Full Moon Energies May 12-26

Life is a Process of Letting Go

On this most auspicious of Full Moons, which is also Buddha Punima (Siddhartha Gautama’s birthday), I am reminded of the art of letting go… this morning’s practice brought up a deep and intense life review that found me laughing, crying and in total wonder, amazement and gratitude for this life. As tears of deep appreciation rolled down my face, I time-travelled through many different phases of my journey thus far. The agony and the ecstasy of being human never fails to leave me in awe.

Deep emotion rolled over me in waves as I travelled back through my consciousness and looked into the eyes of my children as wee babes… now independent, brilliant and beautiful young adults with their own journeys full of mystery, challenge and adventure, it once again struck me just how fast life goes by… it’s no wonder we try and hold on.

While I wouldn’t change a thing, there is the bittersweet reality that everything on Earth is always changing. Nothing stays the same ~ even a mountain ~ though its movement may be imperceptible to us ~ moves, changes and transforms in divine dynamic stillness. This is one of the Laws of Nature that keeps life progressing and evolving.

In the relative field of reality, what we perceive as form is really an event. We now know scientifically what the Vedas and other wisdom teachings have been saying for eons ~ matter is an illusion, albeit a consistent and persistent illusion, all matter is at its core movement, vibration, energy… consciousness expressing in temporary formations. “Temporary” is the key. Even a rock, with a lifespan of millions of years, is not solid at its core. Zoom in far enough and you will see that the atoms making up every rock on Earth are dancing to their own, unique song.

But, what does quantum physics and evolution have to do with letting go? Well I believe it helps us understand and embrace change. If we only look at life through 3 dimensional glasses and perceive everything as only material in nature, we miss the great multidimensional quality of everything. We then expect things to stay the same, we cling and can be disappointed when they change.

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” ~ Nikola Tesla

Even if we do not expect things to stay the same, we too often place expectations on how things should be. Based on previous experience, a lifetime of conditioning and programming and our own ideals and desires, we set expectations for ourselves and others, and when those expectations are not met the way we anticipated, we quickly become disappointed. We end up having to grieve a loss, which if you think about it, only ever really existed in the mind in the first place. In truth, if we examine our lives we will discover that what we have “in mind” is rarely in alignment with “reality”. There simply are too many other factors at play for things to turn out “the way we thought”. We set goals because we think we will be happy in achieving them only to discover that true fulfillment comes from the journey and not the destination.

The profound and timeless Yogic wisdom of Sage Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras teaches aparigraha. Aparigraha is a Sanskrit word that translates into “non-grasping or, non-possessiveness”. This is one of the core principles of yoga which encourages us to let go of our attachment to material things, outcomes, people and even our identities. Unlike some spiritual teachings, this is not to suggest we give up desire completely, but that we surrender our attachment to how and if what we desire comes to pass. There is immense freedom and personal liberation in the practice of this principle. To have a desire, but to hold no attachment to if, when and how it manifests for us, is to allow for Divine Intelligence to synchronistically align the perfect object, person, solution or circumstance. It is a practice that requires actively releasing the ego’s need to control, which requires surrender to a “higher power”, call it what you will ~ Universe, Divine Intelligence, Soul etc., it is the acknowledgment that ego operates from fear and heart-centred, soul awareness operates from love and wisdom. The heart is the “seat of the soul”, our portal into higher awareness, intelligence and the centre of cosmic consciousness. It is realizing the highest truth that sometimes not getting what we want, is a true blessing “in disguise” that we may only understand years later upon reflection.

When a yogi says, “be without possessions”, they do not mean “have nothing” and renounce all material life. The practice and endeavour is to drop the idea of possession ~ not to possess the things we own, for what we possess ends up possessing us. People often misunderstand this as not owning anything, which is not the meaning or truth of the teaching. One has to look deeper to realize the wisdom in Patanjali’s sage teachings.

Yoga is not about resisting or escaping being human. In fact, from the yogic perspective, this experience we call “a human life” is so brief and fleeting of an event in our soul’s eternal journey that we must make the most of it! What that means for each of us will be very different and no one has the right to judge what is right for you, but by divine design, life is meant to be fulfilling and evolutionary. We are designed to know bliss. This does not mean “easy”, but it means that everyone is born with Divine purpose and meaning. Challenges are part of the journey for that is how we grow and when we experience progress, we naturally feel fulfilled and alive.

“Aparigraha is not about punishing yourself. It is about accessing the state of consciousness where the needs drop, being in a state of non-neediness. You are no longer needy. When you are not in the state of neediness or dependency, then your desires will be natural desires. If it is nature’s will that you have to sleep on the cold floor, then you will do that and you will have a beautiful experience. If it is nature’s will that you sleep in the bed, you will have a wonderful experience in the bed. If it is nature’s will that you walk barefoot for miles, then you will walk barefoot for miles and that too, will be wonderful. Aparigraha. Infinite Adaptability.”
~ Sri Anand Mehrotra Ji

The deeper we go into the state of yoga, the more aligned, elevated and in the cosmic flow our consciousness becomes and we develop this infinite adaptability to meet life exactly where we are… this is immense personal power ~ to know you can handle whatever comes your way, even if it is hard, challenging and emotional, you know that if you can just let go and surrender what you “thought it should be”, trust that everything is always divinely aligned and timed, then amazingly, in that SPACE, the solutions and resolutions you seek finally have the opportunity to present themselves.

Ultimately life is a continuous process of learning to let go because the more we try to hang on to the past or attach to ideas of the future, the more stuck and unhappy we become. The more we insist that our belief system or point of view is “right”, the more we make everyone else “wrong”, creating conflict within ourselves and the world. Happiness and joy is truly discovered in the flow and the flow is only ever found when we surf the waves of Shakti one at a time, releasing the previous one before we can experience the next. We have to be present in the moment to know bliss. We have to know gratitude for what is, regardless of circumstance ~ simply for existing at all, simply because the Spirit chooses to breathe us, we can find gratitude. We have to allow energy to flow and children to grow and we have to let go, moment by moment, if we want to experience anything at all.

Now please don’t get me wrong… I am not suggesting this is always easy to do! This is a practice and as such, it has its ups and downs. It can be so hard sometimes, hearts ache and break for that is how the human is created. Grief and pain are real and must be honoured and processed. Life throws us major curve balls and we feel so much that sometimes it’s a wonder we are still standing! but, therein lies the grace, for it is in these times that we grow the most and may discover who we are in truth. As we resolve to embrace the unknown, transcend fear and move through challenges as they arise, it is on the other side where the blessings are received.

Life is a process of learning to let go.. nothing stays the same and deep down we all know what that means. Just as the destination gives purpose and meaning to the journey, the inevitable “end” of this physical form, gives meaning and purpose to life. Therefore, it behooves us greatly to practice Aparigraha, not grasping to the past or our idea of the future, but to be open, aware and present in every moment possible so that when we look back we remember the moments that make up the event we call “life”.

The Moon’s swift movement through the zodiac is our constant, cosmic reminder that change is always happening, within and around us.

Full Moon in Sidereal Libra & Vishaka Nakshatra

Today’s full moon in Vishaka is all about taking off the mask that pretends to know how everything “should be”. It’s about finding the balance between what we desire and what we surrender. It is a beautiful and auspicious full Moon and a little lighter than recent months, which have felt quite heavy for many of us. Libra is ruled by Venus (still exalted in Pisces) and Vishaka is ruled by the Moon. This Venus-Moon yoga is a wonderful opportunity to practice self-awareness and surrender while at the same time, leaning into our heart’s deepest desires.

Ruled by Venus, Libra values beauty, justice, health and seeks the balance that natural harmony offers. The Moon is on its own in Libra today and invites us to spend some time on our own as well so we may realize and let go of all the things that are keeping us out of balance. Today’s Moon is shining its reflection on the aspects of ourselves we grasp and cling to under the illusion of safety. It invites us to open ourselves up to new perspectives and insights, and as the Moon begins to wane over the next two weeks, we can use this energy every day to create a little more space for the new to emerge by letting go of the attachments, expectations, assumptions, beliefs, ideologies and grievances we use to create an identity ~ the mask we believe will protect us, but ultimately keeps us from knowing the true joy of authenticity.

Sometimes letting go simply look likes admitting we don’t know… Even if we have some idea what we desire to have, do, be, we can never know how events will come to pass ~ once we realize this, we can release control and set ourselves free to evolve. Yes, we take action along our path, but we don’t force or demand things be a certain way.

Moon aspected by debilitated Mars may incline us toward the negative; therefore, with awareness we can consciously look for the positive. We are all integrating major recent planetary transits and this can feel unsettling until we harmonize. Rather than having exaggerated reactions to perceived threats and challenges, the energy of Vishaka Nakshatra offers us support to transcend the negative tendencies of our minds. All of this is subjective to how this Full Moon plays into your birth chart, but in general we can observe these energies at play and choose to move with conscious awareness as we integrate and align.

Whenever Moon is in Vishaka Nakshatra, Sun is exalted in Aries, which can give rise to strong ego, pride and arrogance if we insist on holding onto our point of view. On the flip side, Sun exalted can offer sparks of intuition and inspiration that seem to come “out of the blue”. Sun in the birth chart represents soul in Vedic astrology and when exalted, heightens our connection to our higher Self and Source. It’s a wonderful opportunity to receive insight into our spiritual path and the ways in which we can create and serve.

As mentioned in my previous post, Jupiter moves into Gemini right after the Full Moon, marking the beginning of profound new energies flowing into our lives. For more details on this, please refer to my previous post as this marks the beginning of an incredible window of opportunity for growth, expansion and creativity.

Sending you all huge cosmic hugs and as always, if you would like to delve deeper into what these cosmic energies mean for you specifically in your life, please contact me to book a reading.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti, Hari Om Tat Sat