| | Life's Greatest Adventure!
| | | | | | Hi Friend,
One of the most common questions I get asked is how Soul Astrology relates to us on a personal level, in our everyday lives.
The answer is always "through personal experience"... and to have that personal experience... to experience deep inner transformation for ourselves... we have to become exquisite self-observers.
The starting point, the foundation, is to understand the energy of the elements, through our own personal experience... |
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| In ancient times, self-examination was a requirement for students of the Pythagorean school. What did they mean by 'self-examination'? They meant self-observation. Self knowledge - gained through mindfulness and an awareness of what motivates us, what moves us into action, how we think, and how we flow our energy. Really, deeply, understanding the dynamic energy forces that make up our own personal energy field, our mandala.
“All around us we encounter the forces of greed, fear, prejudice, hatred and ignorance. Those of us who seek liberation and wisdom are compelled to discover the nature of these forces in our own heart and mind.” - Jack Kornfield
One of the deepest esoteric truths, and mystery, is the process of inner transformation, where we can transform so-called negative qualities within ourselves into positive ones. One of the most amazing and magical insights is when we realize that we don't have to make an enormous effort, but rather these energies become transformed by the simple act of placing our attention upon them. Why? Because our consciousness is not separate from the consciousness of the Divine. As soon as we being our conscious awareness to something, we are bringing Divine, healing, energy to it.
Through exquisite self-observation we undergo a transformative process whereby we can access higher truth. We begin to widen our perceptive capacity and can recognize the inner gateways to the Universe through our own intuition. These inner doors, sometimes referred to by mystics as the ‘Bhagavat in the ten directions’, are our gateway to the Universe through inner space. We have access to ultimate truth because we are not separate from it. We can expand our capacity to reach the place where, as the Tibetan said, ‘The will of God is known’.
Once we go deeper with our experience of self-observation, we realize that there is much more than merely observing. This is what the mystics referred to as opening the “inner doors”. We experience some very deep realizations about the nature of reality, and who we are within it. Our capacity for directly perceiving energy increases. This opens and expands our intuitive capacity. We become more skilled at focusing our attention, or to be more precise, at bringing our awareness to something. We realize that the quality of awareness that we bring to something, will change it.
That is because awareness IS who we are. Pure awareness is the true nature of reality. It is from the space of pure awareness that all forms, including us, arise, and they arise in the first instance, as the elements. In the Tibetan tradition the elements arse from clear space and will return to clear space: the space of pure awareness. So we can learn much about the true nature of reality, consciousness, and ourselves, from studying the elements. Also in the Tibetan tradition, while space itself is included as a 'fifth' element, it is also acknowledged to be the place from which the other four elements arise.
On our journey of self-exploration, one of the best starting points therefore is the elements, because they are the easiest energies to observe in ourselves, and they connect us directly to the true nature of the universe. As we observe the play of elemental energies in ourselves we get a deeper understanding of how we are flowing our energy: what the dominant patterns are, and how they fluctuate throughout the day. We may notice that different elements are dominant on different days, and/or that we have one overall dominant element, or that we have elements that are lacking.
In the Tibetan tradition the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space) are associated with five 'disturbing emotions' AND 'five wisdoms'. The point being that the elements can take on either a positive or negative expression as they manifest into form, depending upon our consciousness. Because they are arising from (and are directly connected to) consciousness itself, we can use the power of our own conscious awareness to influence their expression.
Here is a brief overview of the qualities of each element, according to Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche:
- Earth: heavy, solid, connected, secure, gravity.
- Water: comfort, fluid, contentment, cohesion.
- Fire: creativity, intuition, enthusiasm, joy.
- Air: change, curiosity, learning, intellect.
- Space: tolerance, spaciousness, awareness, clarity.
We can see that the Tibetan descriptions of each element are not unlike those of Western Astrology. There is an inherent quality to each element that cuts across the differences in spiritual traditions. In the Tibetan tradition though, it is clear that the elements are not a mental concept or a metaphor, but represent a spiritual 'truth' that can be experienced as we go deeper into our spiritual practice.
In Western Astrology there is a tendency to skip over the elements to get to the more complex astrological ideas, but it is important to recognize that this tendency in itself is merely an intellectual exercise and a distraction from real spiritual progress.
To go deeply into our Soul Astrology and truly experience the energies of the universe directly, as they flow through us and play our in our lives, we need to have a fundamental understanding of the importance of the elements - including space (or awareness itself) - and personal experience of how they manifest in our reality. Only then will we see for ourselves how the elements arise as the forms we experience in our daily lives. Then we will be able to bring our conscious awareness to the process, affect positive change, and experience deep inner transformation within ourselves.
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That's all for now! See you next time and in the meantime... happy exploring!
| | Soul Astrology How Your Rising Sign Reveals Your Soul Path and Life Purpose
by Ruth Hadikin
“Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” are the biggest questions that you will ever ask yourself as you walk though this journey of life. The answers are hiding in plain sight and can be revealed through your birth chart. You just need to know how to look, and this book is about to tell you...
Drawing upon Esoteric Astrology, the Greek myth of Hercules, and ancient principles from spiritual masters, the author describes the journey of your Soul through the twelve signs of the Zodiac. This book offers a way of using your birth chart to answer life's big questions by recognizing the energy that you were born with and how it is wanting to be expressed in this lifetime.
For lovers of astrology, Soul Astrology is a powerful addition to your toolbox for your ongoing journey of spiritual awakening.
Available in paperback, Kindle, iBooks, Kobo and Nook... |
| | | | Ruth Hadikin, B.Sc. specializes
in the science of Soul Astrology, as applied to living our Soul Path
and Life Purpose. She is dedicated to supporting people to live from the
Soul in 'Life's Greatest Adventure'. |
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