“I have never smoked a single joint in my life and I am an opponent of all drugs. Classical medicine is my calling. However when I faced lung cancer I tried everything”, says the doctor. He claims to be cured by cannabis oil.
The fifty-year old doctor from Serbia had been detected with lung cancer with metastasis to the lymph nodes 6 months ago. Stage two of three. He began to use cannabis oil. He fully supports the opportunity to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
It is in offering dignity to others that our own dignity is revealed. Make your day an offering of dignity to others. Reflect on how it feels inside.
Death has everything to do with how we live. The honesty and grace of the years of life that are ending is the real measure of how we die. It is not in the last weeks or days that we compose the message that will be remembered, but in all the decades that preceded them. Who has lived in dignity, dies in dignity.
“There are those who forget that death comes to everyone. For those who remember, all quarrels come to an end.” ~ Buddha
Aloha kakahiaka e hau’oli aloha Po’akahi. He hoʻolaulea o ke ola keia la mea aloha.
Good morning and happy Monday. Celebrate Life today with your loved ones.
Above: Dui Open, responsive, free
Below: Li Radiant, articulate
The Wisdom:
Change! Stripping away the old skin. Making way for Revolution
One thing is a constant in our universe, that is change, and now as there is a great shifting of energies on planet earth, so it will reflect for sure in your personal life.
Necessity and opportunity are now combined, making this a rarified time where your power to make positive change is at its most dynamic. It is a time that can carry you to heights you have not before imagined. Don’t rush or panic, there will be time to do what must be done. And have no doubts the changes you have thought and dreamed are active as never before.
When you read or hear this message from the ancient oracle avoid the temptation to make changes purely for the sake of change. Be present. Seek wise council when necessary. Don’t let your ego keep you from asking for assistance from a wise person in your tribe when you feel you are missing something in the process. This will be of benefit to family, tribe and relationships as all moves toward the benefit of the greater good.
Carefully consider each move you deem necessary, consider all aspects and ramifications of your action; then make that move the focal point of your meditation. In stillness you will be shown the proper time to take action or to discard a particular action. Moving in this way, you can build a solid foundation from which to launch your revolution, your re-evolution, and the change that will allow you to achieve supreme success.
Prepare yourself for change. To be ready and confident that you will receive the bounty of change that is coming, you must be steady, healthy, and have a calm and quiet mind. To be a successful revolutionary you must be strategic and have a definite plan.
This time in your cycle is a time of abundance, but abundance without a strong vessel to contain it can slip away quickly and send you into a descent that could take many cycles from which to recover. Don’t risk it. Know that what has taken you to this point, no matter how beautiful and loving, or disappointing and frustrating, it has given you the ability to have a very clear vision of what needs to be done and how to behave. Trust this vision now and act accordingly.
Be fully in your body when you feel the pain of internal revolution, this is suffering, and suffering paves the way for you to live in freedom with dignity and compassion. As this destined change, this revolution, is happening, be and speak your truth.
Remember, you cannot hurt anyone with words or actions that are of truth; it is the choice of the other to take truth and attempt to subvert it by calling it hurt, hoping to be relieved of taking responsibility for their own contribution to the situation and their selfish efforts to be in control.
The world you once knew is no longer. The image of this hexagram is that of metal over fire. The metal is molten and represents the cycle that is in transformation, waiting to take a new form, to become a new, creative, beneficial force.
The symbolism of this hexagram, Ge, tells us in no uncertain terms that we have entered a new era—not by choice, but as a result of our destiny.
If your timing is off and you jump too soon or miss the time of action, you will not go gently into that good night—you will be metaphorically skinned. And that will be unpleasant, dramatic, time-consuming, and surely emotionally and psychologically painful. Now you are being given a choice: you can kick your addiction to pain, suffering, and drama with the understanding that you have set it up this way, in order to feed the bottomless pit of frozen needs of old patterns and knee-jerk responses. The choice you are given is one we don’t get very often. Either be conscious and attentive to details and with this awareness use your intuition and/or the advice of a sage, the wise person in your tribe of fellows, as to when you will take this action or jump in carelessly feigning bravery and sink back to old ways, behaviors and beliefs.
Timing is of the essence. You will know the right time to creatively make the necessary changes by trusting your inner voice of wisdom and awareness that arises in stillness. Trust that you will be guided well by intuition, which will illuminate the right time and place to shed your skin.
Place becomes as important as time in this case. Choose a sacred space for this dance of transformation. It may be an actual place where you can feel the trust to go into your depths. Invite the one, or ones, who are sacred to you to be present, as you do not have to do this alone, not anymore, because what you are going through is happening all around you. Speak up, speak your truth, speak of where you are in the inner dance, and take partners. You will be surprised at how many in your milieu are in the same dance, so join together and do the dance. It will be a new seriousness, and it will be joyful.
When a skin is shed or cut away, what is revealed are new ways of being. You are left raw, delicate, and vulnerable. You will enter one of the most vulnerable times in this personal cycle and of Earth herself. It is of great benefit to be the fierce warrior goddess or hero as you use truth to complete and support your process. As you are shedding, you will clearly see what has been disharmonious or dysfunctional in your life. As previously ignored or denied issues and attitudes reveal themselves—and they assuredly will—shed them along with the metaphorical skin that is being cast aside.
Be strategic now. Look to your old habits. See the ones generated by , shame, fear and doubt, and with intent do process to let them go. Literally change your thought process. Words and language are codes that reach the sanctum sanctorum of your heart and soul and manifest as realities.
Hear the inner words that are negative or are of no use, and literally correct your self-talk.
Prepare yourself for change. To be ready and confident that you will receive the bounty of change that is coming. You must be steady, healthy, and have a calm and quiet mind.
Just knowing that the time of radical revolution is here is not enough. For a revolution to be successful, it must start within. To be believed you must first believe in yourself. The human condition is a mystery. It often brings us to ask the unanswerable question: Why me? So the first action is to get that weak plea out of the way; then the road to revolution, radical change, will become clear—you will manifest it. In fact, you have already manifested it, but as you walk through this gauntlet of fear, shame and doubt you will find you have been wearing blinders, seeing only the old ways. You will not make it through if you are worried about what others in your tribe, family, company, or relationship think. It doesn’t matter. This journey is yours, not theirs.
Abundance referred to in this text has many parts. It may be money, love, place, happiness, recognition, health, or any combination of these things. Prepare yourself to receive by making the conscious decision to be conscious of change and to ignite revolution. In this way you make ready the vessel to receive. This is, in part, the alchemical formula that begets revolution—learning to receive, with humility and dignity. The other components are trust and confidence in your inner knowing; clear your mind and trust the messages from within.
There is a grand opportunity now to change your old ways of thinking and being. By doing so, you can and will change your world and our world. This is our responsibility as we awaken as aware and conscious beings.
Don’t give up your ideals and don’t compromise. Be firm, compassionate, and kind as you grow a new and beautiful, luminescent skin to take the place of that which you shed on your journey.
As you are losing that old skin of stale and useless modes of thinking and behavior, it will benefit you to move with the rhythm of the earth…..dance, sing and be joyous. This is the signal to spirit that you are present and willing to receive what you have worked so hard to achieve and acquire.
With feet planted firmly on the ground say again, and again, and loudly…I AM HERE…
Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā;
manoseṭṭhā manomayā.
Manasā ce pasannena
bhāsati vā karoti vā,
tato naṃ sukhamanveti
chāyāva anapāyinī.
Mind precedes all things;
mind is their chief, mind is their maker.
If one speaks or does a deed
with a mind that is pure within,
happiness then follows along
like a never departing shadow.
Dhammapada 1.2
Gemstones of the Good Dhamma,
compiled and translated by Ven. S. Dhammika
Sensei Tracey Cochran, RMT (1962-2014) ~ Washington Halau
It is with a heavy heart that we bid aloha ‘oe to a good friend and a wonderful student, Reiki Sensei Shinpiden Tracey Cochran, of Lake Havesu, Arizona, who passed through the Veil at 3:30 a.m this morning. Her exuberance for life, her deep level of compassion expressed as a gifted Healer will be missed by all, especially her most loving husband, Jim Cochran. The Halau is with you, Tracey … you’re going Home, full sail. We love you, Girl. Good journey in the company of your Grandmother Nelson … Aloha ‘oe no kau’a, Tracey.
Sit in a public space in your neighborhood. What do you notice about the people and the issues? If you’re feeling brave, interact with someone by starting a conversation or just saying hello!
“Flowers are not made by singing “Oh, how beautiful,” and sitting in the shade.” ~ Rudyard Kipling
In keeping with our production of charts for catastrophes happening in late October of 2014, here are the charts for the Virgin Galactic crash of Halloween 2014. The crash happened near the Mojave Air and Space Port near Mojave CA.
Aloha kakhiaka oukou. Hau’oli aloha Po’aono. E pili Mau na pomaika’i ia ‘oe ko’u na hoaloha a ‘Ohana. Ku’u aku a hoihoi keia nani Po’aono a me kou ‘ohana.
Good morning and happy Aloha Saturday to you all. May Blessings ever be with you, our friends and family. Relax and enjoy this beautiful Saturday with your family.
Sending prayers up for those in the path of Pele’s lava flows in Pahoa, Moku o Keawe, tonight … You are in my heart, Moku o Keawe (a/k/a Hawai’i Island) … I pray no one is hurt and those who may lose their homes are safe tonight. Please join your intentions and focus with mine for the Big Island and Pahoa Town. Mekealoha pumehana kakou e mahalo nui loa!
Aloha kakahiaka oukou e Hau’oli Aloha Po’alima … Na kanaka he waiwai nui ke aloha, o ka u no ia e pulama nei. Aloha, o ka pono no ia, o ka noho na’auao. Aloha, mai keia manawa a mau loa aku I ho’okahi kahi ke aloha e hoihoi keia makana o ola. Aloha Ke Akua
Good morning and Happy Aloha Friday, everyone … People, Love is of great value, it is what I cherish. Love, that is the right (thing) living wisely. Love, from now until eternity, from now on & forever be one in love and enjoy this gift of life. God is Love
Here is the Astrology Chart for Orbital Sciences Corp’s Antares rocket explosion. We have used 6:22 PM EDT based on this article at CNN and this article at CS Monitor. (Our Atlas does not contain Wallops Island, VA, so we used nearby Temperanceville, VA.)
[Click to Enlarge]
We note that Moon is besieged by Mars/Pluto and close to the midpoint of Mars/Pluto. Otherwise, the chart is curiously unremarkable (how oddly similar in that sense to the Marysville Shootings chart). We note that, except for the Moon, the planets of this chart (the rocket explosion) in the sixth house are essentially opposite themselves in the twelfth house of the Marysville chart. (This implies that they are astrologically connected, but how?)
Moon / Pluto are in an intercepted ninth house, Mars in the eighth (death), and Uranus (explosions) in the twelfth. Pisces / Virgo is intercepted (with Chiron/Neptune contained…
Lately I’ve been enjoying some time away from computers and technology. I came to the realization that in one sense technology liberates us but at the same time also can enslave us. The enslavement is the time it takes out of our days, where we could be enjoying the sunshine or a sunset. I started to think about freedom and what it really means to be free.
I identified that as a human being on earth at this time, we have conditional freedom but in many cases not absolute freedom. Conditional freedom means that we usually have to invest our time and energy into something, such as a job, to be rewarded with money to then spend as we see fit. This is a give and take system.
Absolute freedom is the freedom that is not bound by conditions or expectations. We often associate this freedom with our childhood, when we were innocent and without a care in the world. However, as we grow into adulthood, this usually becomes a scarcer experience. Many people associate freedom with financial freedom, because most things cost money in this world. However, there is that saying ‘the best things in life are free’. This got me pondering, what things do I enjoy that are free? Friendships and love are free. A walk outside, breathing the air, enjoying the sunshine and listening to the birds sing, are some examples.
Freedom is also a matter of perspective. Two people with the same circumstances can both have a different view on their personal freedom. One may feel a victim to circumstances or empowered by their circumstances. It can be easy to feel a victim in life, especially when things don’t go to plan. However what we often forget or don’t realize is that on a soul level we have chosen these experiences for our growth. Life doesn’t always go to plan or turn out as we hoped.
I think it is important to evaluate your life from time to time and ask yourself, what will it take to feel free and happy? There are some things in life we cannot change, but we can always change our perspective. Life is pretty short to feel trapped or unhappy. Sometimes we need to take that first step and everything begins to fall into place. Spirit is always working with you for your highest good. Trust the process of life and things will become easier and more enjoyable and you will also feel more freedom in your life.
To be human is to be lost in the woods. None of us arrives here with clear directions on how to get from point A to point B without stumbling into the forest of confusion or catastrophe or wrongdoing. Although they are dark and dangerous, it is in the woods that we discover our strengths. We all know people who say their cancer or divorce or bankruptcy was the greatest gift of a lifetime—that until the body, or the heart, or the bank was broken, they didn’t know who they were, what they felt, or what they wanted. Before their descent into the darkness, they took more than they gave, or they were numb, or full of fear or blame or self-pity. In their most broken moments they were brought to their knees; they were humbled; they were opened. And later, as they pulled the pieces back together, they discovered a clearer sense of purpose and a new passion for life. But we also know people who did not turn their misfortune into insight, or their grief into joy. Instead, they became more bitter, more reactive, more cynical. They shut down. They went back to sleep.
The Persian poet Rumi says, “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the doorsill, where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.”
I am fascinated by what it takes to stay awake in difficult times. I marvel at what we all do in times of transition — how we resist, and how we surrender; how we stay stuck, and how we grow. Since my first major broken-open experience — my divorce — I have been an observer and a confidante of others as they engage with the forces of their own suffering. I have made note of how fiasco and failure visit each one of us, as if they were written into the job description of being human. I have seen people crumble in times of trouble, lose their spirit, and never fully recover. I have seen others protect themselves fiercely from any kind of change, until they are living a half life, safe yet stunted.
But I have also seen another way to deal with a fearful change or a painful loss. I call this other way the Phoenix Process — named for the mythical phoenix bird who remains awake through the fires of change, rises from the ashes of death, and is reborn into his most vibrant and enlightened self.
I’ve tried both ways: I have gone back to sleep in order to resist the forces of change. And I have stayed awake and been broken open. Both ways are difficult, but one way brings with it the gift of a lifetime. If we can stay awake when our lives are changing, secrets will be revealed to us—secrets about ourselves, about the nature of life, and about the eternal source of happiness and peace that is always available, always renewable, already within us.
Questions to ponder after reading this piece:
What does it mean to stay awake and be broken open?
Can you share a personal story of a time you were broken open and felt reborn?
How do you practice staying awake when your life is changing immensely?
Be Present …..In the state of mindlessness, our mind is not free to think, focus and act. It is bound by images, thoughts, feelings and functions in a mechanical and repetitive manner. Each one of us at some point in life wishes to change either ourselves or others. However, we often remain stuck due to the all-pervasive impact of mindlessness that we are largely unaware of.
The first component of mindlessness is the desire to control. Everyone carries a fantasy of how they and the rest of the world should be. People are constantly putting intense pressure on their own selves as well as others to match up to this image.
Usually, there are reasons behind all negative and dysfunctional behaviours and these attributes cannot vanish until understood and dealt with systematically. If we try to suppress negativity, there is often a counterattack from negative forces. In our desire to control things, we forget this simple fact and end up creating more misery for ourselves and others. Mind power can be utilised only when we give up the wish to control and instead, work to build understanding.
Another element of mindlessness is our obsession with the past and future. There are individuals who relive memories of a happy past or mourn negative experiences. Some are petrified by possibilities of future uncertainty and focus their attention in fighting imaginary battles. There are still others who keep daydreaming about an ideal future. On the whole people spend a lot of their present time in either dissecting past baggage or imagining an ideal future. As a result, they are not anchored in their present and are unable to put it to good use. We need to understand that what really exists is neither the past nor future but the present. We can grow only when our complete attention is anchored in the present.
The third component of mindlessness is greed for quick enlightenment. Several people experience disillusionment because they commit themselves to superficial perspectives for instant nirvana. Another set of people are those who commit to a valid perspective but leave it halfway as they are unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Both types of individuals experience intense suffering due to their attitude.
It is important to remember that no one can give you enlightenment. The wise can guide you but enlightenment will come only gradually with your own consistent efforts. When even the most revered masters got enlightenment after years of hard work and patience how can there be a short cut?
In order to grow and blossom it is important to become aware of our mindlessness and gradually change it to mindfulness. Mindfulness is very liberating as it requires us to notice and understand all kinds of thoughts, feelings and actions without judgment or criticism.
We should try to keep our attention in the ‘here and now’ and observe all that is happening around us without clinging to either the past or future. In this journey, we need to move at our own natural pace with perseverance and without greed. Although mindfulness appears to be simple and trivial at the outset, it is,in fact, the essence. About mindfulness Buddha said-‘Mindfulness, I declare, is all-helpful.
Practice self-compassion today by writing a letter to yourself acknowledging all of your positive characteristics and attributes.
We live in a society where we often feel as though we are in a state of constant competition in all areas of our lives: work, relationships, hobbies, and in turn, we are often overly self-critical. Practicing self-compassion can help us to restore feelings of self-worth and instill an inner peace to propel us in our actions.
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” ~ Jack Kornfield
To be human is to be lost in the woods. None of us arrives here with clear directions on how to get from point A to point B without stumbling into the forest of confusion or catastrophe or wrongdoing. Although they are dark and dangerous, it is in the woods that we discover our strengths. We all know people who say their cancer or divorce or bankruptcy was the greatest gift of a lifetime—that until the body, or the heart, or the bank was broken, they didn’t know who they were, what they felt, or what they wanted. Before their descent into the darkness, they took more than they gave, or they were numb, or full of fear or blame or self-pity. In their most broken moments they were brought to their knees; they were humbled; they were opened. And later, as they pulled the pieces back together, they discovered a clearer sense of purpose and a new passion for life. But we also know people who did not turn their misfortune into insight, or their grief into joy. Instead, they became more bitter, more reactive, more cynical. They shut down. They went back to sleep.
The Persian poet Rumi says, “The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the doorsill, where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.”
I am fascinated by what it takes to stay awake in difficult times. I marvel at what we all do in times of transition — how we resist, and how we surrender; how we stay stuck, and how we grow. Since my first major broken-open experience — my divorce — I have been an observer and a confidante of others as they engage with the forces of their own suffering. I have made note of how fiasco and failure visit each one of us, as if they were written into the job description of being human. I have seen people crumble in times of trouble, lose their spirit, and never fully recover. I have seen others protect themselves fiercely from any kind of change, until they are living a half life, safe yet stunted.
But I have also seen another way to deal with a fearful change or a painful loss. I call this other way the Phoenix Process — named for the mythical phoenix bird who remains awake through the fires of change, rises from the ashes of death, and is reborn into his most vibrant and enlightened self.
I’ve tried both ways: I have gone back to sleep in order to resist the forces of change. And I have stayed awake and been broken open. Both ways are difficult, but one way brings with it the gift of a lifetime. If we can stay awake when our lives are changing, secrets will be revealed to us—secrets about ourselves, about the nature of life, and about the eternal source of happiness and peace that is always available, always renewable, already within us.
—
What does it mean to stay awake and be broken open?
Can you share a personal story of a time you were broken open and felt reborn?
How do you practice staying awake when your life is changing immensely?
Karaṇīyamatthakusalena
yanta santaṃ padaṃ abhisamecca:
Sakko ujū ca suhujū ca,
sūvaco cassa mudu anatimānī,
santussako ca subharo ca,
appakicco ca sallahukavutti,
santindriyo ca nipako ca,
appagabbho kulesvananugiddho.
Na ca khuddamācare kiñci
yena viññū pare upavadeyyuṃ.
This is to be done by one skilled in aims
who wants to break through to the state of peace:
Be capable, upright, & straightforward,
easy to instruct, gentle, & not conceited,
content & easy to support,
with few duties, living lightly,
with peaceful faculties, masterful,
modest, & no greed for supporters.
Do not do the slightest thing
that the wise would later censure.
Think not lightly of good, saying, “It will not come to me.”
Drop by drop is the water pot filled.
Likewise, the wise one, gathering it little by little,
fills oneself with good.
Dhammapada 9.122
The Dhammapada: The Buddha’s Path of Wisdom,
translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita
Hālau 'Aha Hui Lānākila 