STANDARDS OF SPIRITUAL FACILITATION, BEING ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT YOU DO & TRANSCENDENTAL PERSPECTIVES

One of the reasons why I don´t take the ´Love is Everything, We are all One, it´s Spirit´s Will´ argument as a default is because it´s so open to abuse. And it´s so easy to walk away from taking responsibility for our actions, with that principle.

Anyone can get away with anything, using that argument. If everything we do is an expression of Spirit – good, bad, ugly, beautiful, etc. – in its Mystery and Ways – then we go into the realms of transcendental acceptance.

Which means that everything is OK. And I mean everything.

Which, to me, is an expression of moral nihilism (you might call it ´enlightened´to the point where morality doesn´t matter, but same difference).

It´s not an incorrect view of the world, by any means – my contention is that it is incomplete.

I´m one of those facilitators who sees the need for greater standards, guidelines and codes of conduct within the section of spiritual aspirants that seek to guide or facilitate others in a formal capacity.

True, we all facilitate one another. But those of us who do this as a vocation or calling should have a set of standards or guidelines that we adhere to.

I´m not talking about certifications, titles or other accolades – but a general sense of – What is Ethical?

Maybe I´m just not at that transcendental level where I can ignore a breach of ethics in the name of Love, Spirit and Destiny – but I´m okay here for now 🙂

Let me give you some context:

We live in a world where you can become a ´Certified Shaman´ through taking an online course. Where you can call yourself a Soul Retrieval or Akashic Facilitator after 50 hours of going to a seminar. Where articles see fit to give you ´11 Steps to becoming an Expert Yogi this Summer` (I´m not kidding).

Dilution of the core content of these disciplines and paths of initiation/facilitation doesn´t even come close to what´s happening. Rather, it´s a process of distortion.

You then see facilitators, healers and yogis – as per their given certificates – go into the world and offer services that they believe they can provide.

And sometimes it helps people. And sometimes it lands them in the nut house.

(Premature activations of the kundalini by instructors who do not have the skillset to asses the client´s state of mind and energetic requirements come to mind, specifically).

As beautiful as the spiritual journey can be, it is a dangerous path to walk if you don´t know what you´re doing. Some of the long-term effects of facilitations gone wrong can (and do) last for years, if not decades.

I´ve come across quite a few of those cases in the work that I do and in my personal circle of family and friends. When you see the ruin that ungrounded spiritual facilitation can bring to a person and their family, it´s very … hard … (for me at least) to look the other way.

Getting back to the earlier argument:

The transcendental argument of ´All is Well, All is Happening as it Should, All is Love, All is Spirit´ lacks the moral content to say … well… this is shite.

People should be held to account if they´re taking the traditions of an older culture, diluting/distorting it and causing harm (often without intention or the knowledge that they do so).

Then again, I´m not claiming to be a Transcendental Being just yet 😛

But what I do see is the transcendental argument used in defence of a lack of standards in spiritual facilitation. Or worse still, a client-shaming approach, i.e. you should have tuned in and used your discernment. Or, it´s all happening as per your Higher Self´s Will, or, it´s your Soul´s Path, Choice or Karma.

I … am not comfortable with that … not in the slightest. My own work comes with a massive trigger warning label where I explain the potential effects to clients before getting into any work with me. Irrespective of how seasoned, experienced, popular, academically certified they may be (or not). I make them understand that what I do has its effects and consequences, where my (and their) responsibility begins and ends.

I also practice discernment in the clients I take on board because I need to be able to gauge whether a person will be able to handle the intensity of my work. And many cannot. It would cause more harm than good to subject someone to work that is of a deeper intensity than what they should/need exposure to.

This was a lesson I learnt the hard way, with a client who had all the external trappings of being a Teacher: a following, titles, etc. It was a very powerful interaction, but one which showed me the need to lay all this stuff out in total clarity, irrespective of who´s doing the listening. She hated her session and the mirror it held up to her, and of course made it all about me and my alleged lack of professionalism and skill. She and I must have had a powerful contract to work through this together as working with her (and her resistance to be seen) made my biological processes go in overdrive.

It took me a while to recover from that experience and the deep wounds it cut into me. For a long time, I blamed myself (as I tend to) and tried reaching out to her, only to be shamed over and over again. I blamed my body/energy field that took a beating from her resistance and intense force of denial. And I kept wondering what I did wrong and why I reacted to her energy the way I did. If I should stop what I was doing. If I was causing harm. If I was totally deluded, as she claimed I was. If I was not good enough.

The shift came for me when I realized what my mistake was. And to find that I had to look at the situation through the energetic eye, rather than the physical one.

My mistake was not practising that discernment in the beginning. I was too taken by the external trappings at that point of time. Else I´d have known she was not ready for the work I did. Of course when I tried to explain this … it made her go feral. (Yeah, I was a lot more naive then … )

The experience made me a far better facilitator, and one even more confident in what I did – once my ego-mind got past the external trappings (of following, title, labels) – and began to look at her – and me – at the energy level. If I had to look at her chart again today, I´d still have done the same reading of it as I did before.

I now hold a far more specific, focused energetic space than I did before – and readings are getting even deeper than before.

To be fair, at the time, I was walking away from a deeply narcissistic, emotionally abusive woman I had considered my mentor for many years. In retrospect, the clarity of self I achieved through this interaction helped me see that situation very, very clearly. And to eventually break myself away from it.

But the only reason why I reflected and learnt so deeply from this experience was because I took it seriously – and did not wave it off as ´her fault / client shaming´ or as ´the way of the Mystery´ *woo woo, cue mystical sound effects / X-Files theme song*.

I looked at it as a real human interaction and sought to hold myself as accountable as possible. And that is where my growth process came from. And yielded fruit.

So yes – that transcendental perspective of – everything happens for a cause/reason is valid. But it only has meaning when we look for one through a framework that brings it back to the Earth-Plane.

And that … dynamic tension is what, I believe, each and every facilitator who walks this world (and many others) would benefit from engaging with – if they do not do so already.

Tip: Work with Sodalite – it´ll help you discern your clients´ (and your own) energies before going into sessions ❤

Blessings,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
The Sky Priestess

Terms of Use and Sharing: Feel free to use the Share button on FB or Reblog on WordPress for personal, noncommercial or educational use with all links intact. If you are an organization, institution or individual seeking to use this material for promotional purposes, please ask first. If wanting to include this information into your workshop materials or written work, please cite accordingly. All information provided, be it through sessions conducted or this post is non-liable and is not intended to replace professional legal, medical, psychological, psychiatric and/or financial counsel.

Image: Sodalite peg.jpg by Tillman at English Wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Post © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2016. All rights reserved. Please do not use or reproduce without permission. See Terms of Use and Sharing above.

QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDENT, QUESTIONS FOR THE TEACHER / FACILITATOR – AND WHAT DO THEY ALL REFLECT?

Finding a teacher that is balanced and experienced in what you want to learn is important. But from the teacher/facilitator´s perspective, finding a student who has the capacity (i.e. energy-body) to handle what you have to say or do – is equally important.

It doesn´t matter what subject, skill, philosophy or perspective you´re a teacher or facilitator of. It can be astrology, tantra, kundalini work, shadow work, priest/essing – the same thing applies.

Now this applies more to to one-to-one cases or small group sessions. It saves both student and teacher a lot of time if both take a little time to suss out the energy-body of the other.

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From the student´s perspective, the following questions apply:

– – Does this teacher have the knowledge I want?

Be specific in what you want to know and ask the teacher if they specialize in what you´re looking for. Someone who gets offended by the question is probably not someone you want to work with.

– – Is that what s/he is offering to teach or facilitate for me?

Again, specifics help.

– – What do I expect to learn or benefit from the experience?

Ditto. The clearer you are about this upfront, the better it will be for both student and teacher.

– – Is this teacher coming from the right place (Heart or Spirit Centered, etc.)?

That is a harder one to suss out. Take the time to learn a little more about your intended teacher/facilitator and raise questions in a respectful way.

– – Why does s/he do what they do?

A complex question. Some teachers work in the public eye, others in private – and all for motivations that resonate with they own soul´s karma, or needs of learning and unlearning.

That being said, if you feel that your teacher has no other interest in you beyond making you their piggy bank, source of ego-bolstering – or worse – some kind of sycophant – head in the opposite direction …. and keep on walking.

When you find teachers who want to draw you into their organization, their world (in which they sit in a hierarchy) – you face a more complex set of questions to navigate.

Ideally, (and I find this when I am drawn to others, and when others are drawn to me) – there is an instant ´click´, and you know that someone just does something because that is what they are. No other agendas. Try not to project any unto them either 🙂

– – Why am I drawn to this teacher, and not others?

The recommendation of a friend? Was the closest in the area? Why this person, in particular – and at this time?

– – Do I like their work?

– – Do I trust him/her to teach or facilitate with integrity and competence?

– – How do I honor the energy exchange and the teacher/facilitator´s boundaries?

For some it´s barter, for others it´s money, for some it´s nothing at all. As long as the teacher works with either from an inner code that resonates with you, go for it. I´ve seen some who work with cash without issue, and others who are deeply hung up on their own wounds and issues when working without exchange. You just cannot generalize.

I use a mixture and follow my own flow. I suspect others do the same. There are some people I could not (and would not) want to take anything from, and others I know a ´free´ session would not do much for. It´s about the honoring of energy – and that does change the terms of the dynamic when un-met.

Tune in, and see what you feel. Bear in mind though, that spiritual services and facilitations are grossly undervalued (still) owing to far deeper and older collective programs we´ve been told to imbibe. That is a different story for a different time.

That being said, when you´ve got ´that click´ with someone and have a deep sense of trust in what they do – trust them equally to value their work in an appropriate way. That´s what I do when I chose to work with someone.

Many facilitators can organize a payment plan for you if money becomes an issue. If in doubt, ask – and if it´s a fair request – a decent facilitator will help you work something out. And if it´s not, they´ll call you out on it 😉

Can I handle what this person has to say or teach?

Be honest with yourself. The better the facilitator, the better the mirror s/he becomes.

And allow the facilitator (if so inclined) to make the same assessment before starting their work with you.

( I´ve seen it a few times now, when the image a person has of themselves in their headspace does not match up with their energetic reality. And that makes for ´interesting´ sessions – part of the work, really – but it helps to know it before beginning.)

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And from the teacher´s perspective, these questions:

– – Why do I do what I do?

Deep question, but one that is useful to return to from time to time. Always be cautious of your inner games of projection. It helps to sit with other facilitators whom you can bounce off from.

– – What do people think I do?

Not the same as the first. Be clear on who you are in cases where you may feel misinterpreted or projected upon (be in in a flattering or unflattering light).

This is why I have an article posted up called ´Why What I Do Isn’t For Everyone (a.k.a something to read before booking a session with me)´- and if anything that has really helped me represent my energy and the work I do with clarity.

It clears up a lot of this discussion from my end and gives those who want to work with me a chance to think about their expectations -and if the two match.

Is this student ready to hear what I have to say, or learn what I have to teach?

If you´re not willing to make that call, especially if you do very deep or heavy energetic-work – reconsider your profession.

I kid you not.

 

I´ve seen too many cases where over-eager teachers have activated stuff in their student, leading to years and years of energy burnout or imbalance – especially when it involves the kundalini, or deeper forms of shadow-working.

Certain teachings or traditions have prerequsities that both teacher or student must fulfill before beginning their explorations. In an age where a couple of days of a course can give you a certificate that says ´ Kundalini Yoga Instructor´ or ´ Akashic Healer´ — those requirements are not being met, en masse.

I know I´m going to be touching a nerve with this, but it´s needed.

Call me judgemental if you like, but no holds barred here.

I find that in the rush to become a teacher or facilitator, more and more individuals have the paperwork that says so – but without the skillset required.

And with it one of the most important lessons:

Sometimes the best teaching you can do is to simply say – no. I don´t think this is a fit for you at this time. Or no, I´m not the right person for you to work with.

There are of course teachers who lord that over their students due to their own insecurities – but that is a different kettle of fish. In that case, student – reconsider your teacher! (or .. run, run, fast!)

– – Why does the student seek this knowledge or experience?

Let´s say you teach hypnotism and have a student whom you know will use it for an unethical purpose. The ball is in your court. You make your choices with the knowledge that your wisdom may be misused. And the karma that comes with that. Another thing to consider.

– – Why have they come to me, specifically, at this time?

Was it a case of need, or long-standing interest in your work? Were you the closest / most easily accessible facilitator? Those questions play a role in gauging the depth of interest and investment your student will make in the energetic exchange between the two of you.

– – What expectations does this student have of me, and are they realistic?

– – Do I have the energy or other resources this student or session will require of me?

– – Am I the right person to fit their needs and level of development? If not, do I know others who might be?

It´s useful to have a network of buddy-facilitators you can direct people to if this is the case. 🙂

– – Is this student able or willing to honor fair terms of exchange and the nature of my work and energy? Are my terms, indeed, fair?

– – Do I have alternative methods of exchange/payment/barter, if appropriate?

– – Can I articulate my needs and boundaries in a way where I will not be exploited?

(Same goes for the student.)

Am I able to honor the energy and level of knowledge this student brings and to build upon it in a useful, balanced way?

That last question is a little tricky, particularly if your mode of working is more Kali-esque (i.e. creation through destruction, rebirth through the breaking down of the old). So, your understanding of ´balance´ would be expressed differently from a teacher who was gentler – not necessarily less powerful, just using a different modality.

Whatever your understanding of balance is and the ways you take to arrive at it – ask yourself if it is what your student needs, and if it something they can work with and benefit from. Let your student know the general dynamic of the process in advance. 

Food for thought. You might also want to refer to previous articles of mine that address the student-teacher dynamic and the topic of spiritual facilitation, in different ways:

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• Wounded Healer, Wounded Teacher: Questions for Reflection – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-EV
• Standards of Spiritual Facilitation: The Story of the Would-Be Surgeon who never went to Medical School – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-ks
• Standards of Spiritual Facilitation: Being Accountable for what you do & Transcendental Perspectives – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-1iV
• On False Teachers, and False Students and the Narcissistic Games of Projection between the two – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-11O
• The Many Roads we take to Spirit (an astrological piece on Pisces-Sagittarius, but the archetypes hold true) – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-kV
• And my own piece for people who want to work with me – Why What I Do Isn’t For Everyone (a.k.a something to read before booking a session with me) – http://wp.me/p4OUNS-I9

I am planning to put it all together as a book, and hope you will support that effort. Please cite accordingly if using this in your teaching/instructional materials.

And – if there´s some other aspect of the teacher / faciltator – student dynamic you´d like to see more about, do let me know and I´ll see what I can do.

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Blessings, Love and Hugs!

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD

The Sky Priestess

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Post © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2016.

Image: HealBleedingWoman.jpg – Christ healing a bleeding woman

Photo from Catacombes of Rome Source: http://campus.belmont.edu/honors/CatPix/womanblood.jpg — (I wonder what kind of bleeding it was…hmm..)

Terms of Use and Sharing: Feel free to use the Share button on FB or Reblog on WordPress for personal, noncommercial or educational use with all links intact. If you are an organization, insitution or individual seeking to use this material for promotional purposes, please ask first. If wanting to include this information into your workshop materials or written work, please cite accordingly. Sessions are subject to T&Cs explained in the invoice and during the session itself. Having or purchasing the sessions implies tacit acceptance of all T&Cs. All information provided, be it through sessions or this post is non-liable and is not intended to replace professional legal, medical, psychological, psychiatric and/or financial counsel.

Spiritual Shaming, Self-Worth and Why Suffering Isn’t the Way You Need To Go …

We are all, Children of the Universe. We come into being bearing so many Gifts and so much Love. We all have so much to Give.

The sad part is when we forget that we are a part of the Collective. That we too, deserve the love, nurture, support and abundance that we so freely and willingly give to others.

The sad part is when we deny ourselves the same flow of energy we seek to open for others. Some locate it within a rhetoric that says ‘if you suffer, you are sacred’.

Really? Why?

A lot of spiritual growth happens when you truly sit and feel into that question. Yes, suffering, feeling wounds, scars, trauma – can be an incredibly rewarding process. But why is being in pain any less sacred than being happy and fulfilled?

The political scientist in me says that’s an awfully convenient idea to tell a population unhappy with the way they lives are panning out. It makes for a great captive population.

‘What, your life isn’t great? Taxes are too high? The Plague? What, you want reforms? Err…Uhm… — Well… that’s just God’s way, and my, aren’t you blessed to suffer so … What do you mean why? Well, you’ve sinned!!!! (and depending on your perspective, that’s this life or lives past, or simply for having been born human and wanting to pro-create)’

The priestess in me looks at it as as a well-meaning but outdated adherence to a old paradigm that, frankly, does not hold water in the present (unless you really really want it to – and if you do, be aware that it is your choice).

And a lot of that goes back to what I’ve been writing recently on the wounded healer / woundology paradigm. There’s a very big difference between taking the time you need to work through it, and between self-sabotaging your healing process because (1) you don’t believe you can heal (2) you don’t believe you deserve to (3) the Ego says it’s holy to suffer, or (4) that you’ve sinned so badly you deserve to fry for the remainder of your existence/s

Now – this whole dialogue on sinning / attachment to woundedness / refusal to see yourself as deserving better – deserves its own book. I’m going to move onto a different aspect of the question.

Another reason (especially) healers who provide services to others have issues with healing / nurturing themselves is because of the ‘God will provide’ argument.

Let’s break that down shall we.

I recall a few weeks ago (and I’ve seen it a few times) an individual who was very upset with me charging for my services and going on my travels (it’s how I do my thing). He was so so so agitated and kept telling me how I needed to repent as God would provide me with I needed.

Truth be told, yes, God/Goddess has absolutely provided. I have a skillset which I can use, and people willing to honor the work I facilitate. I make sure that I can give back what I receive, not just through paid sessions. I actually do quite a bit of pro bono work, and donate when I can.

Plus – Spirit is the one that decides when, how much and how I do what I do. So, as I tend to say, ‘If you don’t like it, take it up with the Boss. I’m sure Ma-Kali can squeeze you in for an appointment 😉 ‘

Without much surprise, I find I never get this kind of judgment from polytheists – most cultures that believed in more than one form of deity has, inevitably, some form of being that celebrated Abundance, Prosperity, Success and Wealth.

The only ‘sin’ that I see happening is when a person gives only to receive, does not honor the balance of exchange of energy or measures their worth only in terms of dollars/currency made.

Plus, if we think about it – even within the paradigm of ‘God provides’, who is to say that flow of energy does not come through money?

Plus – if we were to hold to a very strict interpretation of that argument – by that same logic, no one would need any help from any human at all.

That’s not the paradigm we currently live in, so .. I’m not buying that argument so much. It uses the name of the Divine, but shames those who give into a place where they cannot receive.

If Ascended Beings still emoted the way most humans do, I’m sure that they’ve *facepalmed* quite a bit over the past few centuries.

So in summary:

Yes, you’ve got gifts to give.
Yes, you’ve got the right to be happy.
Yes, you’ve got the right to reap the rewards of your work.

No, you are not a sinner for wanting to do so.
No, you are not a sinner for wanting to not suffer.
No, you are not any less sacred for wanting to make sure your needs are met.

We have been conditioned to think this way. And it is time to lift those shackles.

Step away from anyone who has to shame you into becoming ‘spiritual’.

We’re moving into a New Paradigm, people.

Plus, we’re eventually moving into a global economy that has got to run in different ways. Once we deal with our collective issues surrounding money / energy exchange / women / the sacral chakra (all linked to the same vibration) .. I think this discussion will be completely obsolete.

Hope that happens sooner, rather than later x

Ciao for now!

Bairavee Balasubramaniam

The Sky Priestess

Post © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2015. All rights reserved. Please see T&Cs below. I have had to update them recently as people have been sharing my work in ways that do not honor the time and effort put into them.

** Terms and Conditions of Use & Sharing: Please note that none of the information presented above or in linked material is meant to replace advice from a medical, healthcare, legal and/or other professional service. How you choose to act upon the advice given is entirely based on your own free will. You have the right to share this freely for non-commercial and personal reasons on FB from the original FB post (with the ‘Share’ button), and, with respect to the webpage, you have the right to share it directly from the original site (‘Sharing Options’ from www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com ). You do not have the right to use copy-paste or otherwise reproduce this information on your webpage, FB page, or blog without obtaining prior written consent from the author. If permission is granted, then full credit to the author and links to her page need to be visibly published as a ‘Guest Post’. You do not have the right to use this information to promote or advertise your own services, webpage or commercial or non commercial programs – or to imply that the author endorses any of the above. The author shall not be held liable from any intentional, accidental or other consequences of acting upon, sharing, or engaging with this information in any form. Use of this information constitutes complete acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.

Image: W44 Supernova Remnant by By NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration, NRAO/AUI, JPL-Caltech, ROSAT [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Digitally Altered by Bairavee Balasubramaniam (08 December 2015).

 

 

 

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Why Do We Serve? Questions for Spiritual Facilitators

Why do we do what we do?

Is it to feel useful?
Is it to feel powerful?
Is it to be seen as saintly?
Is it to find yourself on some kind of pedestal?
Is it for self-satisfaction?
Is it to find healing for your own wounds?
Is it to find forgiveness, worth or redemption?

These are questions, albeit uncomfortable ones for some, that I would recommend asking yourselves – as I do from time to time.

There are of course lovely, inspiring answers to the question of why we do what we do. But it really matters which parts of yourselves those answers come from.

Is the Heart that Speaks?
The Ego-Mind?
Or is it the Soul’s Whisper?

How you learn to differentiate these different perspectives, voices or levels of your own consciousness is also a part of the journey. As you gain more tools and deeper perspectives, the deeper you can tune in with yourself and learn more about why you do what you do.

Having that perspective transforms the work that you do and the level of integrity you bring to it. It immeasurably deepens the nature, quality and energy of what you bring to another person’s life – and to your own.

I’ll be writing more on this soon – consider this a brief introduction : )

Blessings,

Bairavee Balasubramaniam
The Sky Priestess

Image: A helping hand: By Jean-Paul Haag (1854-1906) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Post © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2015. All Rights Reserved.

SUN CONJUNCT SOUTH NODE IN ARIES, OPPOSED NORTH NODE IN LIBRA, T-SQUARE WITH KASSANDRA

Blessings to all. The Sun conjuncts the South Node (10 Aries), whilst opposing the North Node (10 Libra) today. The alignment calls for greater balance in the way we express who we are as individuals (our Sense of Self) in partnership with others, or as part of some collaborative unit (Libra). One cannot purely give or take in any exchange of energies. There has to be a balance – whether it’s with your partner, friend, collaborator, with your spiritual facilitator (for reasons discussed below) or even with respect to the balance within.

Try to use this energy to look at the the various exchanges of energy that you’re a part of:

Are there people from whom you take and have never given back?
Are there people to whom you give and have never gotten anything back?
Are there people whom you expect to give you something upon demand? Perhaps consciously/unconsciously?
Are there people who expect the same from you?

Now whilst unconditional love, and the gift of giving that is its own reward applies to some areas in life, it isn’t quite a total fit. Not till all of us get to that vibration. Till then there are bound to be imbalances. Moreover, the idea of unconditional love at often times gets twisted– Too often has this rhetoric been used to guilt-trip people into serving others when they don’t need to, or staying in codependent relationships – sometimes it is the line of thought that martyr-caretaker archetype often takes on, even when their vibration is wholly different.

And on that subject – Love, my friends wears many different faces. At times, it is giving and warm, and at times it is detached and impersonal. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for someone who desires you to do their work for them (in an inappropriate way) is to simply say no. We call it tough love, but at times it is necessary.

In cases where one may not be matching the energetic contribution of another – then try to find ways to give back. Sometimes its a hug, or a sincere expression of gratitude, sometimes it’s bringing a person a home-made meal – try and find some meaningful way to express thanks for whatever that person has brought you.

In general – It’s a good time to re-evaluate whether you’re setting the right boundaries as you deal with other people. Know that the extreme manifestation of Aries is the bully, whilst it is the doormat for Libra. The first ignores the individuality of others, whilst the latter ignores the individuality of the Self.

Also an excellent time to work towards becoming more aware of aspects which you have hidden from yourself (typically what we call The Shadow Side). Try to make peace with yourselves, even the parts of you that you might find particularly annoying or difficult to stomach. Those are the bits that tend to need the most love, in any case. Try to be more accepting of the diversity within others as well. People are rarely, if ever, 2-dimensional characters.

KASSANDRA – THE IGNORED ORACLE

Both the Sun/South Node and the North Node square Kassandra at 11 Capricorn, making a T-Square alignment with Kassandra at the apex (pinnacle). Kassandra was an oracle who was punished by the god Apollo for rejecting his advances. Her curse was that her words would be ignored, despite the purity and worth. She was accused of being a liar, and her gifts were overlooked. She suffered at the hands of the Greeks as they lay siege to Troy (her warning to not let in the Trojan horse was of course, ignored) and died an unhappy death – brutally raped and murdered in the Temple of Athena.

Don’t let that alarm you – essentially – her archetype is one that asks us to speak out for our truth and to hold fast to our integrity – especially so for those who seek the path of the spiritualist or spiritual facilitator of some kind. The truths that emerge now are more likely to be related to the legacy we forge in this world, by way of our actions, our careers – the parts of life in which we place our energies to build something for the future.

Giving the question of balancing give-and-take I just discussed, with Kassandra’s involvement, it seems to me that spiritual facilitators are likely to be asking themselves similar questions. Am I letting myself be taken for granted? Do I need to set better boundaries? Am I valuing the wisdom of the Self that I bring into my Service? Am I doing the right thing, by being on this path? (Quite a lot of self-examination .. )

One of the biggest issues that facilitators face is knowing when and where to strike the right balance. They need to fulfill their commitments – whether it’s rent, paying the electric bill, paying off the mortgage / college debt, saving up for their kids’ college funds – and very often, the fact that they’re human and have those needs is forgotten.

In ancient times, those exchanges were more straightforward — as all one needed was the food to stay alive and materials, if need be, to maintain the temple and enable it to survive. But it is a different world today, and one that is rapidly evolving. Holding onto the same ideas, does justice to no one.

Different facilitators take a different view on this – but it’s certainly going to be one of those questions that many in the field ask themselves at this time. Though – generally speaking – Very rarely do you find a facilitator who gives too little, the balance sought is often from the other side – where they give too much.

On a different note, as the South Node conjuncts the Sun, we may also find ways (especially with Kassandra involved) to shine the light of awareness upon parts of our pasts that deal with oracular or prophetic gifts. For some, this may manifest as a deep re-membering of past times, even past lives.

OTHER ALIGNMENTS:

The North Node is inconjunct Neptune (8 Pisces). This is a time where the Deep States of Balance (acceptance of all extremes as equally valid) which Libra ultimately seeks can be challenged by, or in turn, challenge your view on how your Soul fits into the Cosmic Ocean/Collective Unconscious, i.e. your relationship with Spirit, or a Transcendental understanding Divinity. In a literal sense, it may be a relationship that you’re in, that you have with someone, that makes you question the spiritual views and understanding of You-And-God/Goddess/Divinity that may have once supported such an arrangement. Inconjuncts are generally uncomfortable aspects, ones that are not satisfied with easy compromises and that demand resolutions. Those with bodies between 5-11 Taurus or Leo will experience this as a Yod (Finger of Fate) that pushes you to a decision point of some kind involving the two.

Pluto (15 Capricorn) is loosely squared the Sun/South Node and North Node (if you’re willing to take an orb of more than +/- 3 degrees for the Nodes). Its transformative lessons also weave themselves within this alignment. The focus of the Sun is already somewhat activated by trine energy from Jupiter Retrograde( 12 Leo) and Saturn Retrograde (4 Sagittarius).

The Sun trines, whilst the North Node sextiles Sauer at 10 Leo – Sauer can refer to astronomy, space exploration, aeronautics (in the literal sense) and to a more mystical, etheric form of Cosmic Connection. A day where inspiration can strike, or be made apparent through our connection with the skies. Cloudwatching, astronomy, astrology, thinking about your relationship with the Cosmos – this can be a potentially fruitful way in which to bridge both The Sun’s and the North Node’s energy. In Leo, Sauer’s energy focuses upon the sensual, creative, child-like or more playful ways in which we can find this connection. It may be externalized and appear as a lesson/guidance/circumstance involving a romantic partner, a child, or even the inner child Archetype within.

The exact Sun-North Node opposition took place a 2:06 pm, GMT + 8, March 31, 2015. (About 3.5 hours ago). You’ll be feeling its continued effects over the next 1-2 days.

Blessings to All,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
bairaveebalasubramaniam.com ; fb.com/theskypriestess

Page: Astrology with Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD

Image – Kassandra.jpg- By cs:User:Pernak (“Own work”) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
Text © Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2015

HAPPY MOMENTS IN PRIESTESSING

There’s a deep sense of satisfaction in knowing that the work one does is fundamentally helping another person re-structure their life in a powerful way. There’s a sense of joy where you recognize that you’re just a stepping stone, or facilitative step in that person’s journey -and in that role – you did something real in their life.

Not a feeling I know how to put into words. But it’s a warm and happy one.

It’s not an easy vocation – being a Priestess. There’s a lot of tests, a lot of inner discipline needed, a lot of humility that comes with the task. You keep having to learn and re-learn, and continually transform the meaning of what that is. You keep having to birth and re-birth yourself. Some of that process is joyful, but you also know that it’s spiritual work.

But what makes me the happiest – as part of the work that I do – is hearing back from people that have somehow been moved, transformed and/or touched in some fundamental way with the stuff I do/write/speak about.

And even then it’s not the ‘I’ did it type of feeling .. more like a .. ‘good work was done here today’ sort of thing.

It’s certainly not a holier-than-thou feeling, nor is it any kind of ownership or regular expectation.

It just bubbles up sometimes, from deep within.

It comes from a happy place in the pit of one’s belly where a little girl child is excitedly clapping her hands with glee. Like butterflies in the stomach. Golden, happy, bubbly butterflies.

And there is this deep, rising sense of joy.

We did good. We did something useful. We were of Service.

Lots of Love,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

‪#‎perksofpriestessing‬ ‪#‎goldenbubblybutterflies‬

© Text and Image ‘In front of JB Mariamman Temple 13/3/15’ by Bairavee Balasubramaniam, 2015

STANDARDS OF SPIRITUAL FACILITATION: THE STORY OF THE WOULD-BE SURGEON WHO NEVER WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL

The Path of Spiritual Facilitation is a very specific one. It’s not just about having an interest in Spirituality, or being spiritually attuned, or having psychic gifts, or intense experiences, etc. It’s also about handling yourself and managing all of this whilst you work towards a space where you can help another, if so called. There’s a lot of discipline, rigor and focus that this path involves, and we’re not talking about that enough. It’s been on my mind these past few days – so here goes.

When I wrote, a few weeks ago that Jupiter was teaching us to find ‘The Guru Within’, I immediately got responses from people wanting to see themselves as Teachers, without doing the work – in the same way that (shockingly) people commonly refer to those who do yoga as yogis (the sages who sit in pure meditation in the hidden caves and forests of India) …. When I wrote that I would support a facilitator irrespective of their gender, race, or sexual orientation – as long as they did the work – I read a comment that found my ‘conditional’ support as a negative thing.

And it’s so unpopular to talk about ‘conditions’ and ‘standards’ in Spirituality, these days … but hey, it’s still relevant.

Let’s put it this way: I wouldn’t support someone who wanted to perform a surgery because s/he really liked the idea of being a surgeon but had no medical expertise. In the same way, I wouldn’t support someone who claimed to be a facilitator but had no experience, training, or guidance on that path except for an interest in the subject.

And now I’m not talking about getting certified, having a title, etc. There are so many workshops (paid and free) by so many, some of whom have titles, some of whom don’t – and the results are really mixed. Spirituality is such an open book that many are choosing to define its standards of facilitation for themselves, and that doesn’t always end well.

It’s not just about ‘newcomers’ to this collective spiritual re-awakening, there are those who have been practicing for years with very strange ideas and results of facilitation. So the issue is not only to do with experience, but with the need to create some kind of standards or ethical guidelines.

Either way, this Path is not to be taken lightly. When people look to a facilitator for guidance and counsel, they are in fact entrusting you with a certain degree of their well-being. People believe in what the facilitator says, rightly or wrongly.

What I find most sad is when facilitators change their tune, and then completely wash their hands of the consequences of guiding someone to a place they did not need to go to. (And if we claim that Spirit misdirected the facilitator, then that raises even more tricky questions).

There are so many of us who are awakening to our gifts now and are excited by their prospects. Being a ‘facilitator’ sounds awesome, seeing yourself as Lightworker out the Save the World is heroic, epic and man it feels good! Coming together under the Rainbow Umbrella of Love where all is One and all are Equal is absolutely Life-Affirming, Celebratory and Joyous! Getting messages directly from Spirit, from Earth, from the Cosmos is so so mind-blowing! And I get the excitement 🙂 – Why wouldn’t one be excited about it?

In practice, however, what I’ve seen is that the lofty rhetoric of spiritual ideals and desires needs to be met with certain standards of practice, codes of ethics, and an internal compass that needs to be checking itself and what it’s doing. It’s so easy to fall in love with the Idealism of Spirituality, but easy to forget the details and necessities of its Practical Manifestation.

Those of you who are looking to become Spiritual Facilitators, in particular –

Whilst I encourage you all to find your own Path, to discover your own Soul’s Gifts – please do not discount the need for training, guidance and proper mentorship. I’m not talking about the guidance you receive internally, but from people who have trained in a similar field, and achieved a certain degree of competency.

I’ve seen too many people caught up in very very strange ideas of themselves based on hearing ‘guidance’ that does not match up to any observed reality. There is the danger of solipsism masquerading as Self-Knowledge.

It’s a constant process of growth, and it takes time and effort to find someone who can really work with you, as you evolve – but even that search is important. There is always someone whom we can learn from, but that doesn’t make that person ‘superior’ or ‘dominant’ over us – it just means that we can grow through the exchange.

I hold myself up to the same need for constant self-reflection, and seeking guidance from those I believe have the integrity and wisdom to guide me further. It’s a never ending process because our journeys are never-ending. There’s always something to learn, and always someone you can learn it from.

I hope that my words will not be read as judgment, but rather an invitation to reflect. I’ve seen firsthand, and through those close to me, what damage one can do by jumping into the role of facilitation without proper training… like the would-be surgeon who never went to medical school.

With Love, as Always,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image: Utagawa Kuniyoshi – 水滸傳 – 安道全.jpg (Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons)