I AM Consciousnesss – Dr. Bairavee The Sky Priestess

YOU DO NOT NEED TO TRANSCEND YOUR DARKNESS. OR ERASE IT. OR LIGHT IT UP SO IT RUNS AWAY….

26 Nov 20149 Feb 2022The Sky Priestess6 Comments

The past couple of days I’ve seen spiritual writings saturated with the idea of ‘transforming’ or ‘transcending’ Darkness, and turning it into Light. Whilst I understand the basic idea behind it, I also feel compelled to share my take on it. This understanding is simply a restatement of the Binary/Duality that so much of Spirituality claims to want to transcend. The moment you ascribe normative values such as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to experiences, and then classify them as ‘light’ and ‘dark’ – and then make narratives about which is better, which needs to be transcended, and which needs to be let go of – you’re still falling into the same trap of Judgment. (If we’re perfectly honest with ourselves — the kind of dissolution and transcendence that spirituality aspires to would require a transcending of ALL categories)

Think about it. At the end of the day, Light and Dark are different aspects of the same Reality. The moment we declare that one is somehow worse, weaker, or in need of ‘transmutation’ into the other, is the moment we officially declare war on a key aspect of our own complexity – and origins…

Now I know the idea that we’re all recycled stardust and beings of Light is true … (and I like that idea too) – but it’s also worth remembering that EVERYTHING came from Darkness.

Yes, we are children of the Supernova, but we are also descendants of a Time in which Light simply did not exist. We emerged out of that Primordial Abyss.

Those of us willing to experience ‘Darkness’ without the categories and narratives of ‘evil’ or ‘dense’ or ‘in need of transmutation’ – eventually come to the understanding that there was in fact, a Sacred, Holy Energy present in Our Collective Primordial Beginning. An energy that accompanies us through our lives, and which we return to in order to experience our most powerful moments of transformation.

Astrologers understand the pull of this energy, and the immense wisdom and cycles of learning it imparts – as expressed our recognition of points such as the Galactic Center (at 27 Sagittarius) and the Super-Galactic Center (at 1 Libra) – these are massive Black Holes which represent the energy of Spiritual Teaching (among other things) … Often, those tight aspects to these points have a strong connection with ‘Source’ (in spiritual parlance).

Spiritualists in shamanic and more ancient traditions also understand the role of the Holy Darkness, expressing this connection through the imagery of the Dark Womb of the Earth. Those who engage with the energies of the Crone, Dark and/or Warrior aspect of the Goddess will know exactly what I’m talking about. That place in which you are first discovered, nurtured, and then able to arise from (and return to, when need be).

One theory for the evolution of Life on this planet points to its origins in the deep hydrothermal vents, beneath the ocean’s floor. A very ‘dark’ place … a more relatable analogy is the how a seed must first be buried before it begins to grow…. Thinking about it… even the womb in which the human fetus gestates is … a familiar, comforting – individualized – expression and engagement with Primordial Darkness.

So no matter which perspective you look at – astrophysics, astrology, evolutionary anthropology, biology,ancient spirituality – and so on — Darkness has had a key role to play in the ‘beginning’ of Life and Existence as we know it.

So.. I’d say it’s not something to avoid – or (possibly worse) to patronize with ideas of ‘transmutation’ and ‘healing’ so it can then become ‘Light’. It is its own vibration – and one that we do not need to (and cannot) ‘light-wash’, lest we erase our own primordial origins in the process.

Darkness and Light do not share the relationship of Opposites as commonly understood – Darkness is not even the ‘absence’ of light – but the photonic saturation of Light Absorbed (thank you one of my commentors for pointing that juicy fact out)

And they really don’t share relationship of soap (Light) and grease (Dark), something which enough soap can ultimately get rid of…. That is exactly the kind of binary/heuristic duality that sprung the trap of Judgment in the first place.

Enjoy the Rainbows, Enjoy the Light – and for those of you in search of Totality … Enjoy the Sacred Darkness and all the Shades of Grey that dance between the two – whilst you’re at it.

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image: Illustration of a black hole and its surrounding disk.jpg – NASA, public domain

THE PATH OF THE PRIESTESS: PEACE? WAR? HEALING? TRANSMUTATION? LOVE? ALCHEMY?

22 Nov 20149 Feb 2022The Sky Priestess14 Comments

As Priestesses – what is it that we do? Do we hold someone’s hand and listen to them pour their hearts out? Do we just ‘talk straight’, and tell someone what they really need to hear? Do we heal? Do we inspire? Do we defend? Do we terrify? Do we help out behind the scenes or jump straight into the heart of things?

Yes… Yes… and Yes ….

And a lot more besides …

Being a Priestess does not require a religion, or even any understanding of faith (as paradoxical as that sounds). Some Priestesses use a Title, and some others do not even recognize the construct – doesn’t stop them from being one though 😉 And both approaches are just as valid.

And just to be clear – whilst I tend to address my posts to all genders, this one has a strong emphasis on the Feminine. The Priest’s Path of Service tends to be slightly different – but those who have a balanced sense of Masculine/Feminine will be able to relate to this piece as well.

What I have seen across the board is this: Priestesses live day-to-day with eyes in this world and in plenty others simultaneously. They see the movement of Spirit, Divinity, Grace, Life through all that occurs and honor, amplify or simply recognize that movement through some form of Service. As a Priestess upholds, embodies and anchors that vibration of Living-in-Communion, she naturally becomes a beacon that others are drawn to – a Gateway, if you will – to Healing and Re-connection.

Sometimes it’s a pleasant process, and at other times, it can be extremely uncomfortable. Some Priestesses are gentler, others are harsher. Some see joy and life in the world, and others see the rot and are focused upon its healing. Sometimes both, and a lot more besides. There’s just no generalizing it.

You can find a Priestess in a hospital, in a church, in a pagan community, in a social care center, in parliament, in a corporation, in a mirror – anywhere where there is a Woman able to see this Movement/Vibration and Align herself with it.

But more than any of that – there’s the Devotion, or Dedication to a particular Cause, Vibration or Idea. In ancient times, many of us chose death over the forsaking of our beliefs; We chose our cause of devotion over much-desired love and comfort; We chose to walk the route that no one else dared or wanted to even approach (as so many awakening priestesses are beginning to remember).

Some of us continue to make those same choices. And in some parts of the world, it really is a matter of life-and-death. For most of us, the repercussions are nowhere near as dire. But that does not make our choices any less significant.

We see it when we are called to speak our Truth to friends, family, colleagues, lovers, and so on. We see it in our thoughts, emotions, ideas and very substance, or essence of Being.

A constantly running red thread … that keeps pulsing, as real as your heartbeat. The sound of an invisible drum, a rhythm your Soul keeps dancing to. Each footstep, each time you follow that thread – a Choice is Made.

At times these choices seems like Trials – Trials of Fire and Spirit that just keep you going forward, come what may. Some with more intensity, others less so (and both is fine).

The choices that come in our lives, which call us to always, always look at things from a Transcendent Perspective. We’re always called to take the ‘higher/deeper’ road – and nothing exists in half-measures.

There is this constant intensity – be if of joy, trials, sorrow, anger – or any other emotional state (sometimes all) as Priestesses begin to remember and embody their Sacred Archetypes.

It’s not all grim, but it’s not all cupcakes and roses either. There is a beauty to this path, but also a great striving that accompanies it – especially in the earlier phases of awakening.

In my case, I was recognized as a Priestess (without the title ever being used) by a spiritually attuned mother and a father who recognized me as his teacher (and I him) from infancy. Even so, Living the Path, has not been a walk in the park (and that too, is a part of my Service).

In my earlier years, given my name (Bhairavi – Destroyer of Obstacles, The Most Terrifying Aspect of Maha-Kali) and cultural background (where Goddesses are shown sticking tridents into and impaling ‘demons’) – the biggest lesson I had to learn was in the Mode, or Type of Service I was called to give. The ‘battle metaphor’ had to dissolve (which took some work, and the help of friends), till I was better able to see the full spectrum of things.

So here’s some of what I’ve learnt:

(1) Leaping into battle doesn’t always work. But neither does dropping all your defenses and walking in as the pacifist.

(2) Mediation, Healing and Transmutation isn’t always the best course of action (at least, not at first). Sometimes Defending, Protecting and Making a Boundary is.

(3) Holding your ground is right sometimes, but so is complete Surrender.

(4) Not backing down is just as valid as turning your back and walking away

(5) Not all crises are yours to solve, not all problems you encounter are a part of the work that you came to do.

(Sometimes we feel indispensable, and that too is a part of the ego learning that this Priestessing business is not something you can put in a box 😀 )

(6) There is no ‘one formula’ or ‘mode’ that can be used for every situation – nothing is generalizable

(7) The moment you think you ‘know’ something, the Universe shows up with a whole new thing for you to learn. It’s endless, and that’s a beautiful thing in itself.

I’d like to think that I integrate a wider repertoire of these responses in the current way I walk my path, and that I will continue to learn more as time progresses. My trident (claws/ferocity) is there in the background should I ever truly require it, but a more peaceful approach tends to solve most issues.

But one thing I have learnt through all of this is the following:

That there is no ‘default’ response for what a Priestess does, when she is Called to Serve. We are all different, and our Paths and Purposes are different – as are the wide range of situations we encounter in our individual lives.

So there is no need to generalize, to compare one’s path with another, or to try and create a ‘standard formula for Priestessing’.

Here’s what I wrote to a friend earlier today, on the same subject – and with these words I leave you to your thoughts:

At times we will be called into battle to seek the peace through mediation. And at other times, we will be called to fortify the defenses against assault. Sometimes it’s making sure the crops grow and people are safe. It’s very very relative.

At times we burn, at times we heal, at times we stand our ground, or build bridges – and at times, we make sure we turn and never look back. All are necessary, all are equal, and all are …. specific to the circumstance.

* * *

Blessings to All,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image Information: Me at Thanjavur Periya Kovil, 2010. (c) Bairavee Balasubramaniam

THE GREAT GODDESS FIRE TRINE: SHEKINAH/SHAKTI RISING (NOW – TILL OCT 2015!) – A NEW CHAPTER BEGINS!

4 Nov 20144 Nov 2014The Sky Priestess9 Comments

The energies of the Goddess are strongly represented in the skies by a powerful Grand Fire Trine, involving: Juno, Uranus Retrograde and Vesta/Ceres (in the 3rd corner).

This alignment encourages us to light the three beacons which will ignite our collective Re-Awakening, Re-cognition and Re-turn of the Feminine Principle. Some of the keywords you might associate with this energy include: Self – Path of Service – Sacral Reconnection – Creation – Passion – Embodiment – Feminine Rising!

The Grand Fire Trine began at 6:32 pm Oct 25th and will end at 6:11 pm Dec 14 (GMT + 8). The GFT alignment re-forms in January 2015, and is constantly revisited for most of 2015, till the start of October to be precise! (albeit involving different planetary bodies)

This is an exciting energy that clearly indicates the acceleration of the rate of collective awakening as we continue to embody the Feminine Principle through ‘I AM’ Consciousness. In other words – it’s Wake-Up Time, and all of our Spiritual Alarm Clocks have just begun to Ring!

Set your seeds now, my friends, for the internal and external work that you do between now and mid-December will strongly set the tone for the rest of this year, and much of the next year.

Here is a brief description of what each component of the GFT brings to us:

Juno (Leo) – The energy of the Soulmate, particularly through a child or a romantic partner, teaches you a lesson in self-expression, the need for authenticity and ultimately a reconnection with the Sacral Creativity of the Feminine. These same lessons can come through your individual efforts in working with your own creative and sacral (Swadishthana/Sexual) energies.

Juno ultimately seeks to complete and complement who we are.

She is seen as the ‘marriage partner’ or soulmate – I find – due to a patriarchal reading of astrology which sees the male subject as the dominant one. A quick study of Juno’s worship shows her invocation in matters of birth, liminal crossings, marriage, defense, etc. I interpret her energy as one of completion, of seeking one’s connection with the Divine Feminine Herself.

Call her Shekinah, Shakti, Gaia-Sophia, Asherah – She represents the flow of all of these energies – of ‘Goddess Consciousness’ as it circulates through and from you as part of the movement of energy in the Universe.

Jupiter (Leo) – Jupiter loosely conjuncts Juno between Nov 26 till the end of the GFT in 2014 (i.e. December 14). Jupiter’s energy amplifies the energies of Juno (flow of the Divine Feminine) and brings us the gifts and wisdom of teachers and guides seeking to facilitate our journeys with the Eternal-Transcendental She. Note that Jupiter begins its Retrograde in Leo on Dec 8 2014.

Uranus Rx (Ari) – Uranus Retrograde in Aries facilitates this energy of awakening, often through perceived ‘errors’ in communication or perception, and/or in an abrupt form. As we awaken to the Truth of who we Are (i.e. Pure, Creative, Radiant Spirit), we will radically alter our embodiment of Self – the way we carry, represent, assert and simply exist as individuals in our own rights, entitled to our own spaces. I expect many breakthrough of consciousness to come through the method of Gnosis at this time.

Transiting 3rd corner components – dates given are of the duration of their role in the Great Goddess Fire Trine:

Oct 25 – Nov 15 2014 – Vesta (Sag)

The archetype of Priest/ess or Spiritual Facilitator is called to Serve. We are drawn to Paths which involve an expansion of the way we see ourselves and our Spiritual Journeys.

Nov 12 – Dec 14 2014 – Ceres (Sag)

The Asteroid Goddess of Nurture teaches us how to nurture ourselves and others by engaging in our sense of exploration, expansion – seeking our way forward on our Paths – be it through physical travel or journeys of the mind through higher education, philosophy, structured religious or spiritual workings.

The third corner will also be aspected by Mercury, Sun, Venus, Saturn and Pallas Athena as they eventually enter Sagittarius. We will be feeling a stellium of these energies in the 3rd week of November, as all of them feed into the GFT itself. The Moon of course interacts with this alignment and activates it through conjunctions and oppositions (in particular).

This is truly a time to celebrating the Rising of Goddess Consciousness in all Beings. I expect to see a great surge of creative works, written books on the philosophy and path to reach (and embody) Shakti/Shekinah and a radical awakening in our individual and collective consciousness. Such an exciting time to be alive.

Yes my friends, the next chapter, following the intensity and aftermath of the Grand Cardinal Cross of 2014 – has officially begun.