Solar Eclispe in Gemini 06.01.2011

"The pain pushes you until your vision pulls you." - Rev. Michael Beckwith


Welcome to eclipse season! And it looks to be a doozy. The June 1 partial solar eclipse in jumpy Gemini (5:03 p.m. EST) gets things going, followed by a total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on June 15 and another partial solar eclipse in Cancer on July 1. Eclipses are known for bringing abrupt change, especially when they hit sensitive points in your chart (for example, the June 1 eclipse activates my Ascendant, point of physical self and location).

Adding to its catalytic potential, this eclipse series occurs during the final, Universal Underworld of the Mayan Calendar. During this Ninth Wave (March 9 to Oct. 28), according to Carl Calleman, time is accelerated 20-fold; we'll experience the same amount of change as occurred from 1999 until a few months ago. Consciousness is rapidly evolving as dimensions merge and a new world is born. It's our choice: adapt and flourish or resist and suffer.

Does something in your life need dramatic improvement? Since eclipses break through stagnant patterns, now's the time to align with the incoming energies and make a change. Gemini promotes rapid-fire learning. Though this mental air sign tends to be all over the place, a stabilizing trine from Saturn in Libra to the June 1 New Moon eclipse helps to ground our visions so they can take flight.

If we stay focused, we can ride these energies like a hawk navigating strong winds. However, because the Sun (masculine impulse) is eclipsed by the Moon (feminine intuition) at the June 1 New Moon, we may feel as if we're flying blind. This sensation is intensified by Neptune (dreaminess) turning retrograde in square to Mercury (the mind) on June 2. We may doubt our direction or second-guess ourselves. Yet Saturn's trine to the Sun and Moon says: Trust your intuition, take action and things will work out--even if unpredictably.

On June 4, giant Jupiter enters practical, earthy Taurus. It's time to get real about our finances and figure out how to live sustainably on the Earth. Bringing special blessings to those with prominent Taurus placements, this one-year cycle is good for investing in land and developing realistic and artistic ventures. Also, no-nonsense Saturn turns forward June 12 in Libra (good news for those with strong Libra or Capricorn!), helping business affairs get going again. Add to that a powerhouse lunar eclipse at the Galactic Center on June 15 that will bring vital news and shifting points of view. And, the seasons change on June 21 as the Sun slides into sensitive Cancer at the Summer Solstice. It should be quite a month.

Rapid-fire change can evoke the best or the worst in us. Even if we don't know what to do next or feel antsy and on edge, inquisitive Gemini reminds us that there is something to learn from pain as well as joy. Hold fast to whatever grounds you, from yoga practice to yard work. In these extraordinary times, we're called to rise up into our highest selves, spread our wings and find the courage to fly!

Thanks to Simone Butler for this fabulous read! 

River of Life...

As I navigate my river of life, I've been graced with AHA's along the way. My latest discoveries and ponderings are that of perception, control and highest good.

The inlet of perception has led a great many discussion with clients, colleagues and friends as of late. As we each have experiences, our reality is perceived and shaped. We can collectively be "experiencing" the same thing and each have a different take on the situation.

This simple AHA has positioned me with a vantage point that has exponentially shifted my world. I now get it. We all perceive the world through our individual lens. Having this knowledge has loosened my resolve and allowed me to love unconditional as I see that everyone is doing the best they can with what they have. (I refer to this as having the right tools in your toolbox to cope with life's beautiful challenges.)

Another "lesson" of mine has been that of relinquishing control. Lord have mercy on me as this has been and still is a daily session with good and evil for me. There are several factors that have led to my ambitious controlling nature. We will not digress; however, I will say that loosening these reigns have been the most freeing, gracious and remarkable ever. You see, I would not believe unless it happened to me, so the universe decided to give me a run for my money and placed me smack dab in scenarios that I had to release and let go. As I let go of control, amazing things have happened. I live a life with far less stress than EVER before (as I scream across the house at one of my 3 children, hahahaha.)  Breathe Heather, count to 10... So in this particular situation, my children are arguing over colored pencils from MY art box. (I don't share well - another only child trait.) Hi, my name is Heather and I am an only child... and have parented in that manner for the last 11 years. Well it doesn't work so much with 3 kids as these siblings have their own agendas, lessons and gifts for each other without their "controlling" mama dictating the situation. So I release, let go and become a less stressed mama. YAY me!

Now for the Pièce de résistance, the beautiful gift of hindsight has propelled me forward on my soul’s path and I am gratefully for my experiences and absolutely thankfully for each of the lessons that has been given to me. It has given me validation of my intuition as I have grown into a powerful woman who completely trust the messages that I receive. I am truly aware of my choices and act accordingly. As we walk through life, we are not given the next step until it is right there. I choose to live a life of passion, love, respect, honesty, integrity and empathy.  It is how we perceive our situations and its outcome as to how smooth and easy it can be.

I have to admit that I have been divinely guided to where I stand right now. I acquired along the way 3 incredible tools to add to my toolbox: perception, letting go and hindsight. My tools are now vast and used daily as I navigate the river of my life. My wish for you is the same grace and ease that life can be when you release while being open to receive greatness.

 

Heather A. Howell AKA the Aromatic Alchemist is a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist at the Aromatic Institute, a Holistic Wellness Center, and Aroma Pharmica, an Organic Skincare Company, where she custom blends, conducts consultations and teaches workshops. Heather serves as a Director on the Board and the National Representative of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists. She trains therapeutic uses of Essential Oils to medical field professionals; massage therapists, cosmetologists and estheticians as well as those who want to assist themselves and their families.

In her private practice, Heather assists her clients’ issues, guiding them in obtaining wellness through the natural medicine of essential oils. Passionate about natural healing, Heather has over a decade of experience in the realms of Aromatherapy and healing modalities. In her personal time, Heather enjoys healthy living, the environment, parenting with nature, sustainable living, activism, communing with new age children, manifesting, reversing racism and classism, experiencing nature-all seasons, reading/research, gardening and traveling and laughing till it takes her breath away.  Born and raised in North Carolina, lived Colorado for 12 years, lived in Costa Rica, currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina.

Just Chill Out: The Magical Power of Giving Up Your Agenda!

Recently I received an email from a reader who felt her life was just not where she thought it would be (and should be) by now. She expected that by 37, she’d be married with kids and a quaint house. She also thought that by now, she’d have advanced more in her career and would have the means to take exotic vacations. She said she’d been trying so hard to make things happen, but none of her expectations had come to fruition. She asked me for insight into when things would all work out. Would it be soon? I knew intuitively that many of her dreams would come true, but not until she loosened her grip and allowed for the Divine to work it’s magic. My advice to her was simple: Just chill out for awhile!

How many times have YOU wanted something soo badly, but no matter how much you visualized, hoped, prayed, and manifested it just didn’t come to fruition? So eventually you threw your hands up in the air and decided to just give up…. Then as if by magic, once you’ve moved on, the dream you let go of came into your life—you got the new job or promotion, met the “one,” or found the new home.

This is one of the most amusing paradoxes of life—We often get what we want after we no longer give a hoot! I’ve seen this phenomenon again and again in my clients’ lives. And, I’ve experienced it in pretty much every area of my own life, from my career to meeting the right partner. It may seem like the Universe is playing a dirty trick, but that’s far from the reality; it’s all just part of the Divine’s plan for each of us.

Giving up your agenda is one of the most powerful things you can do. Truly! Of course, it’ important to have goals and dreams and take action to bring them into your life. But, if you start to live, sleep, and breath your future, you actually lose tons and tons of power. When longing, yearning, and obsessing become your primary emotions, you disconnect from Spirit and close yourself to the incredible possibilities the Divine has in store for you. As I often say, the now is where ALL your power is. By obsessing about what you want in the future, you’re bound to feel something is missing from the present. You shift from living in gratitude and appreciation to lack, which just begets more lack.

Yes, you may really want and deserve something. But, as the Arrow Master in my Wisdom of the Hidden Realms Oracle Deck notes: The only way to hit the target is to allow the arrow of your intention to fly unencumbered by your eagerness to see it travel exactly the way you want it to go. You should shot for the stars, but then you must turn your desires over to the Divine, allowing it to work it’s magic and weave your life together as it’s meant to be. What is yours will come to you… as long as you allow it to by living in the now.

Exercise:

Just Chill!
What desires and goals might you be gripping onto? Write them down. Then in your journal investigate the following questions: Why might I be obsessed about getting this goal? What am I making it mean? (i.e. that I can finally be happy, successful, cool)

Then on a separate piece of paper, write a letter to Spirit. Talk about how you’re turning this over and trust in the Divine plan. You might want to keep the letter, put it in a God box, or do a ritual of release (such as burning or burying it.)

Appreciate the Now!

Go on a gratitude cleanse for one full week. Make a conscious effort to look for what you’re grateful for in the now. I challenge you to write down 20 each day. You’ll be amazed at the transformative power of a new set of eyes!

In love and service, Colette

A beautiful and timeless soul, Colette Baron-Reid posted this on her blog yesterday and it landed in front of me moments ago. I had just had conversation of stillness, enjoying beingness in this NOW moment. I too have drawn the Arrow Master card from Colette's Wisdom of the Hidden Realms deck. I am going on a GRATITUDE CLEANSE, starting today, lasting ONE week. Join me and we can all begin looking through a new set of eyes.

Remember the power of plant medicine...feel free to browse the Aromatic Institute and its healing remedies from Aroma Pharmica. We are power, we are one, we are divine spirits.

Until then,
XOH 

Whose Truth is True...

We spend our lives wanting to know the truth because, as we are told, 'the truth shall set us free.' But as we search for the truth we begin to see that there is not a single truth, everyone has a different version of the truth and even in our own lives, that which we think of as true can change many times. So what is true and what is not true? If a truth changes, was it ever true in the first place? Will we ever know the truth? And when we know the truth, what happens to everything else we have known up to that time?

The truth is everything we believe based on all of our knowing and experience up until that moment in time. While we look for the truth as the final answer, it is actually what allows us to ask the next question. Truth repeats itself, like an endless loop, until we uncover a new truth that allows us to move forward, beyond the former truth. Each truth leads to another truth and for each of us, that truth is highly personal and so individualized that it can only be true for us. While our truth is true for us, everyone's truth is also true, for them. Can we connect with others from the point of our own truth? We can when our truth has points in common and there is no doubt present.

The truth that we deserve love, for example, is true for us. And we must have an unshakable belief in this truth to attract love. But what happens if we find someone who doesn't believe we are lovable? Is our truth still true? What about their truth? Is it true for us too? Our truth is not affected when it cannot be validated by someone else, it simply means that it isn't true for them. They can't validate that we are lovable because they must have a corresponding truth-that they are lovable. If they do not hold that truth, then they cannot validate it for someone else. But we take this as a sign that our truth is not true and use it to judge ourselves, our truths, our being and our life. Whoever we ask to validate our truth must have a corresponding truth. If not, they cannot validate ours. So the person who cannot accept you as lovable has issues with accepting themselves as lovable.

When we want others to validate our truth we are taking truth down a path that it wasn't meant to follow. Because when we ask others to establish what is true for us, we are speaking from our doubt instead of faith in our own truth. If we can't convince ourselves of our truth, we won't find anyone to do the job for us. What do you believe is true about you? Can you hold that truth no matter how others respond or react? Are you able to create from your truth in this moment and know that once you have made this true, you are ready for the next step on your life? Find your truth about yourself, engrave it permanently on your heart and within your being so you hold fast to your truth and use it to manifest your life in the way you want to live it.

Brought to you by Jennifer Hoffman

Hey y'all,

I am amazed with gratitude for the abundance of truth in the universe.  I have spoke to several clients this past week who are dealing with perception (theirs and others.) I speak my truth daily and know with unfathomable faith that it IS my truth. It is the most liberating aspect I have yet to experience. Go ahead, try it, you just might like it! As always, visit us at the Aromatic Institute where you can find the right remedy for a perfectly balanced you.

Until next time,

XOH 

Relationship's Light

If our relationships serve us in the way the Light intended, they become wonderful opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation. Whether or not you see its significance at the time, everything in your life happens for a reason. Although you might believe this statement intellectually, if you look honestly at your life, you'll probably find that you don't act as though a beautiful design were really behind each event. Most people think their experiences are mostly random coincidences. 

However, there is no such thing as a coincidence. That being true, any challenge you encounter in life is part of a design whose intent is to help you grow and change. The more arduous the difficulty, the greater the opportunity it affords you to mend your ways in order to connect to the Light. This is true even of the worst situations. In fact, the more negativity there is in an interaction, the more potential there will be to reveal Light. Daily we should observe ourselves and notice which experiences are providing the greatest potential for transformation toward the Light? Which offer the most opportunities to reinforce your spiritual beliefs and certainties? 

Look at your life, and you will see that most of the challenges you face stem from your interactions with others. Your life is all about relationships with your parents, siblings, lovers, spouses, children, grandchildren, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, colleagues, bosses, employees, the mailman, the nanny, your doctor, your gardener . . . You name it if it's part of your life, it has a relationship attached to it. 

Because of the humility of the soul we are attracted to those who reveal unresolved issues in our own lives (the karma, if you will, we have come to earth to correct). This may involve: learning to make choices in your life that have the effect of clearing rather than clouding your vision, learning to become proactive instead of reactive, learning to be a sharer rather than a receiver-for-self-alone, learning to practice forgiveness and trust. 

Do you see that in every relationship there are hidden opportunities to connect and use the wisdom of Spirit, especially when it comes to obtaining dramatic improvements in our intimate relationships. Life is a spiritual journey that has a marvelous objective. The purpose of our relationships is to help us reach that objectified destination. We need to learn how to look at our relationships in this way; become aware of the beautiful gifts they contain in order that we travel more quickly along our path. If our relationships serve us in the way the Light intended, they become wonderful opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation. 

Let all your relationships this week reward you with Greater Consciousness~

This message was sent to my by Rev. Angela.  I so love when the Universe wants me to know that my thoughts are perfectly timed and tuned into our Earth Energy. I was having a conversation with a client today and spoke these words above before I had read the email. AMAZING!  Just goes to show that when you are living your authentic life, trusting your gut, success and growth are yours. Enjoy, Be Well and Laugh Often~

Until next time,
XOH