Showing posts with label Flexibility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flexibility. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Shanta Gabriel: 8 Suggestions for a Life in Transition




With life surprising us at every turn, guidelines to create comfort, clarity and confidence can be useful. To support you, I’ve created a list of 8 Suggestions for Life in Transition. Download a PDF version for printing.



It’s not too late to join us for our Life in Transition gatherings on Zoom!

Click here for more information and to register

Monday, March 2, 2020

NorthPoint Astrology Journal Your guide to planetary energies for ​March 2 to 8, 2020 By Pam Younghans

Picture

NorthPoint Astrology Journal

By Pam Younghans
Aspects of Note this Week
All times listed are Pacific Standard Time. For Greenwich Mean Time, add 8 hours.
​​

TUE: Sun semisquare Saturn, Venus square Saturn
WED: Mercury (retrograde) enters Aquarius, Mercury sextile Venus,
Venus enters Taurus, Sun semisquare Venus

FRI: Mercury semisquare Mars 
SAT: Venus semisquare Neptune, Sun sextile Pallas Athene
SUN: Sun conjunct Neptune, Venus conjunct Uranus,
Neptune sextile Pallas Athene, Sun semisquare Uranus



LIFE CAN FEEL somewhat fragile at times, and it may seem especially so as we begin the month of March. With the Sun in emotionally and psychically receptive Pisces, we are already more impressionable than usual; these qualities only increase over the course of the coming week as the Sun and sensitive Neptune travel side-by-side, finally coming into full alignment next Sunday.
 
There are, of course, many benefits to this Sun-Neptune alignment in Pisces. It may be easier to access a meditative state, whether that is achieved in mindfulness practice, through other forms of sitting, or in becoming one with a creative process where we lose all track of time.
 
Other Neptunian qualities are enhanced this week as well, including compassion, empathy, and intuitive or psychic awareness. We may resonate more with the Piscean concept of Oneness now, sensing more completely that we are all profoundly interconnected, on multiple levels of existence.
 
THE PERCEIVED NEGATIVES related to any sign tend to be the result of taking its positive traits to an unhealthy extreme. It is well and good to feel compassion, but that deep caring can become overwhelming and debilitating if we do not also maintain our boundaries. The desire to transcend the dramas of the earth plane can lead us to meditation and creative imaginings, but it can also open the door to escapism through drug abuse and other, more legal, addictions.
 
The primary caution I want to offer regarding our sensitivity this week has to do with picking up on the generalized fear that is quite strong in the collective consciousness right now. We are all linked to that unified field, whether or not we think about it. As such, we can take on that fear unknowingly.
 
Remember that we are not just recipients (aka "victims") of mass consciousness – each of us is also a contributor to it. This week, we benefit not only ourselves but all life on the planet when we use our spiritual tools to find and maintain our center of peace and calm, and consciously radiate love instead of fear.
 
ANN ALBERS writes a weekly channeled newsletter, and her most recent issue is especially powerful and timely. Here's an excerpt from her article entitled "Starve the Fear, Feed the Love":
 
"The viruses on your planet live off fear. They starve with love. Fear creates a chemical cocktail in your body that weakens your healthy cells and creates imbalances that allow these parasitic energies to take hold. So, in the face of epidemics, untruths, and other unpleasant realities, how do you find your peace? Our answer is simple. Reconnect with love, one moment at a time. In a space of love, you become a vibrational catalyst and a force for positive change."
 
(For the full article, please visit: https://www.visionsofheaven.com/messages-from-the-angels/starve-the-fear-feed-the-love.)
 

WHEN THE SUN
 and Neptune align next weekend, they are both in harmonious sextile aspect with the asteroid Pallas Athene. If you attended my recent webinar, you know that I am quite enamored of Athene, especially since she is playing a highly significant and potentially very positive role in the three Jupiter-Pluto alignments that occur in 2020.
 
Athene was the Greek goddess of Wisdom, Healing, and Strategy. Whenever she is engaged astrologically, we have the opportunity to tap into new levels of our own creative intelligence. With the asteroid in Capricorn right now, we can gain special insight into the solutions that are needed. We also are more in tune with proper timing, which can correspond with seemingly "magical" manifestations.
 
Next weekend's sextile between Athene and Sun/Neptune is a fairly subtle influence, but the best opportunities often are! Be open to the insights you receive, especially when engaged in meditation or creative pursuits. Be aware that telepathic abilities are also potentially enhanced, so always check in to see whether what you are thinking and feeling is really "you" or if it is something you're picking up from another person or from the collective.
 
VENUS is in the spotlight this week, indicating a heightened focus on the Venus-ruled areas of finances, personal values, and relationships. A Venus-Saturn square, which is in effect on Monday and perfects early on Tuesday, suggests that we'll be experiencing a certain "reality check" in one or more these areas.
 
Saturn squares usually correspond with a feeling of restriction or limitation, due to the natural flow of energy being temporarily blocked. With this Venus-Saturn square, we see more clearly what is and isn't working in our financial or relational worlds. We are strongly aware that certain obstacles must be overcome before we can make progress.
 
THE SUN is also involved in this dynamic, being at the midpoint between Venus and Saturn, and in semisquare aspect to both planets over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday. Any time the Sun is involved in an aspect, its influence becomes more pronounced, since the Sun brings issues more fully into the light of day.
 
Mercury also becomes involved in the mix, forming a helpful sextile aspect with Venus on Wednesday. This aspect should enable us to come up with some ideas on how to manage the problems that have arisen – but with Mercury retrograde until March 9, it may take until the following week for true solutions to be implemented.
 
This waiting game is underscored by Mercury's semisquare to Mars on Friday, which indicates tension and verbal squabbles toward the end of the week. Mercury retrograded back into Aquarius on Wednesday and therefore has some innovative plans about how to proceed. This is an opportunity to think outside the box
– but with Mars in conservative Capricorn, conflicts arise about whether such newfangled ideas can actually manifest the desired outcome.
 
WITH VENUS entering her natural sign of Taurus on Wednesday, we become more focused on the need for stability and continuity in finances and partnerships. But uncertainty in these areas continues into next weekend, when Venus is semisquare Neptune (Saturday) and then aligns with Uranus (Sunday).
 
When in a hard aspect such as a semisquare, Neptune can create a veil of fog that keeps us from seeing reality clearly. As a result, we may feel disillusioned. Sometimes, we can even feel somewhat suspicious, sensing that there is more to the situation than what meets the eye.
 
THE VENUS-URANUS ALIGNMENT next Sunday is the most significant event of the weekend, with its influence carrying into early next week. The rendezvous between these two planets occurs at least once a year, and always provides an opportunity to break old paradigms in Venus-ruled areas.
 
Uranus is often radical, sometimes rebellious, and always requires us to be flexible in our expectations. Among its goals are for us to be more open to change, to liberate ourselves from restrictions and "shoulds," and to live our lives more authentically.
 
With this Venus-Uranus alignment, we might feel a particular need to be more independent, and are less inclined to accommodate the needs of others if they conflict with our own desires. We might tend to be unpredictable with loved ones, either ending or beginning relationships suddenly. We may be inspired to create more avant garde forms of art, whether or not others value our creations. Likewise in economic matters, we can experience surprising developments. We might spend money more capriciously, or misplace our checkbook. And, the arrow might abruptly go either up or down on the financial charts.
 
This is the beginning of the new synodic cycle for Venus and Uranus, which will take us through late April of 2021. It is an opportunity to make a new start, based on what we truly value, how we want to express love, and where we want to invest our time and resources
– especially if we have been feeling restricted in these areas, whether by circumstances or by our own fears.
 
IF YOU are watching the Moon's aspects to the group of planets in Capricorn, here is this week's list. For a few hours around these times, we are likely to feel more sensitive and protective. All of these aspects occur while the Moon is in Cancer:

  • Moon opposite Mars: Wednesday, March 4, 6:25 p.m. PST
  • Moon opposite Jupiter: Thursday, March 5, 8:56 a.m. PST
  • Moon opposite Pluto: Thursday, March 5, 3:50 p.m. PST
  • Moon opposite Saturn: Thursday, March 5, 11:11 p.m. PST
 

IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK:
You are completing a two-year phase in which your sense of identity has been gradually shifting. Like the tide that washes away a sand castle on the beach, Neptune has been disassembling old self-concepts that have limited you -- in particular, ways in which you may have played the role of rescuer, martyr, or victim. During this time, you may have felt an even stronger draw from the more introspective or reclusive side of your nature. This coming year, as the Neptune tide slowly recedes and you emerge from the cave, you will have the opportunity to see more clearly what new sand castle you want to build. (Solar Return Sun sextile Mars, sextile Pallas Athene, conjunct Neptune)


In gratitude and light,

Pam

 
Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2020. All rights reserved.
​

​

Friday, October 19, 2018

Tania Gabrielle: [Star Code Forecast] Watch your Destiny unfold now

image
 
[Star Code Forecast] Watch your Destiny unfold now

Friday, October 19 is an exciting day! (October 20 if you're in Australia/Asia)
Two Mercury magnifications light up your ability to see beyond time – to get clarity on your Direction and Destiny.
  • Mercury at 14° is trine to Neptune at 14°.
  • Mercury at 14° is square to Mars at 14°.
Having all planets at 14° at once is extraordinary in itself…
14 governs the art of communication – sharing a message with others in a big way.


image

I refer to 14 as the “Media” number. The ancients aligned the number 14 with the Scribe.
MERCURY, the Messenger, is ALSO about communication.
So on ALL fronts, your MIND is lit up!
14 also governs liberty, freedom, risk and flexibility.
Mercury wants you to be mindful and think in broad strokes – explore, and make quick decisions.
So, the numerology and astrology codes have merged together once more in a beautiful way!
Mercury square Mars opens the way for fast decision-making - and the flipside is to guard against rushing, or being a bit too aggressive in the way you communicate.
A fabulous way to channel this very passionate Mars sexual energy is to clearly PERCEIVE how you energetically want to move forward with your goals.
In the process, you will see your Destiny unfold before your eyes.
Mercury square Mars allows you to delve deeply into your ideas and with great intensity.
You are lighting a Fire which manifests in a strong forward momentum.
Physical exercise and/or diving into a creative project you’re passionate about are fabulous outlets in order to burn up some of this extra energy – you need to release the buildup of passion before it could turn more aggressive...
The other transit, which I love so much is Mercury trine Neptune at 14°.
What a beautiful balance this brings to the passionate Mars energy!
Your imagination, creativity, your profound spirituality are clearly communicated now!
Your intuition can be easily translated into words as you channel delightful and profound AHA’s into a great project or goal.
Your communication skills are magnified SO greatly now, that so you can influence people in a beautiful way, and in a very gentle way.
  • Mercury trine Neptune at 14° removes the veil so you can SEE your Destiny.
  • Mercury square Mars at 14° allows you to move forward with confidence as you ACTIVATE how you DIRECT your Destiny.
You are seeing the big picture and are inspired to ACT on it!
Joining Mercury in Scorpio right now are Venus and Jupiter.
Jupiter is ending its yearlong journey through Scorpio before coming HOME to Sagittarius in early November.
Such exciting times!
The imminent ending of Jupiter’s 12-year cycle always wraps things up, preparing the way for your NEW expansive, fortunate opportunities - on the horizon right now!
  • So, this is an invitation for you to make all the changes you need to NOW – you are totally supported!

Use your Jupiter Wealth Code to guide you to manifest your Destiny.

Jupiter is the positive, happy, expansive, wise, fortunate, inspirational planet - embracing all you have to give and making sure your GIFTS are shared in the most expansive, magnanimous way!

Now, Jupiter at the time of your birth was located in a specific house and sign in your astrology chart.

Your natal Jupiter placement reveals your natural WEALTH manifestation gifts.

In fact you have THREE Jupiter Wealth Zones.

All three zones unveil secrets about how you are personally designed to manifest fulfillment and attract abundance.

Blessings and Love,

Tania Gabrielle

PS. In the next weeks while Jupiter ends it’s twelve-year cycle around the Zodiac, many opportunities will open up for you. To help you step into extraordinary expansion and achievement, discover the secrets in your Jupiter Wealth Code.

CLICK HERE

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

NorthPoint Journal: Your guide to planetary energies for December 19 to 25, 2016 By Pam Younghans

By Pam Younghans
Photo:  Sending blessings and peace from my home
to yours on this week of holidays and celebrations.



Highlighted Aspects
MON: Mars enters Pisces, Mercury goes retrograde 2:55am PST (10:55am GMT), Mercury semisquare Mars
TUE: Last Quarter Moon 5:55pm PST
WED: Sun enters Capricorn/ Solstice 2:44am PST (10:44am GMT), Mars semisquare Pluto
SAT: Saturn trine Uranus
SUN: Venus trine Jupiter,Venus sextile Uranus, Venus sextile Saturn

THE DOOR is opening on a new phase of our lives, one that is paradoxically both more expansive and more restrained, more enlightened and more realistic. This potential is thanks to Saturn and Uranus, planetary teachers who normally have very different agendas, who are beginning to work collaboratively.


In astrological terms, Saturn and Uranus are now in trine aspect, which means they are 120 degrees apart. Due to each planet's retrograde motion, this aspect will occur three times -- this Saturday, December 24, 2016, and twice in 2017, on May 18 and November 11. 


SATURN is known as the Lesson Bringer. Its goals are to strengthen our discipline, patience, and maturity so that we can achieve our ambitions, gain self-respect, and contribute to society. The Ringed Planet is in idealistic Sagittarius now, which means that in order to reach those endpoints, we as a society must confront and take responsibility for any ways that we are self-righteous, dogmatic, prejudiced, or intolerant.


In contrast, Uranus is known as the Great Awakener. It wants us to become independent, authentic, and liberated. As we work with Uranus, we often have to go outside of our comfort zone and even break the rules, if by doing so we are expressing a greater truth of who we are. With Uranus in courageous Aries, each of us may be marching to the beat of a different drum, but the more pressure there is to conform or to follow expectations, the louder the drum sounds in our ears and the more forceful we become in our rebellion. 


IT'S CLEAR that these two planets, if we were to sit them in a room together, would soon be engaged in a tense arm-wrestling match. But this week -- and throughout the first eleven months of 2017 -- Saturn and Uranus have agreed to work together, to find common ground and to support each other.


In essence, Saturn will be helping tame the wilder side of Uranus, so that the goals of liberation and enlightenment are reached through steady and solid action, not by random acts of aggression. In return, Uranus will be awakening Saturn to the viability of new potentials, showing that we can create new, stable forms that are more flexible and more inclusive than before.


MERCURY goes retrograde in Capricorn on Monday, the same day that Mars enters Pisces. This makes for an interesting next few weeks, when our perceptions and actions do not necessarily follow their expected routes.


Mercury will be moving backward until January 8, and Mars will be in Pisces through January 27. The positive effects of this combination can help us gain greater access to our intuition and our dream state. But, given Mercury retrograde's penchant for compromising our ability to plan and think logically, we will want to wait to take action on the insights we gain until at least after Mercury goes direct -- and, if possible, to wait even until Mars moves into pioneering Aries.


THIS WEEK also marks the solstice, when the Sun enters Capricorn. On Wednesday we begin winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. There is an energetic shift that occurs at a solstice, as evidenced by the aurorae borealis that usually appear -- even if there are no sunspots or solar winds, which are the common cause of the colors in the sky.


Cosmic intentions for the next three months are set at the solstice. These can be seen in the "birth chart" drawn for the event. The chart for this week's solstice shows:
  • Retrograde Mercury conjunct Pluto: We feel very passionate about our goals, but we also have some review work to do before we take action.
  • Mars conjunct the South Node and Neptune: This is a time of karmic completion, and moving beyond places where we have been stuck or feeling victimized.
  • Uranus conjunct Ceres and Eris: The assertive feminine is activated, requiring that we find within us the courage to fight for human rights and to overcome barriers that have divided races and nations. This alignment can also allow greater access to higher wisdom and the Divine Feminine.


NEXT WEEKEND 
we have a lovely confluence of planetary aspects. The supportive Saturn-Uranus trine occurs on Saturday -- and on Sunday morning, easy-going Venus forms harmonious aspects with both planets and also with Jupiter.


If we relax and let go of our expectations, this combination that can go a long way toward creating the harmony and peace that we long for, especially at the holiday season.


TELECLASS ANNOUNCEMENT:
Picture
















My teleclass on the first six months of 2017 will be broadcast and recorded on Thursday, January 19. After spending this past week meditating on the best title, I have settled on "Personal Choice and Self-Determination" -- powerful words for a powerful time!

Here are the details: 


Personal Choice and
Self-Determination

Astrological Guidance for January-June 2017

Thursday, January 19, 2017
4pm PST  |  5pm MST  |  6pm CST  |  7pm EST
90-minute class | $28


I will include a complete description and the link for registering for the teleclass in next week's Journal. Please note: If you're not able to attend the class on the 19th, you can listen to the recording (and watch the slideshow) at your convenience after the class airs. The link to the recording is also provided to anyone who attends the class live.

​​​​​​​I hope you can join us to learn what to expect -- and what is expected of us! -- in the first half of 2017!



IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS THIS WEEK: While you may have some delays in reaching your goals this year, ultimately you will be successful in bringing in new forms that provide more personal fulfillment. You are releasing old patterns of fear and withdrawal that have kept you from going after what you most desire. As you do this release work, you are supported both cosmically and interpersonally to align with your highest potentials and purposes.ill keeping your feet on the ground. Happy Birthday!

Yours in peace,

Pam

 

Copyright Pam Younghans 2016. All rights reserved.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Soulstice Rising ~ Ascension Notes: Flexibility, Birth & Freedom by Kara Schallock 9-Jun-2015


 Soulstice Rising ~ Ascension Notes: Flexibility, Birth & Freedom
by Kara Schallock 9-Jun-2015


Since the Full Moon, we have been rising in vibration, preparing for a huge burst forward on the Summer/Winter Solstice. You most likely have felt the intensity. I have noticed I feel the energies physically first, especially since I have released so much…and the same may very well be true for you too. These past several days have brought up much exasperation and wondering if indeed we have changed at all. It may feel as though we are waiting for something. Trust that we have changed and the waiting isn’t really waiting at all. it is a knowing that we are all moving and integrating in phenomenal ways. Everything happens in Divine Order and Divine Time, so if you feel like you’re waiting, trust that all is occurring perfectly. We want to hurry things along and yet there is no “pushing the river.” We must be patient and ever-vigilant with what our lives are showing us. We keep releasing and to remain in Observance is best so that we don’t attach to the old energies bubbling up and focus, instead, on how we feel. Analyzing everything does nothing. only feeling matters. As we feel, we have more Clarity. as we think, there is confusion. And still, in these times, we might not even know what we feel. If this is the case, be patient and focus on how and what you want to feel. This helps move you through any perceived impasse.

Feeling uncomfortable. that is, not feeling like yourself, feeling different, not able to relate to folks you’ve always been able to relate to, exhaustion in the morning, headaches, “Ascension hangovers,” overwhelm, anxiety…these are all a part of the shift from the old to the New. Let it be O.K. for truly we are much different as we move into the New and more out of the old. It has been very important to slow down, which is a challenge for many. When one is busy doing this or that, it keeps them in the old with no or little time given to just Being. And Being is essential, for it is then that one can see and feel with more Clarity. In the old, we thought staying busy was spiritual and wore it like a badge of honor. that running here and there was how you stayed connected to life and without this busy-ness you were lazy (an old program). Now we are prompted to let this frenetic busy-ness go, so we can truly feel each moment and each step we take in full Awareness.

A few days ago I cleared my main Altar. I re-found my Angel Cards and so took and put them in a little bowl where I could see them first thing in the morning. The first day I randomly chose Flexibility. the next day Birth and today I chose Freedom. How perfect this is! It takes being flexible in order to release the old (the old really doesn’t want to let you go), and from that there is Birth and from Birth there is Freedom. Many of us are experiencing this Freedom as our lives shift away from old world responsibility to being able to choose freely what resonates. And when it is not clear, just be still, Be, and have Patience. And you may feel all things together…anxiety and Freedom, anger and Love, busy-ness and Being. This is all a part of the transition, so do not judge yourself if you still experience some lower emotions…bless them and release and then put your attention on how you want to feel.

~Breathe deeply, as this does much to clear and center you in the Moment. Stand or walk barefoot on the Earth whenever you can, as this grounds you and helps your body acclimate to the higher energies infusing your cells~
Let go of any preconceived ideas of what New Earth is or will be like. New Earth is a consciousness within you. As you rise in vibration, your view of the world shifts to match your new vibration and consciousness. If you are one who sees the brokenness of the world, surely there is brokenness within you. So address all that you perceive is broken within and then your perceptions shift. It is said that when one is whole within, they experience their lives as whole. When one is truly One with all, there is no judgment of anyone or anything that is different than oneself. You can say that you are One and you are whole, yet unless this is fully integrated, there will still be separation in your life. And it is all evolving, slowly step by step. The best way to help others and the Earth is not by “sending” Light, but by being all of who you are…you are the Light. you are Love. you are Whole. You send out waves of who you truly are not by consciously sending it, but by the being the Lighthouse. Others receive who you are. it’s a vibration. not an act.

I know I have spoken about not limiting yourself with labels. You are not an empath. you are empathic. You are not a teacher. you teach. You are not a 5th dimensional being. you are multidimensional. Any time you assign a label to who you are, you limit yourself. Go beyond any box you place yourself in, for indeed describing yourself as this or that, you then stop your growth. It was fine in the old. now, set yourself free by dropping any labels by which you attach yourself to. We are meant to expand, explore and move beyond limitations. That is what is meant by being multidimensional. Ascension is about Expansion. not to limit oneself by claiming you are this or that. you are much more than any description.

To master something means that you are at the top of your game. and in Truth, you don’t stop there. you continue to evolve. Master is an ego-term. So let us just say that we are evolving. We might become so very adept at something and yet that is not a stopping place. We will continue to evolve and change. In fact, anything that is a label is static. labels stop the growth the minute one claims to be this or that. We reach levels and then there are more levels. Think of this as mountains. We reach the peak of one mountain and see there are more to “master.” So we begin again. not from the beginning, but from the place of Wisdom we find ourselves. The Wise One never claims to be anything, for the Wise One knows that life is a continuous evolution.

We needn’t prove who we are to anyone. Others know you by who you are vibrationally. and you cannot pretend to be more or less than you are. You radiate the truth of who you are without doing a thing. Yes, you may be guided to serve in a particular way, yet you needn’t tell others how great you are, for they will intuit it. That is how every single one of us is in our Power. By being authentic, others who are vibrating similarly will be attracted to you. So the key is to be authentic and to continue to raise your own vibration by releasing the old you and allowing the New You to be created cell by cell. Through your choices you either raise or diminish your vibration. This may be a question you can ask yourself when faced with a choice or confrontation: “Does this increase or diminish my vibration?”

When old emotions come up, do honor them. Emotions are stuck energy. You can help to move them out by doing something creative…dance, drum, sing, write, speak, paint, sculpt, play music, be in Nature, connect with others at the Heart…there are so many ways to express and shift the energy. In the old, we would do things to distract us like drink, smoke, overeat, have sex, watch TV or anything that would distract us from the particular emotion. Yet what happens to the emotion? It goes right back into hiding and continues to manifest drama and chaos in life. When you make the choice to create, you transform the emotion into Soulful Choice. Your True Self loves Creativity, for it is how Soul is expressed. When you create, be aware of how you feel, for it is through feeling in which you create anew.

By Being, you are more apt to be in touch with your Intuitive Guidance. It is always there within you. Meditation helps strengthen it and then living your meditation by being aware in every moment as to what is important to attend to is the point of living in the New. Being distracted by mundane lists of things to do or by a myriad of activity, you may not be so in touch with your Intuitive Guidance. But rather, you allow life to happen to you as if you have no Power or choice. And certainly this is not true. What are your top priorities? Do you allow activities or others pull you away from them? When you honor yourself by making you the number 1 priority, life shifts all in your favor.

For many of us, we have gotten used to the constant energy flow and have ceased to wonder what the heck is going on and have moved into Acceptance. For those of you who just stepped onto your Ascension Path, please be assured that all is in Divine Order and you are guided in Love. We continue to receive Light frequencies, which empowers our inner Awareness more and we continue to balance New life with old life. We may feel sad about so much loss and at the same time be at Peace with everything in our lives. We continue to live by example even as we straddle both worlds at the same time. Yet, do trust that the New World is becoming stronger as we become stronger. And remember that you are home. Earth is our home for now. We are the Wayshowers. we are the ones who have chosen to bring Earth and all her life to a new way of Being. Celebrate you. honor you. for you are magnificent!
Keep walking your talk and being the Lighthouse you are. This is a phenomenal time to be alive!

~ ~ ~
I post small inspirations on my Facebook Page between writing the Ascension Notes, if you’re so inclined...Ascension: Soulstice Rising.
A note about my Facebook page: Facebook is now charging us to have our posts go out to all who “like” the page. So, now only a small percentage have my posts end up in their feed. So, be sure to go to my page often, as I post every day.
If so guided, your continued tithes are graciously and gratefully accepted. And thank you to those of you who consistently tithe to support this body of work. Tithing is giving from the Heart; creating a consciousness of Prosperity. I am blessed and grateful for each of you!
Important: if you sign up to receive the Ascension Notes from my website, please add kara@soulsticerising.com to your spam filters...as I receive notices of being undeliverable because it’s considered spam.
 

Friday, March 6, 2015

Yogadork: Stretching Is In Your Brain (Part 1): A New Paradigm of Flexibility and Yoga +(PART 2): What is the Value of Flexibility Without Strength? by Jenni Rawlings

Stretching Is In Your Brain (PART 1):
A New Paradigm of Flexibility and Yoga

image-1

by Jenni Rawlings



In yoga, we tend to place a lot of emphasis on stretching as a means toward more flexibility. But what actually happens in our body when we stretch? Most of us envision our bodies as consisting of play-doh like tissues that we pull on and make longer through stretching, but new science is revealing to us a model of stretching that is much more complex, dynamic, and fascinating than what has previously been imagined. And it turns out that thinking of our bodies in this older “play-doh” like version may be counterproductive and can lead to a number of injuries and structural problems resulting from our yoga practice. In order to keep our wonderful yoga tradition evolving and current, it’s important that we understand this new and fascinating science of stretching and any implications it might offer for our practice and teaching.


A NEW PARADIGM OF FLEXIBILITY


Biomechanics-based Restorative ExerciseTM teaches a lot of new and eye-opening information about stretching and flexibility that isn’t yet common knowledge in the yoga world. Additionally, the wonderful yoga teacher Jules Mitchell is on a mission to educate the yoga community about the science of stretching. Her recently-completed master’s thesis in exercise science is a comprehensive literature review of the most current scientific research on stretching to date, and it’s full of an abundance of important information for yogis.


Utilizing the innovative knowledge that these resources offer, let’s examine some of our current beliefs about stretching and introduce some helpful ways we can begin to update these beliefs to reflect the newest scientific word on the street.


image-2

WHAT WE THINK HAPPENS WHEN WE STRETCH


Most people think of their muscles as being either “long” or “short”, and that during a stretch, they are targeting their “short” muscles by physically “lengthening” or “loosening” them. In this stretching paradigm, our muscles are mold-able tissues like taffy or play-doh which we can form into a shape of our choosing by simply pulling or pushing on them. For example, when we fold forward into paschimottanasana (seated forward fold), we tend to imagine that our hamstrings are physically growing longer in that moment of our stretch in the same way that taffy would grow longer if we tugged on both of its ends for awhile. We imagine that when we release paschimottanasana, our hamstrings remain just a bit longer than they were before we did the stretch. And we also imagine that the longer and deeper we hold a pose like paschimottanasana, the longer and looser our hamstrings become.


This stretching paradigm is what most of us were taught in our yoga classes, workshops, and teacher trainings. It’s completely understandable that we might see the body as working like this, but new research is revealing a very different version of the biomechanics of stretching.


image-3


THE NEW SCIENCE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE STRETCH


We all know that when we stretch, we experience a feeling of “tightness” at our end range of motion – a sensation that limits us from moving any deeper into the stretch. We have traditionally defined this “tight” sensation as the result of having reached the end length of the muscle(s) we’re stretching. In other words, we pulled on the ends of our muscle until we reached its maximum physical length, and once we hit that boundary, the stretch stopped and we felt the “tightness”. With enough stretching, we could increase the length of our muscle and therefore move further into our stretch with time.


image-4


But we now understand that increasing our flexibility has much less to do with the physical length of our muscle tissue, and much more to do with the part of our body that controls and moves our muscles: the nervous system. Our brain, the main control center of our nervous system, is in constant communication with our muscles and one of its main imperatives is to keep our body where it perceives it is safe. Normal movements that we make throughout our day are considered safe by the brain because it knows and trusts them. But on the other hand, our brain is not familiar with ranges of motion that we never move into, so it’s much less likely to consider those places safe. When we stretch, if we move into a place that the brain isn’t familiar with, our nervous system will end our stretch by communicating with our muscles to put the breaks on the movement.


For example, if you happen to work on your computer for 8 solid hours a day (and if you don’t take frequent intermittent stretch breaks for your shoulders – hint hint :) ), the brain becomes very familiar with the arms-forward position that you use while typing and considers that range safe. Then later, if you decide to do a chest stretch in which you take your arm out to the side and then behind you, the brain doesn’t feel that that movement is safe because you so rarely go there, so it will limit your range very early on in the stretch.


A major takeaway from this new flexibility paradigm is that when we increase our range of motion through stretching, it isn’t because we pulled on our tissues and made them longer. It’s because we visited the edge of our stretch (also called stretch “tolerance”) enough times that our brain started to feel comfortable there and it began to allow us to move deeper into that range.


OKAY, I THINK I’M STARTING TO GET IT, BUT WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?


It’s definitely interesting and more scientifically accurate to understand this previously-overlooked role that our nervous system plays in flexibility. But whether it’s your nervous system or the physical length of your muscles limiting you in a stretch, why does it matter? Isn’t a stretch a stretch, regardless of the mechanism behind it?


image-5


That’s a great question – I’m so glad you asked! The main answer has to do with what tissues are being targeted when we stretch. We often think and talk about stretching our muscles in our yoga poses (i.e. paschimottanasana stretches our “hamstrings”), but in truth our muscles are surrounded by, interwoven with, and inseparable from our fascia. Our fascia is our incredible body-wide web of connective tissue that is literally everywhere inside of us, and it includes our tendons and ligaments. Muscles and fascia are two distinct tissues with different properties, but both are affected when we stretch. And how we choose to stretch, which is based on whether we believe that we’re physically lengthening our muscles (old paradigm) or increasing our nervous system’s tolerance for the stretch (new paradigm), determines how our fascia will be affected during the movement. (Preview for Part 2 of this post: if we’re going with the older “pulling on our tissues like play-doh” paradigm, we’ll feel more drawn to stretching deeper and harder in our poses, which is much more likely to simply damage our tissues than give us the flexibility we seek.)


I’ll elaborate more on this and other important topics, like how we might choose to apply this new information to our yoga practice and teaching, in my next blog post. Stay tuned, guys! And in the meantime, if you’re interested in further reading, check out this awesome article by Jules Mitchell (written for a pretty science-oriented reader). See you for Part 2 soon!


——

Stretching Is In Your Brain (PART 2):
What is the Value of Flexibility Without Strength?

in YogaDork Ed
image-1


by Jenni Rawlings


In Part 1 of my “Stretching Is In Your Brain” series, we looked at some updated information on what happens physiologically inside of us when we stretch. To re-cap, new science is revealing that the widely-held belief that we physically grow our muscles longer during a stretch is inaccurate. Instead, flexibility is controlled by our nervous system, which determines how far it will allow us to move into a stretch based on how safe it perceives our body to be in that range of motion.


As yoga practitioners and teachers, we’ve been treating our muscles as though they are independent entities which we can mold through direct manipulation, but in reality our muscles are just the peripheral, subservient component of a much broader system of communication and control. Let’s explore some of the implications that this major paradigm shift has for how we approach the body in our yoga practice.


WHAT DOES PULLING HARD ON OUR TISSUES ACHIEVE?


In the old paradigm of stretching in which we believe that we’re physically pulling our tissues longer like taffy when we stretch, it would logically follow that in order to gain more flexibility, we should simply pull harder and deeper. Wringing oneself deep into a spinal twist or receiving a strong adjustment from a teacher intended to push your range of motion further are common examples of this strategy. But we now understand that flexibility is much less about using brute physical force to grow our muscles longer, and much more about using intelligent communication to suggest to our nervous system that a particular range of motion is safe.


In fact, the “brute force” method of stretching is problematic in multiple ways. When we stretch, our muscles aren’t the only tissues that are affected. Muscles are surrounded by and interpenetrated with fascia, which also makes up the body’s ligaments and tendons. When we move our body into a stretch, both our muscles and our fascia experience the stretch at the same time.


image-2

It’s important to understand that fascia has only a set range that it can stretch. Stretching offers many benefits to the health of our fascia, but it won’t change the range of this tissue. This means that after fascia experiences the load of a stretch, only one of two possibilities can happen: 1) it returns to its original length after being stretched or 2) it is stretched too far and is damaged. And that’s it! We don’t make our fascia “longer” when we stretch. And if we pull too hard on this tissue in an effort to elongate it, we will most likely move beyond its ability to withstand the load, which will ultimately lead to injury. As counterintuitive as it may seem, for the health and balance of our structure, we actually want our fascia to be quite “stiff” and “resilient”.
BUT HOW MUCH STRETCH IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT?


We understand that stretching intensely does not benefit us, but how do we know where that boundary lies in our body as well as our students’ bodies? Here’s a key rule to use in your practice: when we stretch, we should only move into a range of motion over which we have muscular control. This is because our nervous system feels safest when it senses that we have control over our movement.


Put another way, we don’t want to create flexibility without the strength to support it. If we stretch within these parameters, our practice is likely to contribute to a balanced body that moves well. However, when we stretch into a range in which the targeted muscles cannot function, we are creating excessive mobility (and more than likely hypermobility) that we don’t have the ability to stabilize.

image-3
Hanumanasana, yoga’s forward split.

To illustrate this point, let’s look at hanumanasana, yoga’s forward splits. If we practiced this pose with the goal of building flexibility within the context of strength, we would only move as deep into the shape as the muscles of our legs could maintain control. Picture it: without using your arms pressing into the floor, you would slowly lower down into your full hanumanasana and then use those very same leg muscles to lift yourself all the way back up (again, without the use of the arms!) This might seem like a superhuman acrobatic feat, but I promise it would be possible if you truly worked to build power at your end range.


image-4
My friend Maddy demonstrating gomukhasana arms.

Let’s touch in on a few other asanas to see how this “stability at your end range” principle might apply. Padmasana, or lotus pose, is one of yoga’s classic asanas. Most of us use our arms to pull our legs into this shape. We also sometimes use momentum to quickly fold our legs into lotus, but momentum is another method of moving into a range of motion that we don’t have the strength to control. Is it any wonder that padmasana is notorious for tearing soft tissue in many a yogi’s knee joint? Try this instead: without using your arms or momentum, use only the muscles of your legs to fold your feet as close to your hips as you can and breathe there. This shape – one over which your muscles have control – is the correct stability edge for your body. Another great example is eka pada sirsasana, yoga’s leg-behind-the-head pose. If that leg can climb behind your head itself, without the use of your arms, then you’re staying within your excellent strength-at-your-end-range limits. But I have yet to see a yogi who can accomplish such a daunting task! A less obvious pose in which we commonly move beyond our stability edge is gomukhasana, or cow-face arms. Many people like to use their opposite arm to help that bottom arm climb higher up the back, but as soon as we interfere with that bottom arm’s own ability to move itself to its edge, we are stretching past our active range of motion and into unsupported mobility.


IN CONCLUSION…


I know that so many of us yogis are used to going as deep as our bodies will allow in our poses. Think of the innumerable beautiful photos that yoga teachers have in their portfolios or on Instagram of their bodies looking extremely graceful in a perfectly- executed forward split. (I don’t personally have a photo of myself in hanumanasana, but I certainly have photos of many other asanas in which I’ve moved well beyond my active boundaries.)


The science behind utilizing stability as a container for flexibility is not yet widely understood in the yoga world – and not surprisingly, the number of overstretching injuries in our community is quite high. But as a yoga community, we have to ask ourselves some tough questions: if you have the mobility to move deeper into a pose than your muscles can control, where is that mobility coming from, what is it offering you in terms of how well your body functions, and how many more times can you practice this pose before an injury occurs? What is the value of flexibility without the strength to support it? This is the kind of shift in thinking that yoga needs to make if we want our practice to truly offer the structural health and other long-term benefits like aging with ease that so many yoga practitioners seek.


~
Jenni Rawlings loves to weave her natural interest in anatomy and biomechanics into her yoga teaching. She is grateful to so many teachers who inspire her, most notably amazing biomechanist Katy Bowman. You can find out more about Jenni at www.jennirawlings.com.
–

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

DAILY OM ~ January 26, 2015 Useful Transformation: Make Change Work for You




DAILY OM ~ January 26, 2015
Useful Transformation: Make Change Work for You

by Madisyn Taylor


When we experience change in our life we can control our response and reaction to the changes that are happening.


Transformation is a universal constant that affects our lives from the moment we are born until we leave earthly existence behind. At the root of all growth, we find change. Occasionally, change and the circumstances leading up to it are a source of extraordinary joy, but more often than not they provoke feelings of discomfort, fear, or pain. Though many changes are unavoidable, we should not believe that we are subject to the whims of an unpredictable universe. It is our response to those circumstances that will dictate the nature of our experiences. At the heart of every transformation, no matter how chaotic, there is substance. When we no longer resist change and instead regard it as an opportunity to grow, we find that we are far from helpless in the face of it.


Our role as masters of our own destinies is cemented when we choose to make change work in our favor. Yet before we can truly internalize this power, we must accept that we cannot hide from the changes taking place all around us. Existence as we know it will come to an end at one or more points in our lives, making way for some new and perhaps unexpected mode of being. This transformation will take place whether or not we want it to, and so it is up to us to decide whether we will open our eyes to the blessings hidden amidst disorder or close ourselves off from opportunities hiding behind obstacles.


To make change work for you, look constructively at your situation and ask yourself how you can benefit from the transformation that has taken place. As threatening as change can seem, it is often a sign that a new era of your life has begun. If you reevaluate your plans and goals in the days or weeks following a major change, you will discover that you can adapt your ambition to the circumstances before you and even capitalize on these changes. Optimism, enthusiasm, and flexibility will aid you greatly here, as there is nothing to be gained by dwelling on what might have been. Change can hurt in the short term but, if you are willing to embrace it proactively, its lasting impact will nearly always be physically, spiritually, and intellectually transformative.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

DAILY OM ~ January 21, 2015 Be Open: Embracing New Information

 

DAILY OM ~ January 21, 2015
Be Open: Embracing New Information
by Madisyn Taylor



As we live we will go through the processes of opening to new information, integrating it, and stabilizing our worldview.


Living in an information age, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the constant influx of scientific studies, breaking news, and even spiritual revelations that fill our bookshelves, radio waves, and in-boxes. No sooner have we decided what to eat or how to think about the universe than a new study or book comes out confounding our well-researched opinion. After a while, we may be tempted to dismiss or ignore new information in the interest of stabilizing our point of view, and this is understandable. Rather than closing down, we might try instead to remain open by allowing our intuition to guide us.


For example, contradictory studies concerning foods that are good for you and foods that are bad for you are plentiful. At a certain point, though, we can feel for ourselves whether coffee or tomatoes are good for us or not. The answer is different for each individual, and this is something that a scientific study can’t quite account for. All we can do is take in the information and process it through our own systems of understanding. In the end, only we can decide what information, ideas, and concepts we will integrate. Remaining open allows us to continually change and shift by checking in with ourselves as we learn new information. It keeps us flexible and alert, and while it can feel a bit like being thrown off balance all the time, this openness is essential to the process of growth and expansion.


Perhaps the key is realizing that we are not going to finally get to some stable place of having it all figured out. Throughout our lives we will go through the processes of opening to new information, integrating it, and stabilizing our worldview. No sooner will we have reached some kind of stability than it will be time to open again to new information, which is inherently destabilizing. If we see ourselves as surfers riding the incoming waves of information and inspiration, always open and willing to attune ourselves to the next shift, we will see how blessed we are to have this opportunity to play on the waves and, most of all, to enjoy the ride.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

The Energies of October 2014 a message from Jamye Price




The Energies of October 2014
a message from Jamye Price

Wednesday, 1 October, 2014  (posted 3 October, 2014)


The energies of October and November slightly blur together.  They are a building-upon and October begins a phase of momentum.  The lines of release and activation are blurring as manifestation becomes more readily available to match your clarity.  A recent characteristic of these times is that they feel intense, as if they are FULL, yet manageable (mostly!).  If it isn't feeling mostly manageable to you, observe what may be best served to be released, for October offers much opportunity for release!

In this year of personal empowerment, Lightworkers are being called to shine their Light like never before.  It makes sense then, that the energy of boundaries is up yet again.  Boundaries are for you, and only you can hold them.  Boundaries give you strength to feel safe in your world.  When you feel angry, victimized or resentful, your boundaries are speaking to you.  They are indicating a need for a better boundary.

Boundaries can get frustrating because they take effort at first.  You are building an energetic muscle.  As you strengthen it, things get easier.  You don't want massive, bulging boundaries.  That's the old way.  Supple, pliable strong boundaries that support your free-flow of creative interaction with the world will serve you best.

As you are strengthening your boundaries, try to find that moment of detached compassionate awareness where you observe the gift within the challenge that is strengthening you.  That also means you should be able to find some detachment when things are easy and pat yourself on the back for your improvement!

I also see much clearing happening around past traumas that limit the personal power – fear driven avoidance that is a natural survival mechanism of the ego.  You notice it as resistance to certain things.  These releases help with boundaries, as your boundary issues are triggered by unconscious or conscious trauma.

You know when you have moved past something when you feel more unconditional with the world around you.  This experience is like viewing what others are doing as beneficial for their path of learning.  It looks like not getting bogged down in controlling outcomes, people or your environment.  It looks like an open flowing perspective of “All is Well,” even though you are aiming toward change in some areas of your life.  Action feels like a natural creative expression, even if it is ‘opposition’ to something, it has the energy of building upon it.  Kind of like how release and activation become inseparable in your experience.

We have some wonderful astrology supporting our progress as we balance the internal communication review of Mercury retrograde with some awesome eclipse energy throughout October.  That moon energy has felt intensified for months now and October will not end that cycle!

Use this time to watch for patterns of what is calling for release, what seeds of inspiration are being planted and what your action entails in order to flow your energy out into your world.  It changes our world!  Definitely time to shine your Light, even if it mostly feels internal for a bit.
In Summary

October will bring about more release, more understanding and more opportunity for growth.  Life will be calling you into action, your first action always being internal, as you are releasing any emotional baggage stopping your flow.  Sometimes the simplicity of Love is lost in the definition.  Humanity has been taught so much suppression and that power = dominance.  We are now remembering our power to Love while saying no or yes, Love while saying nothing and to Love the potential while living the boundaries of personal choice.  As you make those choices in your own life, the world follows.  It is a powerful entrainment of Freedom.  Time to get your caboose in gear as we ride the entrainment of Love! ;o) Happy October!

Copyright: © 2005-2014 Jamye Price, www.CrystallineSoulHealing.com All Rights Reserved. You are free to share this work for non-commercial use in complete and unedited form with this copyright information displayed in its entirety.

This message was originally posted here
http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=c2acb7843595b4286d89d2fb5&id=b934c10bad