Rise Like The Phoenix! A GLOBAL PRAYER FOR BIRTH-DEATH-REBIRTH: HOPI AND THE GRAND SEXTILE By Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD

Blessings to all,

Venus is birthing the new world as we speak. Both Mother and Midwife, She Bridges Form and Spirit. She is tapping into the powerful energy of a perfect Grand Sextile (Hexagram, Star of David) present in the heavens. The asteroid Hopi completes the Grand Sextile at 16 Taurus where no personal or transpersonal planets are present. This alignment is strongest in the sky between 7:18 am July 30th till July 31st 3:22 am.

Grand Sextiles are, astrologically speaking, portals of powerful manifestation that light up the Sky! Their symbol has been adopted in different faiths and speaks of a Seal of Protection. Made up of 2 Grand Trines and 6 Sextile aspects, the Grand Sextile simply tells us: WHAT YOU ASK, YOU SHALL RECEIVE.

Many of us claim to want peace and hope, yet subconsciously cling onto beliefs that perpetuate polarity, dis-empowerment and injustice. Some say they want to be happy, but are still deeply programmed and conditioned to sabotage their own joy at a powerful, subconscious level – or see fit to judge who deserves joy and who does not. In this way we create so many divisions within ourselves which are then reflected into the World.

The meaning of asteroid Hopi reflects this dual possibility of manifestation. On the one hand, the Hopi people are associated with peace-loving ways, they know how to nurture and be nurtured by the Earth – their name literally means ‘ The Peace-Loving People’ and they possess an intimate connection with the cycles of the Earth and the Heavens. On the other hand, in astrology, the asteroid Hopi is connected with ‘territorial disputes, prejudice, minority experiences and ambush’. Not a happy connotation when you remember the history of Native Americans and their eventual dispossession. Hence expressing dual poles of what can be manifested at during this powerful Grand Sextile.

The other astral bodies included are Saturn, Venus, Chiron Retrograde, Pluto Retrograde and the Moon in Virgo. That involves karma, material values, healing, spirituality, crisis, the status quo/government, priest/essing, spiritual service – as both Grand Trines occur in Earth/Water signs.

So how do you know what you’re manifesting at this time is actually in alignment with your Spirit?

If you choose to – When working with this Grand Sextile, you’re going to really have to ‘feel it’. From your gut, from your Core, from that Sacred Spark of Spirit inside you. Push through old conditionings, patterns of karmic behavior, all those learned habits of denial and control  —  and find that place. Call it Core, Home, Center, Heart, Womb, Truth, Spirit – whatever works for you.

You’ve got it. Know this. And find that Place as you work with the energies of this powerful alignment.

The timing of these dates are significant for their own reasons as – in the Hindu tradition – the 30th is Masik Vinayaga Chathurthi (a prayer to Lord Vinayaga, the elephant-headed deity of wisdom and the removal of obstacles), whereas the 31st is Nag Panchami – the day in which (according to Hinduism), the race of serpents called Nagas were saved by the Goddess Manasa Devi (Snake Goddess). The Serpent is associated with birth-rebirth, the Underworld (Patala, Nagaloka – linked to Agartha), the preservation of the female principle and the honoring of the Earth’s Womb.  Millions of people in India will be celebrating these festivals – and their energies will also be a part of the matrix of energy across this Planet. It is entirely your choice as to which day you do it on, or whether you want to take this into account at all as you work with the energies of the Grand Sextile.

Also – this Birthing of the New World is taking place close to a Grand Cardinal Cross (which I will talk about in a different post), and the Gaelic festivals of Lugnasadh / Lammas (Northern Hemisphere) and Imbolc (Southern Hemisphere). Both are key days or Sabbats in the Gaelic calendar and represent a liminal moment between different worlds, with the theme of Birth-Death-Rebirth woven into them. In line with the call to ‘Heal the Masculine’, it is worth noting that the Sun God begins to die at Lammas, his energy spent in the Harvest (and the Earth Mother who makes it possible). During Imbolc, he is already a young boy, reborn, his energies young but beginning to reach their peak once more. This corresponds to the dynamic of Masculine Energies between Scorpio (where Mars is) and Leo (where the Sun, Jupiter and Lilith are)   In Goddessian terms, Imbolc is associated with the fires of Lady Brighid and and Lammas with Demeter. Both mark important seasonal transitions.

What can do you to work with this powerful transformative energy?

Prayer, meditation, singing, painting, poetry, introspective work, body-work, dancing, grounding, martial arts – anything that makes you feel connected with Spirit will do. It is important to center and guide yourself through this time with a Heart/Spirit/Womb/Soul centered perspective, rather than the dictates of Ego, or Pure Mind. Remember that this is a time of bridging and birthing both worlds – of allowing the Sun God to begin his death before a powerful, and beautiful Rebirth – of speaking to the Mother as she presides over these subtle, yet powerful moments of transition.

 

I shall be conducting this meditation at 11:20 pm (30th July) – 12:20 am (July 31st).  This is in GMT + 8:00. I invite you all to join me in this powerful prayer of Birth-Rebirth – in ourselves – and across the Planet! – at this time, or at any time within the range of the Grand Sextile that suits you.

For as you Rise, so too does the Collective!

May we Rise in Love, Once More!

Blessings,

Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD.

http://www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Astrology for 28/7/14

Blessings to all,

Between now and 6:39 am, 28/7/14, GMT + 8 (five and a half hours away), we will be experiencing the powerful effects of an overlapping double yod. The base is made up of Chiron Retrograde & Neptune Retrograde sextiled Pluto Retrograde, and they point to an impressive stellium involving the Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Lilith, all in Leo.

When you factor in the exact opposition of Venus in Cancer to Pluto in Capricorn at 2:35 pm later today — the energy of Venus charges and permeates this powerful double-overlapping yod.

Venus in Cancer loves the Hearth, the Heart and the Earth. After the intense New Moon prayers we held, I feel her loving energies completing Pluto (crisis, transformation) in Capricorn (superstructure, superego, status quo, achievement, success construct).

And much to my surprise, this energy feels sweet – grounded – and able to handle the challenge of Pluto – emerging out of the blue – and the double yod that it points towards.

This configuration essentially bridges the Love of Earth, of Divine Mother (Venus in Cancer) with Sun-Jupiter-Lilith-Moon in Leo.

My friends – this is a profound moment of birthing. Venus is Cancer is healing us birth this new world. Pluto in Capricorn is providing that impulse, and urging us to bring our visions into manifestation. And these visions – these inspired energies that desire completion, joy, authenticity, energy – are strongly supported by the stellium in Leo.

Let us manifest a world in which the inner child and joy of the Child can be freely expressed, without fear, without limitation.

Much love to all,
Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Finding Your Center of Peace : Suggestions for Meditation

 

Peace and Joy and Love are, at the end of the day words which we use to communicate a certain feeling to others. But the experience of that feeling is different for all, and whilst so many of us speak about peace – how often have we felt it in our lives? And in some cases, if at all?

A SUGGESTION:

Find a quiet space. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. As you inhale let your rib cage rise up, as you exhale, back down. Your stomach/belly appears to go in when you inhale and out when you exhale. Let that happen on its own, don’t force it.

So when you’re in a natural rhythm of deep breath – and your mind is focused on your breath, allow yourself to remember and experience what you need to – know that you are safe throughout the process.

For those who use protective techniques, you might want to visualize a bubble of white, impenetrable light around you (or the violet flame, or the Golden Ray). You might also want to try grounding with the Earth, visualizing roots from the base of your Feet, connecting with the Heart and Core of the Planet – so you’re connected at both ends.

You may want to visualize a flow of white light from above, filling you, and the nourishing red energies from the fiery core of the Earth and Her Love, filling your through your roots, into the base of your feet and into you.

(If you’re not comfortable or not experienced with this, do whatever makes you feel safe and comfortable).

As you feel safe and able to experience whatever you need to, and know that you are protected and loved, Ask Yourself: What Is Peace? Or, What makes me feel peaceful?

Let the memory or emotion or sensation fill you with a sense of being at One with Everything. Calm, Aware, Awake – knowing that you are Divinely guided, and protected. Knowing that you are One with All.

It’s okay if things come up, let them just pass through. Once you find that state of calm, connected awareness, let it permeate through your entire body. Let yourself stay in that center of Peace.

You are flowing, you are connected, you are in tune with the Divine – in the Universe and in yourself.

Perhaps it’s a memory, or a song, or an image, or a knowing of some kind that makes you feel peaceful.

Find what that is. If nothing comes up, don’t get frustrated. If the opposite comes up, perhaps parts of you are trying to tell you something.

Once you are ready (in case any of you have astral traveled in the process), tell yourself, at the count of 3, I will be back in my body, whole, blessed, grounded and connected to my essence.

Then count, 1, 2, 3.

Keep your eyes closed, move slowly, rub your eyelids, and allow yourself to emerge from your meditate state.

Slowly. There’s no rush.

When it feels right – record your experience in some way, if you feel moved to do so. Whether it’s a written, spoken, or crystalline record (holding a piece of clear quartz can help it ‘remember’ vibrations).

***

If this sounds good to you – go right ahead and do it. If not, leave it it be.

Do it when it feels right for you to do so x

Blessings to all,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam

___________________________
Image: Meditation Harmony Peace Crystal
By Cornelia Kopp (Flickr: meditation) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

VENUS, BABY, HEAR ME OUT…. (Ode to the Venus-Pluto Opposition)

Venus, you’re going to want to Rise,
Take on the Titans, Battle in the Underworld,
With style, sass and Pride.

Venus, you’re going to want to Die,
In your Soul-Shaking, Heart-Breaking Flame,
That knows All with a Thousand and One Names,
Venus, Baby, you’re going to want to Cry.

Down, down, you go and Up, Up you Fly.
Death to Birth, Born To Die,
Ways of the World,
Heaven, Earth, Heart, Sky.

Break, just break,
Shatter into a million pieces,
Burn, just burn,
Temper them with your Flame.

There’s no Shame in starting again Baby,
No Shame in Tears or Mourning,
Grieve the Gone, Love the Dawn.

Rise once More, Phoenix-Girl,
You think he was the End-All of your World?
No, no, sweet thing … Just the Beginning….

Ways of the World – Sacrifice, the Old,
Birth, the New – That Sun-Lit Gold-Pink Sky.
Girl, don’t you know?
You’re the Goddess of the Dawn, That Golden Glow…
Radiance, My Love … Yes, it Shows!

So – Spread those Wings, Honey,
And Fly, Fly, Fly!

It’ll be Sunrise Soon…
Wake Up, Wake Up Morning Star!
Time To Shine!

~ Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image: “Phoenix detail from Aberdeen Bestiary”. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phoenix_detail_from_Aberdeen_Bestiary.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Phoenix_detail_from_Aberdeen_Bestiary.jpg

BLESSED BE SHE! ODE TO KALI-MA

Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black,
You come in any hue, any shade you desire.
Your hair braided, shaken loose, there you stand,
Wild Woman, Cosmic Destroyer,
Supreme Nurturer, Divine Mother,
Mahadeva’s Lover.

I behold your fangs, and the blood that drips,
Amidst severed heads I feel no fear,
Your weapons, your blessings held aloft in eight arms,
And yet I hold you so dear.

My heart opens, it blooms like the blood rose,
Take me into your Womb,
My tears fall and salt the Earth,
Take me into your arms,
Never again will I forget, Never again will I Part,
One Body, One Will, One Tender Heart.

Mother, for that is who you are to me.
Mother, Teacher, Guide me to My Destiny
Till Daughter Grows and in the Mirror she sees,
Mother. Grown to Maturity.

Blessed Be, The Primordial She!

~ Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD ❤ ❤ ❤

THE HIDDEN WOMAN: FACE-WORK IN SOUTH ASIA

A face is more that the sum of our features – the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, lips, etc. It is the the way we present ourselves to the world in an immediately recognizable form. During my PhD I learnt a lot about ‘face-work’ as presented by Erving Goffman, an American sociologist. I shall discuss the concept of ‘face-work’ with the social status and treatment of women in South Asia through selected examples. This is not meant to be a universally representative view of how all women present themselves, or ought to, in the region.

Societies across the globe have signified the importance of the face in cultural idioms, traditions, and even targeted acts of gendered violence (some of which overlap with one another). For example, to ‘save face’ has nothing to do with protecting the features on the front of your head – it refers to protecting your integrity, honor and perceived identity from being torn apart.

Faces are the masks, or personas (not meant to imply inauthenticity) through which we project our essence, intent and moods to other people. Our smiles, our gaze, our looks reflect how confident, powerful and beautiful we feel about ourselves (or not) – and that has little to do with the shape of our features – those associations are often socially conditioned. Others interpret who or what we are on the basis of what faces we wear or exhibit to them.

For instance, one shows a different face at home, than they do to their boss at work. The features are exactly the same, but the identity that is projected to them, differs.

When it comes to women, the restrictions placed upon the kinds of faces they are expected to wear in public/private/cultural spaces and on the use of the face as a means to destroy one’s honor or reputation speaks volumes as to their societal status.

In particularly conservative cultures, showing a woman’s face is forbidden in public spaces – they are veiled (the Hindu women in the picture are wearing ghungats), or – as in some Hindu courtly traditions – kept in a zenana, hidden from view. The veiling or hiding of the female face is not exclusive to any one religion or culture.

When faces are the means by which we present ourselves to one another as social creatures – what does it mean when women’s faces are not even allowed to exist, to be seen publicly? Without a face, you have no identity to which social status, dignity, honor, prestige can even be afforded to. You are immediately erased or ignored in the public sphere.

In South Asia, the practice of throwing acid onto a woman’s face goes well beyond disfiguring her so ‘no one will want her’ – typically by a jilted would-be lover whom she may have zero interest in. Damaging her face is a powerful tool to make her feel ashamed of herself for daring to reject a male suitor. I have heard, so far, of virtually no cases in which women (unless they are related to the men concerned) doing this to one another at all. It is a cruel form of punishment that permanently that seeks to distort the essence or identity of the ‘face’ the women will wear for the rest of her life.

So – Working both ways, the face is not just an expression of essence, but whatever happens to it affects the way we see ourselves in a profound way. When it is erased, or disfigured, so too (rightly or wrongly) is one’s self-perception of who they are and how they perceive others to see them. Coming  back from such trauma and presenting one’s self to the world is … nothing short of pure heroi(ne)ism.

This reliance on ‘face’ is shown in even in cultural idioms: If one has, particularly in a traditional society, committed a social transgression, one might say: So-and-so has no shame, showing their face in this place. Similarly, someone who has been shamed may say: I can’t possibly show my face there.

If a woman has had premarital sex, experienced sexual assault or violation or chooses to marry someone from a different caste or religion – her mother might say: What have you done – your father can’t show his face in public anymore? (Note the attachment to the male body and its status in the public sphere)

There is a dual meaning here: The literal, physical face is associated directly with the symbolic status or imagined identity of the person whose head it sits. Two, that shame is one of the most powerful forms of social conditioning as it is directly linked to something as intimately connected to our identities as our symbolic/literal faces.

The importance of ‘face-work’ and its specific, gendered, vulnerabilities/mechanisms of control of the female form and identity – are not relics of so-called primitive societies and archaic customs – they continue well into this technologically-mediated age.

Our biggest social media platform is called Face-Book, we value (even more so with Skype) face-to-face conversations to conduct business across the globe – and we have (as a global society) become obsessed with ‘the selfie’. So, really, the sociological importance of the face has only intensified as it becomes easier and easier to represent the face/selfie/self in far wider networks.

One form in which face-attacks occur upon women now, inhibiting them, or putting them / their families at risk of ‘losing face’ (which has inspired many a young woman to kill herself) occurs through Facebook. Indian girls are advised not to use their faces on their profile picture because there are those who morph their faces onto the bodies of nude women – and then blackmail them/their family with it. Schoolgirls and young women are covertly filmed on phones, and messages sent via mobile to their peers at school, and on the Internet.

So even today, the Southern Asian woman has to fear for her face – will it be violated, in the flesh, or through digital altering? Does she have to remain in a zenana (closed enclosure), or is she forced to adopt anonymity for fear of dishonor? Can she never be seen, freely and truely in the public domain, albeit of a virtual kind?

Or can she come out, be seen and project her face into the world for what she wants it (and herself) to be seen as?

I am inspired by the courage of young Jada, a 16-year old girl in the US who rape was filmed and ‘went viral’ on the Internet. Rather than expressing solidarity for – at first – random people mocked her ordeal and mimicked the way her body was postured and filed as she lay unconscious after her assault. They even posted selfies of themselves doing it on Twitter.

In response, this brave young woman re-claimed her face. She went public, and simply declared ‘I AM JADA’ – I cannot think of a braver response to such misogyny.

So really, this is a global thing.

I could, and might, write a whole other piece on how women who are permitted to be seen in the public sphere have certain ‘rules’ to obey – whether it’s how fair/dark their skin is, how many wrinkles they have, what they wear, etc. There’s so much more than can be said about this subject.

At the end of the day, this is about power, identity, and the right of self expression. To those women who feel freedom in anonymity, or find the veil/ghungat an expression of their identity – this piece is not meant to critique your choices – it is meant to critique social conventions that force women to make that choice against their will.

As an Indian woman, I thought of these concerns when I ‘went public’ – and I’m glad I made the decision I did – To Shine, To Smile, To Soar.

Blessings to all,
Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Image Information: By Mohsyn Clicked by Zainab Zaidi (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

A GLOBAL PRAYER FOR PEACE AT THE LEO NEW MOON – HEALING THE MASCULINE

Blessings to all,

I’ve been following world events and looking at the skies – and as many of you will know, there is an intensely fierce, martial energy threatening to break out with Mars (which when stressed, is related to accidents, aggression, impulsiveness, and so on). Be it the bombings in Gaza (and no, I’m not going to get into the politics of it – War is terrible when it costs the lives of the young – no matter the ideology behind it – and costs are bound to be felt on both sides), the lives lost in the Malaysian plane or just the rising intensity of domestic/personal conflicts. 

Remember that Mars is still in Libra until the 26th of July – this is where diplomacy can build bridges, or where careless words can spark diplomatic tensions that can have wider consequences.

So what does one do with this knowledge?

Some of you will protest, others will raise their & other’s awareness, some might write to their MPs, or participate actively in online forms. But as spiritualists (most of the people who interact with my pages), another thing we can do – which I have firm faith in – is to pray.

Pray for peace. Pray for diplomacy to find a way out of hostile negotiations, pray for a path to be built that does not require the aggressive use of Martial-Mars energy.

For when Mars moves into Scorpio, the energy only intensifies as Mars’ energies (when operating from the ego) then confronted us all with the question of how power is used and how control is acquired.

This is not meant to scare anyone, or to predict doom and gloom and disaster – it is simply to say that those of us who believe in prayer should focus our energies now. Others, like Anna Merkaba have put out a similar call.

On the 27th of July, at 6:42 am (GMT + 8:00) or as close as you can to that time, I encourage us all to come together in prayer. This will be a powerful New Moon where the Sun, Moon and Jupiter will be conjunct in the sign of Leo (strongly squaring Mars). As we come together to set seeds of powerful intention during this New Moon, let us know that our spiritual energies and intentions are working towards a single purpose.

To Heal the energies of the Masculine (Mars) at this time as they manifest in our material reality. Note that the Sun, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus will make square to Mars throughout August, ending in the first half of September.

You can call it the Path of Peace, Love, Harmony, Balance – You can invoke deities you pray to, or simply turn to the Moon and cry out loud – whatever you are comfortable working with.

Let’s come together to do this. I strongly feel that collective spiritual work at this time is critical.

I will be posting relevant pieces of information closer to the date and hope that many of you join.

You can join the prayer event through the FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1468489506731297/

Blessings to all,
Priestess Bairavee Balasubramaniam

NEW MOON IN LEO, 6 42 AM 27-JULY-2014, GMT + 8: 00

Blessings to all,

In a few hours, the Moon will be conjunct the Sun in the sign of Leo. New Moons are typically associated with new beginnings – as the time to ‘set the seed’ of intention or action. The seeds you set now are likely to come to fruition, culmination or be somehow highlighted in six months’ time with the Full Moon in Leo on Feb 4th, 2015. I have organized a prayer event for this New Moon to which you are all invited: https://www.facebook.com/events/1468489506731297/?fref=ts

The sign Leo is associated with the astrological 5th house, which is in turn linked with self-expression, creativity, romance and children. I also look to it as the expression of the purity, innocence and Joy of the Inner Child.

During this New Moon, we have three profound astrological aspects which transform, or modify this energy-of-beginnings in specific ways.

(1) New Moon (Sun/Moon) conjunct Jupiter
(2) Powerful Square with Mars in Scorpio and Ceres/Vesta/North Node in Libra – if the South Node-conjunct-Eris is included, the whole configuration becomes a loose T-Square.
(3) A world-changing Yod (Finger of Fate) involving Pluto Retrograde, Neptune Retrograde and apexing with the New Moon/Jupiter combination

The Sun (our focused attention, awareness, direction of vital energy) meets the Moon (emotion, intuition, psychological depths) and Jupiter (blessings, expansion) come together in the sign of the Joyful Child.

Were it not for the energetic climate, or ‘season of shifts’ we are all experiencing, this energy would be felt by most, if not all, as a pure bolt of joy! sunshine! rainbows, etc. That energy is there, but it is one amongst many aspects and influences that make up the astrological heavens at present.

One such factor is the motion of Mars into Scorpio (10:03 am, 26th July). As I’ve been saying in my videos, Mars-in-Scorpio is a powerful, intense, smouldering expression of masculinity. This will be felt at an intimate level as Scorpio is associated with the 8th house of secrets – sexuality, sensuality, the deep journey within to seek esoteric wisdom, shadow-working, shamanic journeying into the depths of the psyche – it is the cauldron in which the Phoenix first perishes and then rises from its own Ashes.

With the Sun, the Moon, and Jupiter in Leo squaring Mars in Scorpio what we essentially get is a clash of masculine energies – within men, women, all beings, and the planet. Leo seeks to express its innocence and seek validation from others in the process. Scorpio seeks to (to paraphrase Gargatholil) ’emotional security through power and control’.

Both signs can do much good, but, when energies are used from the place of the Ego – and not the Heart – we can get a manipulative Leo wearing a persona or mask to gain approval (and bolster an insecure ego), we can get an obsessive, controlling manipulator in Scorpio that seeks to control others from behind-the-scenes – unable to accept world-views that do not resonate with its own.

With Jupiter involved in the square, the ways in which we manifest this tense Leo-Scorpio dynamic will be amplified, and magnified several times over.

The Sun, Moon, and Jupiter are also squared with Ceres (nurturing and being nurtured), Vesta (Priestessing, spiritual service) and the North Node in Libra. These bodies remind us that balance, diplomacy and partnership is what we require in order to nurture, heal and rejuvenate ourselves and others at this time. A T-Square is formed between all these bodies, with the apex (or focus of tension) at the New Moon/Jupiter conjunction, when the South Node in Aries is conjunct Eris – the Goddess of Discord.

Truly a melting pot of energies, and ones, which are easily provoked to extreme reactions.

Finally, I’d like to tell you about the aspect which I feel will truly be ‘the game-changer’ this New Moon. We will be having a powerful Yod or Finger of Fate between 2.31 – 9.11 pm on the 27th (GMT + 8:00) is formed. I would extend the sphere of its influence till 6:39 am, July 28th.

Yods are situations which often feel like crisis. It is literally as though a giant finger in the skies points you to a certain direction or situation in your life. The ways in which you respond to a yod will set you upon some new chapter of your spiritual journey. They are portals through which we learn just how far we’ve come, whether we’re ready to go to the next level, or if we need to learn more lessons from the teacher that is Karma.

Pluto Retrograde (transformation, crisis, associated with Scorpio energies – operating in retrograde – internally, within the psyche) sextiles Neptune Retrograde (spiritual transcendence through disillusionment, ‘cutting through the crap’, ‘bursting the bubble’, ‘peering through the veil’ and seeing what’s real, and what’s not). Pluto is in Capricorn (associated with career, societal status, achievements or legacy to the planet), whereas Neptune is in Pisces (transcendental spirituality, otherworldly energies, the dissolution of the ego and boundaries, recognition of Spirit-level existence).

These energies create the base of the Yod – they then inconjunct the New Moon (Sun/Moon/Jupiter) – creating crisis in need of Resolution. This crisis is going to challenge your desire for power/need to feel powerful – your spiritual vision or sense of what is Truth – and make you decide – how authentically you embody what is True for You.

Will you wear a mask?

Or will you skilfully draw upon the reservoir of creativity, joy, and the wisdom of the Inner Child to integrate all these energies – and Stand in the Radiance of your own Truth?

Blessings to all,
Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

Video on the Leo-Scorpio square and the challenge of ‘Healing the Masculine’ ❤ ❤ ❤

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________

Image of Lion:
“Lion waiting in Namibia” by Kevin Pluck – Flickr: The King.. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion_waiting_in_Namibia.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Lion_waiting_in_Namibia.jpg

THE POLITICS OF NAMASTE AND WAYS TO HONOR THE MILLION FACES OF INDIA

Blessings to all,

I’ve given much thought to writing this – as honestly, it is a sensitive subject – one that draws upon thousands of years of ideological and other forms of violence, suppression and grandstanding between two different religious and spiritual traditions in India: The Aryan (North) and the Dravidian (South). It‘s honestly a lot more nuanced than that, but there is that invisible line that is drawn across the Indian subcontinent that marks profound differences.

Whilst I love my Southern-Tamil culture and identity, I feel there is so much more to it than asserting whether it is the ‘best’ or the ‘oldest’ – but at the same time I feel deeply uncomfortable when someone does try to put down my identity by claiming cultural-linguistic-ethnic- and other forms of superiority. There is powerful linguistic evidence on both sides, which have equally been used to make such a case – and I honestly find that debate counterproductive.

I worship and integrate different aspects of both traditions, deities and divinities – placing them on par with one another. For those of you who have been following my work, you know that I do the same thing with religions and belief systems for we are all Equals in the Circle.

But what does all this have to do with Namaste?

Namaste is a specific term of – recognizing the divinity within others – that is from the Sanskritic linguistic root – strongly associated with the Hindi language.

Contrary to the kinds of cultural stereotyping that India is often subjected to (that everyone speaks Hindi, or is a Hindu, or loves Bollywood) – not every part of India uses this terminology – even in spiritual contexts.

I’m writing this as I realize that my Indian identity often makes others feel as though they are honoring that identity by saying ‘Namaste’.

I don’t blame anyone for/about it – and I see that the intention is pure.

It’s just that this discussion, or this distinction hasn’t been made in many New Age and spiritual circles. People assume that India is more homogeneous that it actually is, unless information to the contrary is given.

Simply put, it does not mean the same thing for all those who are of Indian origin. Nor do all people of Indian origin use it, even in temples.

Here are other ways that different Indian identities express a similar concept:
Vanakam – Tamil (some Tamil Brahmins use Namaskaram)
Vandanam/Namaskaram – Telugu
Swagatham/Namaskaram – Malayalam
Assamulaikum – Muslim-Indians

There are a lot of other ways that different states/regions and ethnicities express this concept. This list is but a start.

As has been shown in India’s history and politics – Language is key to one’s sense of identity. Words say a lot about who you are, where you come from, where you will go. And not having the right to express one’s self in their mother tongue was seen in India’s history as a severe limitation upon individual freedoms.

That is the reason why India recognizes more than 20 different official languages and provides for simultaneous interpretative services in its Parliament – and why MPs use English if not their mother tongue to speak with others.

The idea of a single identity, be it defined in terms of a language, a region, a belief system, could not take root – as it is a such rich land with a diversity of cultural traditions and ethnicities. Plurality and diversity were favored over imposing a common language – because that would have meant much more than ‘mere words’ to the people of India.

A friend of mine asked me (and he respects both traditions) – well, what is your point as ‘Hindi is the face of India’ (quoted with permission).

My response: Well, it is – and it isn’t.

India has a million faces, and each deserve equal recognition.

Here’s to honoring them all, and staying true to one’s roots. Tolerance and Plurality.

Vanakam,
Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com

The Meaning of this Shift, and our Individual Call to Action: Healing the Divine Masculine

Blessings to all,

This video is less about specific astrological aspects as part of this ‘season of shifts’, and more about what these energies mean for us as individuals, and at the collective level. We are challenged at this time to re-define and heal our conception of the masculine, in ourselves, our relationships, our choices and our perceptions of the world at this time. This is the core message of this video – and is expressed through reference to astrological aspects. Key times for focusing intentions, and taking action towards creating a new (perception/manifestation) of reality based on values in alignment with a Heart-centric spiritual path are also presented.

As promised in the video here are relevant links:
Season of Shifts – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXY4jLXCUgU
Grand Water Trine (Part 1: with Mercury) – http://atomic-temporary-71240100.wpcomstaging.com/2014/07/24/grand-water-trine-part-1-mercury-21-29-july-2014/
Invitation to New Moon Prayer Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1468489506731297/

Blessings and Love to all,
Bairavee Balasubramaniam, PhD
http://www.bairaveebalasubramaniam.com