my life, so it would be appropriate that a recent message was about financial lack. I’ve been consumed with thoughts about money lately. Do I have enough? Will I have enough? How can I make more money? I’ve been searching for a new job over the past few months and I seem to be getting more anxious about money. I’m inspired to question what my spirit wants and will follow up in future blogs.  For the time being, I’ll share with you snippets from the reflection. I hope that it will leave you (as it did me), a bit more laid back about money.

Learn and Let Flow
We Don’t Need To Suffer

The idea that we have to suffer or live in poverty in order to be spiritual is an old one and can be found in the belief systems of many philosophies. Most of us carry this idea around subconsciously, and we may be holding ourselves back from financial or emotional well-being, believing that this is what we must do in order to be virtuous, spiritually awake, or feel less guilty for the suffering of others.

While it’s true that there can be a spiritual purpose to experiencing a lack of material well-being, it is rarely intended to be a permanent or lifelong experience. What we are meant to find when material or emotional resources are in short supply is that there is more to our lives than the physical realm. Intense relationships and material abundance can distract us from the subtler realm of the spirit, so a time of deficiency can be spiritually awakening. However, once we recognize the realm of spirit, and remember to hold it at the center of our lives, there is no reason to dwell in poverty or emotional isolation. In fact, once our connection to spirit is fully intact, we feel so compelled to share our abundance that lack becomes a thing of the past.

If you find that you are experiencing suffering in some area of your physical life, perhaps your spirit is asking you to look deeper in your search for what you want. For example, if you want money so that you can experience the feeling of security but money keeps eluding you, your spirit may be asking you to understand that security is not to be found through money. Security comes from an unshakable connection to your soul. Once you make that connection, money will probably flow more easily into your life. If relationships elude you, your spirit may be calling you to recognize that the love you seek is not to be found in another person. And yet, ironically, once you find the love, your true love may very well appear. If you feel stuck in suffering to live a spiritual life, try to spend some time writing about it. The root of the problem will appear and it may not be what you expected. Remember, the Universe wants you to be happy.

It’s Not Easy Being Green

I’ve recently taken a liking to the saying: “What you appreciate, appreciates.”  Perhaps because I’m learning the value of things. And yes, learning is a process. I’m just learning how to crawl in the arena of appreciation and being grateful. The weekly consciousness inspired me to think about my development and awareness. Most importantly though, it gave me clarity about desire.  

I used to think that desire was good. I thought that I needed a healthy dose of desire to motivate myself to do better and acheive more. I had a hard time understanding (and relating to) people who weren’t in motion of betterment. My world consisted of  looking at and desiring the next best thing, whether it was other people’s clothes, homes, cars, jobs, and relationships. I constantly thought to myself: “Yes, I want that! I need this!  I will have it all someday!” I really thought that  I can (and deserve!) to have it all. The recipe of the disaster of my thought process was: 1 large ego, 1 part low-self esteem, 2 parts entitlement, a cup of jealousy, a cup of envy, and a dash or two of unreality.

I realize that it isn’t healthy desire but my ego, sense of entitlement, envy and jealousy that are the fuel to my impatience and intolerance, impulsivity and immaturity, judgement, and feelings of superiority. The impact of thinking with that filter? My lack of appreciation means that nothing ever pleases me or anything is ever enough. Sadly, I am often caught up in the past of what once was or in a daydream as to what could be someday, thus lose alot of the present.

Today, I’m committing to the present. Perhaps that means a new recipe for living and thinking: 1 heart, equal parts appreciation and patience, 1 heaping cup of faith, 1 heaping cup of patience. Keep stirring – its constant work! Share blessings with others and serve with LOVE!

Sincerely,

The Artist Formally Known as Jenvious

Don’t call us, we’ll call you…

You know how you have to take personality and intelligent tests during the interview process? What if, before hiring, companies examined your birth chart? I thought it would be fun to explore my chart from a potential employers perspective to see what it might say about me and my work ethic.  Read on, and then answer, would you hire me based on my natal chart?

The aspects I chose to explore were 1) my Sun sign – Leo, 2) my rising/Ascendant - Virgo, 3) Moon – Aries, 4) Mercury – Virgo, 5) Venus – Virgo and 6) Mars – Virgo. I chose these aspects because* (see disclaimer at end of blog) these come to represent one’s nature; the mask one wears (how other people view you); your default reactive nature or habits; your mind and communication; relationships with others (strictly business for this interpretation); and my driving force, or where I get my energy from.

As mentioned above, my sun sign is Leo. According to Jeff Prince’s astrology website (http://www.jpastrology.co.uk/), a Leo’s basic nature is “proud and generous, with a love of dramatic gestures…(you) have an innate loyalty and warmth… are generous and affectionate… have a need to express yourself creatively…have the strength and determination to achieve your aims…willpower is generally strong and once you have set your mind on a course of action you can carry it out with great enthusiasm.”  Awww, doesn’t that sound great? You want to hire me, now, on the spot, don’t you? Ok, ok, enough about me. Did I tell you about another great quality of Leo is that we’re honest? So allow me to be upfront and honest about our shadow side. Jeff Prince writes, “Beware of a tendency to become fixed and dogmatic in your opinions, occasionally being rather intolerant of other people’s faults and shortcomings. This arises from your intolerance of your own faults and shortcomings. You may refuse to acknowledge them, or if you do, refuse to live with them.” Ouch. Another quality of Leo is that we like to lick our wounds in private, so I am moving on from this aspect.

My rising sign is Virgo, and I think that any employer can appreciate Prince’s  interpretation of this placement. “Systematic and well ordered, no detail is overlooked, with perfection being your goal. Nevertheless, if you can keep excessive nervous energy under control, then a great deal could be achieved throughout your life.”

My moon is in Aries and although I may be “naturally persuasive, can easily attract others to me, have an enthusiasm for life, and a naturally direct approach” I have to develop patience. Prince writes that I’m “potentially volatile and overpowering, but sincere and loving as well.” Further, although I may be understanding, it’s important to note that if I’m caught unexpectedly, or my feelings are hurt, I can surprise others with the strength of my anger and aggression. True that. So, in other words, don’t piss me off.

If my future company doesn’t appreciate my emotions, atleast they can appreciate my mind. Because of Mercury’s placement in Virgo, my mind is both practical and analytical. I’m able to “evaluate any issue or idea, reducing it to its component parts and seeing how all the parts fit together”. I agree with Prince when he writes that this gives me excellent “managerial abilities and an incisive intellect which, given time, can find the solution to any problem”. (Obviously this ability applies more to practical and material matters rather than emotional ones.  See prior paragraph). Yes, I do  have a strong critical ability. Ask anyone close to me and they will be able to vouge that I am able to see the flaws and errors, which also makes me, more often that not, overly-critical and impatient.  But, if the company needs someone with vision for change, I am your woman!

Of course (!) I thought is would be important to examine relationships with co-workers.  With a placement of Venus in Virgo I have the tendency to over-examine my feelings in my relationships. I have to understand “the why and wherefore behind any relationship”. According to Prince, I could become “very critical of the other person when my analysis reveals that they’re not the perfect, pure being that I want them to be”. (Side note – - For those in HR who may be reading my chart: Honestly, I’m just very passionate about the representation of the company’s employees. Everyone should be working towards better versions of themselves, that’s all. )

Lastly, if  the presentation of my cosmic gifts hasn’t convinced you yet to hire me, perhaps the placement of Mars in Virgo will save me. Read carefully: I will work long and hard. I am dedicated. I am service oriented. In other words, serving you exites me. Also, this placement of Mars in Virgo means that I will put a great deal of energy into arranging practical and material affairs.  You don’t ever have to worry about me not understanding things or even about letting outsiders in on company secrets. Although I may be overly-critical, you can count on me to constantly question motives and to have an incessant need to understand the whys and wherefores of everything.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

J

*Disclaimer:  Blogger is not an official astrologer or interpreter of such. Blogs written are purely (and hopefully) for enjoyment purposes. Opinions and thoughts represented here are by no means to be taken as the official word, the holy word, or the last word. I just want to be heard. Word.

This too shall pass…

I love Thursdays because I have access to read more in depth about transits through a favorite astrology website www.astro.com. Before I gab about my transits, you may be wondering, what exactly is a transit?

According to the Astro dienst website, transits are “the passages of the planets over birth positions”. You see, at your time of birth the planets were aligned in a very particular way. Your birth chart (or natal chart – - also free from this website) shows the state of the heavens at the time and place of birth. “However, the planets move on, entering into new relationships with the planetary positions in the birth chart all the time”. In other words, the heavens are always moving and creating new energies and developments in your life. Paying attention to the sign, the house, aspects and angles are important details to consider, as the interpretation of such can suggest things like “opportunities, health, moods and states of mind …learning phases, crises, as well as periods of stability and happiness”.

One of my transits occuring today is Sun Sextile Sun. The title of the transit labeled by Astro dienst was “Taking Stock”. According to the website:

“This is a time when you should strive to integrate your energies with those of the people around you – your friends, neighbors and the groups that you identify with. You will be able to work very effectively with others now, and your goals and objectives will harmonize with those of the people you associate with. You will do this without any loss of identity; in fact, you will feel that what you do affirms your identity. This is a good time for socializing with others. You will enjoy people’s company and derive much benefit from being with them. Now you should find out what you have succeeded in doing and what has failed and prepare for your birthday, when the next cycle will begin. “

Is this transit significant? Well, I thought about the title, taking stock. Interesting enough I have been thinking about my life and reflecting about where I’ve been and where I am going. I’ve always considered my birthday to be a significant day (and not just because I am Leo) but because it reminds me that I am another year older, and hopefully more the wiser. Yesterday I exclaimed to the universe that by August 12th (1 day before my 33rd) I would have a new job. I’ve been toying with many ideas and new career directions for a while now. Is it in response to the cosmos? I’m not so sure. But this transit has given more to think about it.  With this information, perhaps I just may put more thought into where I will be leaping next.

“As above, so below…”

I had my first astrology class last night. I was anxious and excited to get the following questions answered: what is astrology? how does it work? and what is it for? I was thrilled that we had such a cool, laid back and humorous instructor to guide us for the next several weeks. He answered the three questions using what he calls the essence and octave approach. To start he says that there are no positive or negative energies, just octaves. The higher the octave, the more desirable of the manifestation; thus, the lower the octave, the less desirable manifestation. Further, our responses to those octaves and the level we use them may end with different results. Take for instance three different people experiencing the same transit. One may be more cautious in their day, one may be more reactive, and one may not be affected at all. He continued with the statement, that astrology is a matter of choice. We have the knowledge, how do we use it?

What I really enjoyed was learning astrology as if it were a language. It’s symbols and systems of rulership are like an alphabet and grammar. With proper use, you can string all elements and qualities together, just like how we make sentences and paragraphs.

I also learned that astrology is a meditative, magical tool of consciousness that opens you up to a wider context of reality. It’s meditative because it allows you to put essences into consciousness and filters the information into an intuitive flow. It’s magical because it’s not understood. However, just because it’s understood, does not mean that it doesn’t exist.  Basically, our teacher defined magic as the knowledge of and purposeful utilization of natural laws that most people don’t know about. Again, just because it’s not understood doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I’m excited to learn and put to use this newly gained knowledge.

I was also surprised (and a bit relieved) to learn that the planets are not causative.  The planets are reflective of the meanings we project onto them. I thought this was interesting because I wanted to then know the creators of the meanings.  The teacher explained that, 1) nobody knows and 2) that meanings evolve. He added, for example, when Pluto was found, that it was the consensus of astrologers as to what it should mean. I was not satisfied with that answer, and I am hoping to continue this discussion next week. I am uncertain as to how a group can just construct the meaning of a planet and then attach it to a sign. In this instance, Pluto to Scorpio. There has to be much more.

I always thought that astrology was to guide us and to tell us who we are. What I learned last night is that astrology is available to allow us to make better choices and for the expansion of our consciousness. I suppose that with any knowledge we are more equipped to make choices, so this all makes sense to me.

Last interesting tidbit, did you know that Robert Kennedy and Charles Manson have almost identical charts? Scary… but great example of how individuals choose to react to energies at very different octaves.

Peace out,

J

Hello world!

Why Venus in the 12th you ask? The 12th house (an astrological house – - more later) would accurately represent my thoughts on screen. I’m working on transforming my self in order to be more like G-d. Not in the holier than holies kind of way, but in the G-d = one = love kind of way. And given that Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is in my 12th house, it has come to symboloze the kind of “work” I must do on myself in regards to my relationships with all people in this life. 

Secondly, the 12th house commonly represents the unconscious. What kinds of things do we keep hidden? What kinds of things do we sweep under the rug? Some have labeled it the house of reckoning, or even the house of karma, as it being 12 out of 12, its a chance to review where we have been and what we will be doing next. I am strongly attached to these representations, as I feel that I have some serious ammends to make with people, especially some family members, and most importantly my relationship with G-d.

My goal that is this blog will give me an opportunity to pull the proverbial rug and do a good unconscious clean. Who knows what I may find?