“One is wise to cultivate the tree that bears fruit in our soul” - Henry David Thoreau

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” – John Muir

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.” – Hermann Hesse

“Maybe you are searching among branches for what only appears in the Roots.” – Rumi

“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” - Albert Einstein 

“We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are shining parts, is the soul.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I was seeing in a sacred manner the shape of all things in the Spirit, and the Shape of all Shapes as they must live together like one being and I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy.” – Black Elk

“The Tree of Life lives within each of us, helping us awaken to our true nature
by widening the circle of compassion for ourselves and our world “ - Laural Virtues Wauters

“Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath no man manages his affairs as well as a tree does” – George Bernard Shaw

“Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.” – Robert H Schuller

“Even as a tree has a single trunk, but many branches and leaves, there is one religion but any number of faiths.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“All theory, dear friend, is gray, but the golden tree of life springs ever green.” - Johanne Wolfgang von Goethe –

 ”A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.” - Saint Basil 

“And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”  - William Shakespeare

“It is difficult to realize how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollections of our own life is associated with trees.”  - Wilson Flagg


“To the great tree-loving fraternity we belong.  We love trees with universal and unfeigned love, and all things that do grow under them or around them – the whole leaf and root tribe.”  - Henry Ward Beecher

“Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.”  - John Muir




“If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.”  - Hal Borland


“Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.” 
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

“Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars… and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.  Everything is simply happy.  Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance.”  - Osho


“I think that I shall never see. 
A poem lovely as a tree.
 A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
 Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
 A tree that looks at God all day. 
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
 A tree that may in Summer wear. 
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
 Who intimately lives with rain.
 Poems are made by fools like me,
 But only God can make a tree.
” – Joyce Kilmer

“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship.  But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.  Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves.  No wonder the hills and groves were God’s first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself.”  - John Muir

“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.”  - Welsh Proverb

“For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”  - Martin Luther

“We all travel the milky way together, trees and men… trees are travellers, in the ordinary sense.  They make journeys, not very extensive ones, it is true:  but our own little comes and goes are only little more than tree-wavings – many of them not so much.”  - John Muir

“Alone with myself, the trees bend to caress me the shade hugs my heart.
” – Candy Polgar

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.”  - Robert Louis Stevenson

“He who plants a tree
. Plants a hope.” 
- Lucy Larcom

“Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,
 We fell them down and turn them into paper,
 That we may record our emptiness.
” – Kahlil Gibran

“See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…we need silence to be able to touch souls.” – Mother Teresa 

“If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children. ”
- Confucius

April is named for the Latin word aperire, “to bud or open.” Aprilis was its original Roman name translated from the Greek word Aphrilis which was inspired by the Goddess Aphrodite or Aphros. Venus is the planet or “star” of Aphrodite.

Aphrodite as Venus

Venus is the Roman name for the only planet in our Solar System named after a female figure. Venus has captured the imagination of mankind throughout the world.  It has been seen as both the heavenly mother and the earthly mother, the morning star and the evening star. The word “star” is derived from Astarte, the Canaanite name for Venus.  Astarte was seen as the Goddess of fertility and light.

Venus is the bright star that is shining after dusk each night in the Western sky.  A beautiful reminder of the light and inspiration she has given to mankind since the beginning of time..

Venus has been known by many names….

Inanna – Mesopotamia (Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Arabia) – 4000 BC - The greatest of all Goddesses – Venus is her star.

Ishtar – Babylonians and Akkadians (Iraq) – 2500 BC – Queen of the Heavens and Goddess of Love – Wife of Anshar the father of Heaven.

Isis/Tioumoutiri/Quaiti - Egyptians (Egypt) – 2000 BC - The Ancient Egyptians believed Venus to be two separate bodies and knew the morning star as Tioumoutiri and the evening star as Ouaiti. Eventually she was seen as Isis/Hathor.

Atarsamain – Kederites (Iraq/Arabia) – 1700 BC – The morning star of Heaven or counterpart to Ishtar. Rulkdai/Ruda was the known as the evening star.

Astarte – Canaanite (Israel/Lebanon/Jordan) – 1600 BC - Queen of Heaven, goddess of the evening star Venus and Moon. English word “star” comes from this name.

Phosphoros/Eosphoros - (Ancient Greece) – 1500 BC – Saw Venus as two separate stars. Phosphoros was seen as the “Bringer of Light” or “Morning Star”. Eosphoros - was seen as the “Bringer of Dawn” or “Evening Star”.

Astarte – Phoenicians (Israel/Lebanon/Jordan) – 1100 BC – Heavenly Mother and Earth Mother – Mother to Adonis or Adonai and also lover. Father of Adonis is Phoenix, the father of the Phoenicians. Astarte was also referred to as Asherar-yam – Lady of the Sea

Aphrodite - Mycenaeans (Greek) – 1000 BC – Goddess of love and beauty, mother and wife of Apollo the God of Light also called Adonis/Adonai.

Anata/Belta/Davkina - Chaldean (Arabia) – 605 BC – counter parts to Anu/Bel/Hea – also called Mithra the Great Father referred to AD or Adoni (Lord)

Al’Uzza/Al’Lat - Nabataeans (Arabia) – 600 BC – Goddess of the Earth, Stars and Moon.

Anahita – Persian (Iran) – 400 BC – The immaculate one, goddess of war

Eostre/Ostara/Austro - Germanic (Germany) – 100 BC - The Goddess of the new dawn.  The one who caries the sprit of the light. She represents the direction of the East. She was honored as the Goddess of the Spring Equinox.  Her name was given to the Paschal celebration of the Resurrection which eventually became known as Easter.

Freyja/Frigg – 100 AD – Norse (Sweden, Finland, Norway) – Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war and death. She rules over the heavenly afterlife. After the Christianization of Europe she became affiliated with the Virgin Mary.  The day of the week Friday is named for her.

Venus – 200 AD – Roman (Italy – Mediterranean) – Roman Goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and military victory. She was born from Sea Foam which gives her the yielding watery feminine ability to balance the fiery aspects of men as seen in the Gods Vulcan and Mars/Ares.  Venus absorbs the tempers of the male essence, uniting the opposites of male and female into mutual affection.

Lucifer/Vesper – 300 AD – In Latin the ancient Greek name Phosphoros  which was originally given to Venus as the “morning star” later became known as Lucifer the “Light Bearer”. Eventually Lucifer was identified as the fallen angel who was cast down from heaven. Eosphoros the “evening star” became known as Vesper.  Throughout the evolution of Christianity Lucifer the light bearer became associated with the devil or satan. (A mirror of the shadow that the Church saw in the beauty of Venus)

Noh Ek’ - Mayan (Mexico) – 500 AD – the Maya civilization developed a religious calendar based in part upon the positions of Venus. Noh Ek’ was known as the Great Star. The Maya were aware of the planet’s movement, and could compute it to within a hundredth part of a day.

Al’Uzza - Quraysh (Arabia) – 525 AD – The Strong mother Goddess who was called upon for protection and victory.

Barnumbirr – Aboriginal (Australia) – the Yolngu people in Northern Australia gather after sunset to await the rising of Venus. As she approaches, in the early hours before dawn, she draws behind her a rope of light attached to the Earth, and along this rope the people are able to communicate with their dead loved ones, showing that they still love and remember them. Barnumbirr is also an important creator-spirit in the Dreaming, who “sang” much of the country into life.

Venus De Milo - Louvre Museu

Venus De Milo – or the Aphrodite of Milos is an ancient Greek statue created between 120 BC – 100 BC. This statue depicts the Goddess of love and beauty. It is thought to have been created by Alexandros of Antioch.  It is currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Botticelli - The Birth of Venus c. 1485

Sandro Botticelli - was commissioned by the Medici family to recreate the ancient myth of Venus rising from the sea. The story of her birth was the symbol of mystery through which the divine message of beauty came into the world.  Venus emerges from the sea on a shell which is driven to the shore by flying wind-gods amidst a shower of roses. As she is about to step on to the land, one of the Hours or Nymphs receives her with a purple cloak. Botticelli created a vision of Venus, who came to earth as a gift from Heaven.

Ancient Discoveries

Venus as Fertility Goddess

Today as Archaeologists discover the most ancient artifacts they often name them after Venus.  The earliest of these is the Venus Von Hohle Fels – 38,000 BC – Germany an Upper Paleolithic fertility fetish found with a Bone flute and African animals carvings. Another is the Venus Von Willendorf from Austria.

Symbol for Venus

The astronomical symbol for Venus is the same as the one used in biology for the female sex: a circle with a small cross beneath. The Venus symbol also represents femininity, and in Western alchemy stood for the metal copper. Polished copper has been used for mirrors from antiquity, and the symbol for Venus has sometimes been understood to stand for the mirror of the Goddess.

Venus as Aphrodite and her Connection to Easter

Around 325 AD, Emperor Constantine asked his mother, Queen Helena, to oversee the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, to honor Jesus’s death and resurrection. The site she chose for the Church had been a Roman temple dedicated to Aphrodite the mother of Apollo also known as Adonai “the bringer of the light”.  Adonai is often translated as my lord which led to the modern translations of God and Jesus.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Jerusalem

As many celebrate Easter Sunday, the resurrection of the light of Jesus, on April 8th, 2012. Remember the legacy of light that Venus, Aphrodite and Eostre bring to this sacred story. Let the beauty fill you with love and wonder.

April Showers bring May Flowers…..Stop and enjoy this sacred month by allowing yourself to connect to the stars above you and the  opening of nature around you.  Most of all open to the light that lies within you……filled with love.

Venus in a field of flowers

Early cultures used a solar/lunar calendar in which months alternated between 29 and 30 days. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar to purely solar. The day on which the spring equinox occurred was defined as March 25th. The length of the year was fixed at 365 days. Months alternated between 30 and 31 days, February was reduced to 29 days. After the death of Julius his Nephew Augustus Caesar came to power. Eventually the Roman Senate named the month of August after him and increased the number of days from 30 to 31 to match July.  To compensate they reduced February to 28 days.

Pope Gregory XIII, ordered a reform of the calendar in 1592. Under the new system March 21st became the date of the vernal equinox. The Gregorian calendar is what most cultures use today. (As of March 2005, the Spring Equinox is now celebrated on March 20th in the Northern Hemisphere)

The Egg and the Seed of Life 

In ancient times, it was thought that the earth was created when the primordial egg/seed of the silent universe suddenly burst open and life began. The egg/seed became the perfect symbol of creation.

Spring was the season for celebrating the return of the “Sun”. The cold dark winter had passed and the “Sun” could now warm the soil where dormant seeds sprang to life. Chickens began to lay eggs and the cycles of life started over once again.

Ukranian Eggs/Pysanky Eggs – originated over 3000 years ago in the Carpathian Mountains. They were dyed in two or three colors in the same wax resist process that is used today. The eggs were believed to have great powers as each design carried significance and meaning. A bowl of decorated eggs was often kept in the home in the belief that they would keep the family healthy.

With the introduction of Christianity to the Ukraine in 988 AD, the “Sun” became the “Son” and the ancient customs were absorbed into the Christian celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The triangular designs, drawn on the eggs, represented nature and the elements of air, fire and water.  They instead became the symbols for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Current Celebrations connected to the Spring Equinox

Festival of Eostre - March 20th – Celebrates the actual day of the Spring Equinox in honor of Eostre the Celtic/Germanic Goddess of Spring, Rebirth, Fertility and New Beginnings. Eostre gives her name to the direction of the East or the rising “Sun”, the new day, the new dawn. She is connected with life and death, resurrection and rebirth. Rabbits and eggs were symbols of fertility and birth during Eostre. A common custom was to hide brightly colored eggs for children to find.

Passover/Pesach - Begins at Sundown on the night of the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Originally it was an agricultural celebration that represented the beginning of the planting season in Israel. Today it is related to the Jewish Exodus from Egypt. The name “Pesach” means to pass through, or pass over, referring to God “passing over” the homes of the Jews. “Pesach” is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a Spring lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. Pesach lasts for seven days (eight days outside of Israel). In the story of Moses and the Jewish Exodus, God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Israelite/Hebrew slaves. The tenth plague killed all firstborn sons. However, the Israelites were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a Spring lamb, and upon seeing this, the spirit of death passed over these homes, hence the term “Passover”. The Israelites left in such a hurry that they could not wait for the bread to rise. In commemoration, no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is also called “The Festival of the Unleavened Bread”. 

A special dinner is prepared with a ceremonial Seder Plate to commemorate Pesach. One of the ceremonial foods eaten during Seder is a beitzah (hard boiled egg), which symbolizes Gods loving kindness, as well as the rebirth of springtime.

Easter - is the central event of the Christian faith: the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his death. It celebrates the return/rebirth of the “Son”. All of the Christian movable feasts and the entire liturgical year of worship are arranged around the date for Easter. When the council of Nicaea came together in 325 AD, they identified a moveable day for Jesus’s resurrection that would never coincide with the Jewish Passover. They identified the date of Christ’s resurrection as the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 20th, the nominal date of the Spring Equinox. The name “Easter Sunday” appeared many centuries later as the Germanic language was integrated into Christianity. Easter Sunday can fall on any date from March 22 to April 25th. The year-to-year sequence is so complicated that it takes 5.7 million years to repeat.

Good Friday – is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday as the day when Jesus/Yeshua was crucified on the cross. Jesus, was in Jerusalem observing Passover. Some believe that Jesus/Yeshua became one with the Tree of Life to remind us that we are not separate from God. Emperor Constantine asked his mother, Queen Helena, who had already converted to Christianity, to go to Jerusalem and identify the stations of the cross and to oversee the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to honor Jesus’s death and resurrection. The site she chose for the construction of the Church had been a Roman temple dedicated to Aphrodite the mother of Adonai/Apollo.

Ancient Celebrations connected to the Spring Equinox

Adonis/Apollo and Astarte/Aphrodite - in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Minoa and Rome the Spring Equinox was a time to celebrate Adonis/Apollo as the God of light and prophecy. Romans later referred to Adonis as Apollo who urged forgiveness to all offenses. Adonis or Adonai, meaning “my lord”. “Adon” is a Semitic word for master or ‘lord’, “ai” means ‘my’, Adonai translates as ‘my lord’. His mother was Astarte/ Aphrodite, who was seen as the heavenly mother and the earthly mother, she was also referred to as Venus, the evening star. The word “star” is derived from Astarte. Astarte was the Goddess of fertility and light. Her name can also be translated as Eostre within the German language.

Demeter - An earth mother goddess who was the oldest of the Minoan Gods. Demeter’s festivals were held twice a year at Eleusis, one in Spring to celebrate her powers of fertility/birth and once in fall to celebrate her ability to destroy/harvest. Demeter is thought to be the inspiration that began the Eleusinian Mystery Schools, which are very agriculturally/metaphorically focused. The growing of corn became sacred knowledge with deep hidden meaning.

Cybele/Attis - Cybele/Rhea was known as the Great Mother Goddess, Mountain Mother. The Magna Mater, Mother Earth. She was depicted wearing a long belted robe with a cylindrical crown sitting on a throne or riding a chariot with two lions at each side. She was also associated with the Lunar Bull. Her sacred tree was the Pine. She was worshipped by Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Attis is the son of Cybele considered half God/half man who died at the foot of a tree. His blood poured down into the earth and violets sprang forth. On the third day his soul entered the tree, a sign of rebirth. The Romans honored Attis with a Spring festival that began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated after three days of rejoicing his rebirth or resurrection.  This story is very similar to the Egyptian story of Isis and Osiris.

Isis and Osiris – Isis is the Egyptian Goddess of Wisdom and Creation, Osiris is the God of Resurrection and Reincarnation, and Thoth became the God of Truth and Writing. The Tree of Life is also connected to Egyptian mythology through Osiris when he was entrapped in a wooden chest and thrown into the Nile. The chest floated to the foot of a tamarisk tree which enclosed Osiris within its trunk. The tree was later cut down and used as a pillar for a palace. Isis retrieved the pillar and with the help of Thoth she was able to breath life into Osiris’s body. Isis became pregnant by Osiris and bore their son Horus. Osiris’ body was then cut into pieces by his brother Set, who spread them across Egypt. Isis gathered all of the pieces together and with Thoth’s help they brought Osiris’s soul back to life. This story is symbolic of the Egyptian culture that began almost 10,000 years ago and how they honored life, death and rebirth.

The Spring Equinox and Sacred Geometry

The Seed of Life - six circles create a six-petal flower representing the manifestation of creation. This is also representative of the seven days of creation.  The six colors of the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet) plus the white light in the center. Black is the absence of color or light and continues to be the place of the unmanifest.

The seed of life is key to understanding the expansion of new ideas, information and light as it enters consciousness. It is affiliated with the Solar Plexus Chakra (yellow) within our energy body located in the area of the stomach. This carries the energy of fire and the Sun and is connected to the platonic solid, Tetrahedron or Triangle.

The Tetrahedron represents the element of “Fire” or the “Sun”.   

The Spring Equinox is a very sacred and special time to connect to what is growing within you. It reminds you to go outside and reconnect with the Sun as it warms and nourishes you. This is a time of new beginnings and rebirth. Enjoy the colors of spring as you enter this very creative, sacred and productive time of year.

Plant Your Love and Let It Grow 

“Standing at the crossroads trying to read the signs. To tell me which way I should go to find the answer, and all the time I know. Plant your love and let it grow. Let it grow, let it grow. Let it blossom, let it flow. In the sun, the rain, the snow. Love is lovely, let it grow. Looking for a reason to check out of my mind. Trying hard to get a friend that I can count on, but there’s nothing left to show. Plant your love and let it grow. Time is getting shorter and there’s much for you to do. Only ask and you will get what you are needing, the rest is up to you. Plant your love and let it grow.” – Eric Clapton

Equinox = equal. Twice a year day and night are of equal lengths.  These two dates are the Spring/Vernal Equinox and the Fall/Autumnal Equinox.  The Spring Equinox has long been associated with the birth of a new year. It is seen as the place of the rising sun, and is affiliated with the direction of East. The Autumnal Equinox is symbolic of the West and the setting sun and represents the death of the year.

March signals the birth of a new year and new beginnings. 

March (Martis) is named directly after the planet Mars.  It was the first month of the original Greco-Roman calendar.  Mars is also known as Ares the Greek God of war.  This time signaled the beginning of the military campaign season.  Somewhere between 713 - 450 B.C., January and February were added to the calendar and the beginning of the year was changed to January 1st.

Aries is also the first sign in the Zodiac, the Ram that represents the cardinal direction of East and the Spring/Vernal Equinox.

Ides of March (March 15th) – began as a military parade and  Roman festival held in the middle of March, during the full moon, to honor Mars, the God of war. Today it is associated with the assassination of Julius Ceasar in 44 B.C. Before he was killed by his conspirators, Julius Caesar reformed the old solar/lunar calendar to a strickly solar calendar. The month of July is named for him. Pope Gregory XIII, ordered a reform of the Julian calendar in 1582. Under the new system March 20th or 21st became the date of the vernal equinox. The Gregorian calendar is what most cultures use today.

St. Patricks Day - (March 17th) – is an Irish Catholic holiday of feasting and drinking (as well as going to Church) for the Lenten restrictions are lifted this one day in honor of Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. St. Patrick is credited with using the Shamrock as a way to demonstrate the Holy Trinity thereby converting Irish “pagans” to Christianity. This is often referred to him driving the snakes (pagans) out of Ireland.

Celebration of Eostre - (March 20th) – Celebrates the day of the Spring Equinox in honor of Eostre the Celtic/Germanic Goddess of Spring. Eostre is the root word for East, the direction of the rising “Sun”, a new dawn.  A common Celtic custom was to hide brightly colored eggs for children to find. The Spring Equinox marks the birth of another great cycle. Eggs, rabbits and lambs have long been the traditional symbols of new life.

“March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb”   

Enjoy the beautiful transitions this month brings….step into your new beginnings with loving strength and gentle kindness…..

February is named for the word Februa

Februa means to clean, purify and prepare. Ancient celtic cultures celebrated the beginning of February with Imbolc, “the belly of the mother”, which signaled a time when the seeds planted in Mother Earth were beginning to open and lambs began lactating.

The festival of Brigit, the Goddess who “brings back the light”, represented the growing Sun that warmed the ground. Together they remind us that new life is stirring within.

Ancient Romans celebrated the union of the God Janus (January) and the Goddess Juno (June) in the middle of February. After many incarnations we now celebrate this day as Valentines Day, a day to express love.

February 2012, is also a “Leap Year”.  

February 29th, is also my son’s birthday. A day that any mother will never forget. He was born on a leap year and shares this date with my mother Gertrude. This year he turns “seven” or 28, depending on how you look at it. With all of the research I have done into the meaning of things I began wondering about the days of the week.  Tyler was born on a Wednesday and I was born on a Friday.

I came across this poem written in England circa 1838.:

Mondays child

“Mondays child is fair of face,
Tuesdays child is full of grace,
Wednesdays child is full of woe,
Thursdays child has far to go,
Fridays child is loving and giving,
Saturdays child works hard for his living,
And the child that is born on Sunday
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.”

In the 1900′s they switched Wednesday’s child with Friday’s child due to the idea that Friday was bad luck because Jesus was crucified on a Friday. No wonder I feel the need to help people understand each other better….:)  So this got me thinking again about the true origins of the names behind the days. This in itself could make for a fascinating history lesson!!!

Origin of names for the Days of the Week

Originally the names of the week were inspired by the seven planets which could be seen by the naked eye this also included the Sun and Moon. Later as Greek and Latin were translated into Germanic languages the ancient Celtic Gods and Goddesses associated with those planets replaced the Roman names.

Our Solar System

Sunday - Sun’s Day – Germanic/Norse (Goddess Sunna) – Roman – (Dies Solis – day of the sun, Sol) Mithra (Persian Sun God) Mitra (Hindu Sun God – partners with Varuna the Moon God to balance night and day.) The Sun also marks the direction of the East which represent the beginning of a new day and consequently a new week.

Monday – Moon’s Day – Germanic/Norse (Mani – The Sun’s Brother – Origin of the Man in the Moon) – Roman – (Dies Lunae – day of the moon – Goddess Luna, Diana, Selene) Also known as the Lunar Bull conquered by Mithra for Cybelle the Earth Mother God.

Tuesday – Tiw’s Day – Germanic/Norse  (God of War and Law – T’ry or Ziu) – Roman (Dies Martis – day of Mars – Roman God of War Ares) Originally known as Odin/Wodan/Irmin/Yggr in Celtic/Norse mythology.

Wednesday - Wodan’s Day – Germanic/Norse (Odin/Wodan/Irmin/Yggr – Celtic God of all Men, Father of all Gods) Roman (Dies Mercuri – day of Mercury – Roman God and leader of souls) Also known as Apollo (Roman God), Hermes (Greek God), Thoth (Egyptian God) Adonai (Chaldean God) Lord (Judaic God)

Thursday - Thor’s Day – Germanic/Norse (God of Sky and Thunder, Son of Odin) Roman – (Dies Iovis – day of Jupiter – Roman/Greek God Zeus, son of Cronus)

Friday - Freya’s Day – Germanic/Norse (Goddess of love, beauty) – Roman – (Dies Veneris – day of Venus – the Goddess of the Love and Life) – Goddess of the evening star, Goddess of the heavens, Mother God also known as Astarte, Ashera, Aphrodite, Eostre, Minerva, Alluza, Athena, etc….

Saturday - Saturn’s Day – Roman (Dies Saturni – day of Saturn) Also known as Cronus father of Zeus (Greek/Roman God) or Cerronus (Germanic/Norse God) son of Odin/Woden/Irmin/Yggr.

Happy Birthday Every Day!!!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Celebrate it by loving yourself unconditionally and birthing a new you each and every day.

“When one door closes, another opens, but often we look so long at he closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us”. – Helen Keller

“We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”  - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”  - Ellen Goodman

“May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.”  - Joey Adams

“New Year’s eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.”  - Hamilton Wright Mabie

“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.” - Swami Vivekananda

“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” - John Lennon

“He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool.”
- F.M. Knowles

“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year.  It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes.  Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions.  Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.”  - G.K. Chesterton

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.” – Henry Moore

“Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year.  Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.”  - Thomas Mann

“I made no resolutions for the New Year.  The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.”  - Anaïs Nin

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” – Albert Einstein

“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” - Confucius

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” - Michael Altshuler

“It is difficult to live in the present, ridiculous to live in the future, and impossible to live in the past. Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.” - Jim Bishop

“Events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order the continuous thread of revelation.” – Eudora Welty

“For centuries, man believed that the sun revolves around the earth. Centuries later, he still thinks that time moves clockwise”  – Robert Brault

“Come out of the circle of time
. And into the circle of love.” – Rumi

January 1st….the cycle continues

The creation of the month of January is credited to the Roman King, Numa Pompilius in 600 BC. Numa added Inauarius and Februarius to the 10 month-long “Romulus” calendar created in 800 BC. Inauarius was celebrated as the first month of the revised 12 month calendar beginning in 200 BC. Prior to that the year began in March in honor of the Spring Equinox. Inauarius is pronounced Januarius, meaning month of Janus.

The New Year was originally celebrated by the Greeks, Romans and Europeans on the Winter Solstice on December 25th. When Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar in 46 BC he choose January 1st as the first day of the year in honor of its namesake Janus. The Gregorian Calendar was instituted in 1582 AD, by Pope Gregory the XIII, as a way to bring order and importance to the “Christian” calendar throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. As the Conquistadors moved into the Americas during the 1500′s they brought this calendar system with them.

This year we open the door to 2012

“When one door closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us”. – Helen Keller

The month of January is named after the ancient Greek and Roman god Janus.  Janus was the god of beginnings and endings, a gateway or doorway. He was seen as having two faces: one looking to the past and the other looking to the future.  His counterpart is Juno, the goddess of June.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” - Einstein

Ancient Roman Sculpture of Janus

2012 has much to teach us if we keep our minds and hearts open

Popular culture has made 2012 infamous with the prophetic “End of the Mayan Calendar” or “End of Time”.  The Mayans, Aztecs, Olmecs and Toltecs were advanced civilizations that lived in Central America possibly dating back as early as 6000 BC. They were intrepid travelers who followed the stars to help navigate their way from Africa to South America. Their calendar system shares similarities with the ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Hindu and Chinese calendars. Each followed a lunar calendar, a solar calendar and a star calendar.

Aztec Calendar Round - Mexico

By having multiple calendars they lived with more awareness of natures ongoing cycles. Their concept of time was circular versus linear based on the rotation of the earth and the changing positions of the sun, moon and stars. These calendars were sacred to their culture and everyday life. Each day held an intention on multiple levels.

Lunar Tzolk’in Calendar - the word Tzolk’in means “the count of days”. The moon phases became the perfect way to count a day.

A monthly lunar cycle

They noticed that the gestation or creation of a human baby took nine moons or 260 days. They also noticed that 13 moons created one solar year or solar cycle. To honor both of these aspects of the moon they took the number of 13 moons in a solar cycle and divided it into the 260 days of creation which equaled 20. (260 divided by 13 = 20) This made the numbers 13 and 20 equally sacred. This became known as the “sacred round“. Each of the twenty “days” had a name and held a specific meaning. This 20 day cycle would repeat itself 13 times, each progressive cycle was assigned a number along with the day name which became known as a trecena cycle. The Tzolk’in calendar was used to determine the time of religious and ceremonial events plus divination.

Solar Ha’ab Calendar - was made up of 18 “months” lasting 20 days (18 x 20 = 360) plus a period of five days known as the Wayeb or “nameless days” (360 + 5 = 365) this was equivalent to one solar year. Each of the 18 months plus the period of Wayeb was given a name and meaning that corresponded with the seasons.

Alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth

Calendar Round - combined the lunar Tzolk’in with the solar Ha’ab into a 52 years cycle. These 52 year Calendar Rounds lasted approx. one lifetime. Basically each day of a persons life was given meaning based on the combination of these sacred calendars.

Long Count Calendar - since the Ha’ab only lasted 52 years, the Mayans developed a long count calendar for forecasting future events and historical dating. The Maya name for a day was k’in. Twenty of these k’ins are known as a winal. Eighteen winals make one tun. Twenty tuns are known as a k’atun. Twenty k’atuns make a b’ak’tun.

A bak’tun equals approximately 394.3 solar years. The Mayans set their creation date at approx. 3114 B.C. 2012 A.D. marks the end of the 13th bak’tun (13 x 394.3 = 5126).  This places the end of the 13th bak’tun on approx. Dec. 21, 2012. The Winter Solstice is seen as both the beginning and end of each calendar year.

2012 is not the end of the Mayan Calendar

There are two theories leading the way, one is that the bak’tun cycle doesn’t end until 20 bak’tuns have passed. The other is that 13 bak’tuns is the end of the cycle but it jumps up to the next level of counting. In both scenarios, experts agree that the cycle does continues. The discrepency is whether the bak’tun cycle ends in 13, 18 or 20 cycles?  Either way 13, 18 or 20  bak’tuns = a pictun, and 13, 18 or 20 pictuns = a kalabtun and so forth. It is an ongoing cycle…..as one cycle comes to an end another begins….

The Precession of the Equinoxes 

“For centuries, man believed that the sun revolved around the earth. Centuries later, he still thinks that time moves clockwise.”  - Robert Brault

The precession of the equinoxes, also known as the Platonic Year, is caused by the slow wobbling of the earth’s polar axis. The earth’s polar axis completes one full precession (moving backwards or counterclockwise) approximately every 26,000 years.  The spring and fall equinoxes were chosen by ancient astronomers to track this precession. Monumental stone structures were created throughout the world that functioned in part as markers or astronomical instruments of this phenomenon.

The Great pyramid of Giza, Egypt. Built circa 2500 B.C.

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Stonehenge in England, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Machu Picchu in Peru and Kukulcan’s Pyramid in Mexico were all used to track the precession of the equinoxes.

Chichen Itza, the Mayan Temple of Kukulkan in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Built circa 650 - 800 A.D.

At Chichen Itza, a “serpent of light” is revealed every year at the exact time on the Spring Equinox. This serpent of light represents Kukulcan or Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent God that lives in the Milky Way.

The Milky Way seen from Yosemite National Park, CA

Precession can also be measured relative to other fixed stars. The stars have been reliable sign posts for the basis of many beliefs and cultures throughout the world. For this reason, ancient cultures aligned themselves with certain stars based on their relative brightness at that point in time. Some of the most famous “stars” are Sirius, Venus, and the Sun, along with the Zodiacal constellations and other star systems such as the Pleiades and Orion.

Polaris our Northern Pole Star…..

Pole Stars are the stars that mark the North and South aspect of our Earth’s axis.  Right now our northern axis points to Polaris which means ”Pointer”. Polaris is the only one of the Pole Stars that comes as close to the exact point of our actual North Pole. In 2012 it will be 1º away, reaching its closest position of .5º’s in 2100. Then Polaris will slowly begin to move away. Our Pole Star changes slowly over the course of 26,000 years in accordance to the precession of the equinoxes as the earth rotates on its axis like a top.

The Big Dipper is the constellation Ursa Major, The Big Bear. The two stars at the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper are called the "Pointer Stars" because a line drawn between them points to Polaris, the North Star. - © 1995 Jerry Lodriguss

The next pole star for the Northern Hemisphere will be Alrai or Gamma Cephei, in 3000 A.D. and then Iota Cephei, in 5200 A.D., Denab will follow in 10,000 A.D. Our earth has had two “North Stars” in the past including Thuban around 3000 B.C. in the constellation Draco, and in 12,000 B.C. Vega in the constellation Lyra. They too will cycle back after Denab. In total we have 6 different stars that comprise a “ring” of stars that take turns being our North Pole Star. But again, Polaris is the only one of the six that is the most exact, which is why we are so aware of it now.

The Southern Hemisphere does not have as many options, currently they do not have a South Pole Star, the Southern Cross constellation has been the best constellation for the past 2000 years.

The Earth's magnetic field showing the axis point and the North and South Poles

The Galactic Alignment and the Sacred Tree of the Mayans

To the Mayans the Sacred Tree or World Tree was thought of as the pole or axis that runs through the center of our earth. The idea of a galactic alignment is thought to be when the North Pole or Sacred Tree lines up with the galactic center of our Milky Way on the Winter Solstice.

In 2012, on Dec 21st, the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice position will be in the constellation of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is the constellation that holds the center of our Milky Way. There is a growing black hole located in an area called Sagittarius A. It is approximately 26,000 light years away from our solar system. The earth’s wobble also causes the position of the seasonal quarters (equinoxes and solstices) to slowly precess against the background of stars and the constellations of the Zodiac. For comparison, 2000 years ago the constellation in this position on the Winter Solstice was Capricorn.

The 13th bak’tun cycle of the Mayan calendar ends and a new one begins approx. on the Winter Solstice of December 21st, 2012.  Polaris will be 1° from our actual north pole, pointing directly into the center of our Milky Way possibly at a growing black hole.

Do these markers indicate that this the end of time??

According to NASA this alignment is nothing to worry about. Our earth has been dancing within this alignment for several years now. An example of this is that on Dec. 21st, 2010 our Sun and Moon lined up that evening to create a total lunar eclipse, Polaris was pointed in much the same direction as it will be in 2012 towards the center of our Milky Way in the constellation of Sagittarius. I remember that evening feeling the beauty and awe of a total lunar eclipse yet I am still here today writing this blog. This makes me pause and think of how linear time has influenced our culture by perpetuating fear….

“Time is making fools of us again.”  - J.K. Rowling


Prague Astronomical Clock installed in 1400 A.D.

The Illusion of Maya and being Present in the Now

“Apart from thought, there is no independent entity called “world.” Just as the spider emits the thread out of itself and then withdraws it, likewise, the mind projects the world out of itself and then withdraws it back into itself.” – Ramana Maharshi

The Hindu word “Maya” could be seen as a root word for the “Mayan” civilization. There is no historical evidence of this, but it is an interesting theory to ponder. There is a great deal of similarity between the cultures and evidence does exist that the early Indus Valley people were travelers by land and sea. Some speculate that the culture divided after the formation of the Veda’s and the caste system. Could these early people have come to the Americas and influenced the Mayans?

Before the Vedas were written, around 1500 B.C.  the early Hindu culture worshipped a female trinity made up of Devi the Divine Mother Goddess, Tara the Earth Mother Goddess and Maya the Goddess of Illusion.

Maya was often depicted as a spider who weaves the web of illusion in the present world we live in. The present is illusive because we are continually walking between worlds, going through doors and gates. We weave our own reality together based on our perceptions and projections.

Hindu Symbol of "Om"

In the Hindu symbol of Om, Maya is seen as the semi circle on top which separates the dot from the other three curves or levels of consciousness. This dot signifies the fourth state of consciousness that illuminates the other three.  Maya in the present moment prevents us from reaching or the realization of this highest state of bliss.  This is how we get caught in our own web of judgement and fear. Maya is an illusion, we are the spider. By staying out of judgement or duality and stepping into a place of oneness we are able to see the past, present and future all at once.

May we linger at this gate and breathe in the beauty of the moment. As we move forward may we step out of  fear and into love through 2012 and beyond…..

Namaste and Munay….Laural

“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”  - Ellen Goodman

“We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”  - Edith Lovejoy Pierce

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I made no resolutions for the New Year.  The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me.”  - Anaïs Nin

“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” - John Lennon

This morning I woke up to a world covered in frost. As I gazed out the window at the frozen remnants of my garden I reflected on the beauty of this present moment. This great cycle of life is reminding us that death is a natural part of life.  Like trees we need to reconnect with our roots and go deep within ourselves to find the essence of what we wish to rebirth in the spring.

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” - Albert Camus

Celebrating Peace – Winter Solstice – Dec 22nd – 2011

The Winter Solstice on December 22nd is symbolic of inner peace as people throughout time have reconnected to their inner light. It is also both the shortest and darkest day of the year. It heralds the opening of the door when the sun is reborn, gradually growing in strength til the Midsummer Solstice on June 21st.

To Northern Europeans the Winter Solstice was known as Yule a celebration that lasted for twelve days. Yule trees were cut and decorated with images of wishes for the year ahead. A Yule log was burned and a portion of it saved to be used for protection of the home.

One of the prominent early Gods of the Winter Solstice is the God Mithras. His origins date back over 4000 years or more.

Mitra (circa 1700–1100 BC) is also seen as one of the ancient Hindu Gods of the Rigveda. Paired with the God Varuna, Mitra/Varuna are seen as the Devas who bring balance to the world. Varuna represents the God of the cosmic night sky, Mitra represents the dawning of the solar day. Together they bring light, life, order and truth to the world.

Mithra (circa 1000 BC) is also one of the Persian Zoroastrian/Iranian Gods of Truth.

Mithra (circa 600 BC) was also known as the Sumerian/Chaldean trinity of Anu/El (God of the Sky), Enki/Bel/Baal (Son of Anu/El) and Enlil/Hea (God of Wisdom), sometimes referred to as Ad (Adonai, Adonis or Lord) .

With the creation of the Julian Calendar in 46 BC the Winter Solstice officially fell on December 25th.

In Roman culture (circa 200 BC – 313 AD) Saturnalia (Saturn is the Roman God of Agriculture) began on December 17th and lasted for seven days culminating on December 25th the Winter Solstice.  On that day Mithras the Sun God or Sol Invictus (the invincible sun) was born. The Emperor Constantine saw himself as the Sol Invictus before converting to Christianity in 313 AD. This celebration was marked with wreaths on doors, gifting and feasting.

Early Christians didn’t have records of Jesus actual birthday so they chose the Winter Solstice as the perfect day to celebrate it. They saw it as both the rebirth of the “Son” & the “Sun”. Since Jesus taught that the “light” was within each of us, his followers wanted to honor his birth on a day that honored the “light within”. The Winter Solstice was the perfect time to honor that sacred connection.

“You are the light of the world, let your light shine before men.”- Jesus, Matthew 5:14-16

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” – Jesus, Matthew 6:22

When Pope Gregory the VIII, adjusted the calendar in 1582AD, the Sun had changed in relation to the actual days so the Winter Solstice was moved to either December 21st or 22nd. Pope Gregory chose to keep Jesus birthday on December 25th as a way to separate the “Pagan” holiday from the “Christian” holiday. This severed our sacred connection to the Winter Solstice and the “light” we share with nature. People began to feel separate from the beauty and harmony nature great cycles of life provides.  The word pagan itself means “to be from nature”.

“Holidays” are “Holy Days” and the Winter Solstice is a “Holy Day”.  It is also natures “Holly Day” for Holly is symbolic of truth and the concept of being forever green/alive. Holly is an evergreen that is used to make wreaths for celebrating the sacred circle of life and natures cycle through the seasons.

December has always been a month of inner reflection and preparation for the Winter Solstice. During the long nights of winter, nature reminds us quiet ourselves and nourish our bodies, minds and souls in preparation for Spring.

Today we rush around from place to place, overextending ourselves on so many levels. This is so counter intuitive to what nature had intended for us. My wish for you this holiday season is to find some time for peace and balance. To breathe, be gentle with yourself and others and to count your blessings. Find joy in the simple things and to remember that often less is more……

May love, peace and joy fill your hearts and keep you warm

….love to you all Laural

Man’s earliest counting system was based on the ten fingers or “digits” found on their two hands.  They also noticed that it took nine “moons” or “menses” for the completion of a human pregnancy. This observation formed the sacredness of “nine” as the number symbolic of “completion”. Ten became the number of “divine order”. These numbers have etched themselves into our human psyche, providing the basis of storytelling and belief.

The month of November is named for the number “nine”. This is because the early Roman calendar had only ten months. The months we now know as January and February did not exist 3000 years ago.

November is now the 11th month of the year, another significant number in the evolution of human consciousness. Eleven was the first number that could not be counted using the ten fingers of our early ancestors. It marked the beginning of a new cycle, a new way of thinking, a sort of letting go and trusting. By opening their minds to the concept of 11 they were able to expand human consciousness.

The number 11 is made up of two “ones”, each marks a beginning point. This concept of two “ones” is connected to the concept of creation (Mother/Father or Heaven/Earth) as it takes two to create one. This is why we see the number 11 as a “birth portal”. It triggers our primal understanding of new beginnings, birth and expanded awareness.

When we see 11:11 on our digital clocks it triggers this unconscious memory. It is a calming and supportive pattern that reminds us that life continues on. Many stories and prophecies surround these numbers. I hope to explain just a few concepts of how they play out in our conscious and unconscious mind.

Carl Jung (1875 – 1961), is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as driven “by nature religious”. Meaning that people naturally want to feel connected to something beyond themselves. In doing so beliefs and religions have formed over time based on myth, metaphor, history and story. He saw that the human psyche operated on four primary planes: Self, Personal Consciousness, Personal Unconsciousness, and Collective Unconscious. It was from this place of the Collective Unconscious that he saw the formation of Archetypal patterns. These patterns are based on the universal experience of being human. These Archetypal patterns inform us and connect us to each other as a species.

The use of numbers has always had a profound effect on all levels of our psyche. The more awareness we bring to these Archetypal patterns we can begin to awaken the fifth level of awareness called the Collective Consciousness.

From this place rapid change can occur throughout the world. We are seeing this today as the worldwide web is providing access to each others “stories and beliefs”.  As we begin to connect the dots held within the Collective Unconscious we can see the circular pattern of life emerge. This circle is representative of the sacred journey of birth, life, death and rebirth. Jung also saw it as a “Mandala” or sacred circle and identified it as the Archetype of “Wholeness”.

Another example of awakening to our sacred journey is held within the Kabbalistic Tree of life.  The Kabbalah provides a framework for receiving and revealing insights on both a physical and metaphysical plane. By traveling through the Tree of Life and connecting with the wisdom of the 10 Sephirot, a person is able to reach the 11th place of Da’at. From this place everything becomes interrelated and oneness is achieved.

Apollo 11 was the first spacecraft to bring mankind to the moon. On July 20th, 1969 the lunar module named “Eagle” landed in the “Sea of Tranquility” on the Moon’s surface. Neil Armstrong’s words: “The Eagle has landed” and “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” signaled a new beginning as man ventured out beyond earth. A plaque was left on the moon with the words:  ”Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

Apollo is the ancient Greco-Roman God whose origins are also linked with many earlier cultures. Apollo is seen as a messenger God. Apollo is a God of healing, light and prophecy. Apollo carries the energy of both the feminine and the masculine and is the Archetype of clear headedness, order and harmony. The Eagle is also one of the most ancient symbols representing the rising Sun, the new day, and the compass direction of the East. Apollo 11 and the Eagle lunar module became a mated pair that created a new world for all of mankind.

These subconscious and conscious messages inform the collective unconscious allowing us to once again connect the dots and awaken to oneness.

This November, in 2011, we will witness the numeric phenomenon of 11/11/11. If you take it a step further, we will will have two opportunities that day to experience 11/11/11 at 11:11:11 am and 11:11:11 pm.

I invite you each to take time that day to honor the expansion that is occurring within you and around you. Acknowledge the Collective Unconscious that resides within you connecting you to everyone else on this planet. Honor the sacred feminine and the sacred masculine within everything.  Allow yourself to awaken the Collective Consciousness by seeing the oneness of being. Connect the rhythm of your heartbeat with the heartbeat of the earth. Give yourself the gift of love and realize that by doing this you are sharing your love with humanity.  From this place of expanded awareness you are creating a new world.

Thank everything for making this moment happen, being mindful of the many gifts in your life. Carry this sense of gratitude forward. In the United States November is also the month of Thanksgiving and we have much to be thankful for.

May we live in peace…Laural

Some quotes of gratitude:

“Learn to be thankful to everyone, to the entire creation, even to your enemy and also to those who insult, because they all help you to grow.” – Amma 

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” - Christiane Northrup

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart


“Let every step you take upon the earth be as a prayer.” – Black Elk

 “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others”. - Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Gratitude is to be thankful for even the most difficult situations the present moment brings you – for that is when there is the most spiritual growth”

Buddhist Eightfold Path, 588 BC – The Wheel of Dharma (Dharmachakra) Buddhism begins, Siddharta Guatama achieves enlightenment, the eight-fold path resembles the spokes of a wheel. Creates a moral compass the Wheel of Dharma.

South - Right Livelihood, Southwest - Right Effort, West - Right Mindfulness, Northwest - Right Contemplation/Concentration, North - Right View/Perspective, Northeast - Right Intention, East - Right Speech, Southeast - Right Action.

Native American - Medicine Wheel – Hoop of Life

Great Lakes and Plains Medicine Wheel - South – Red – Childhood, Serpent (Turtle), West – Black – Adolescence, Bear  (Wolf), North – White – Adulthood, White Buffalo (Wolf) (Bear), East – Yellow – Death and Re-birth, Eagle, Below – Mother Earth, Center – Yourself, Above – Father Sky, All – Awareness of the Sacred Hoop of Life, Great Mystery.

Cherokee Medicine Wheel - South – White – peace; Summer for peace; happiness & serenity, West – Black – death; 
Autumn the final harvest; the end of Life’s Cycle, North – Blue – defeat; Winter survival and waiting, East – Red – success; Spring re-awakening after a long sleep, 
victory over winter, Below – Mother Earth, Center – Yourself, Above – Father Sky, All – Awareness of the Sacred Hoop of Life, Great Mystery.

From this place we come full circle….traveling through time and cultures understanding our circular roots and the directions or winds we have traveled to bring us to where we are at this moment in time.

As we celebrate Columbus Day on October 10th, let us honor the Native people of the Americas who tended this land with beauty and grace for thousands of years before the “New World” found them. Let us come in harmony with the lessons of their cultures as we all become caretakers of this precious land.

Let us reconnect with our ancestors on Halloween/Samhain October 31st. They hold space for us to honor and learn the lessons and wisdom teachings.

I share with you this chant for Samhain from the Old World to the New World: “A year of beauty. A year of plenty. A year of planting. A year of harvest.
 A year of forests. A year of healing. A year of vision. A year of passion.
 A year of rebirth. This year may we renew the earth.
 Let it begin with each step we take. Let it begin with each change we make.
 Let it begin with each chain we break.  And let it begin every time we awake.” 

Quotations on Infinity

“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.” - Voltaire

“The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation.” - Michael Jackson

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.” - William Blake