There are very powerful energies moving during this time and season. The veil between the worlds is especially thin and the spirits are close.
Have things been more intense than usual in your life?
Recent astronomical and astrological configurations, coupled with the change of season, have really stirred things up! This past week’s solar eclipse on the new moon in Scorpio, seemed particularly potent. I’ve noticed that eclipses seem to shed a particularly revealing light on our shadows; things that have been denied, avoided, ignored and resisted show up, whether we’re ready to face and deal with them or not. Over a few hours, we’re taken on an accelerated journey from light to dark and back again. We’re left “changed” in the wake of this powerful celestial dance between the moon, the sun and the earth.
To add to the intensity, in the Northern Hemisphere, by mid November, we’ll be in the west on the Medicine Wheel, directly between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice. The west is where we go through many small death passages, introspect and honestly look at all our shadows and illusions; hidden within ourselves, our families, relationships, communities and so on.
The question, “Am I moving from ego or essence” is very appropriate to ask ourselves when doing inner work in the west. For many of us, when left to our own devices, it’s not easy to see clearly when we’re alluding and tricking ourselves. The ego will always find evidence to support all kinds of crazy beliefs, illusions, ideas and projections. This is why it’s so important to have a spiritual mentor and/or guide to keep us on track, to help us see ourselves clearly, from a place of humility, as we are tested to evolve, transform and grow.
At the end of this week, many celebrate “The Day of the Dead” and other similar holidays, to honor the ancestors and those who have died. I’ve spent a lot of time in Mexico over the years, especially in Chiapas with the Mayan people. I’ve been deeply moved by the ceremonies and rituals they practice around the “Day of the Dead” goes from November 1st – November 2nd. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead People flock to and gather in cemeteries, to create beautiful altars, adorned with marigolds, special food and drink, herbs, fruits, gifts and photographs. Layers of sacred copal smoke fills the air, drifting, blessing and purifying. It’s a time of great honoring and celebration and is an invitation for the ancestors to gather and visit with their relatives and friends. I and other friends have taken this tradition home with us and create beautiful altars for our ancestors in our own homes to honor and acknowledge them. You can place pictures, mementos, food, candles, incense, poems, flowers, or whatever you’re moved to place there to honor them. It’s a powerful way to give thanks for our lives and theirs. Regardless of what our lessons have been together, we wouldn’t even be here on earth if it weren’t for them! Tomorrow I will start gathering things from my ancestors and create an altar for the Day of the Dead If you’ve never created one, it’s a powerful ritual. If you’ve never created one of these altars, you may want to, it’s a powerful, loving and honoring ritual.
