It gives me great pleasure to present an interview from that fount of Human Design knowledge, Kim Gould, whose website “Love Your Design” is such a refreshing running resource to read and enjoy.  The Human Design System is an amalgam of 4 spiritual systems: Astrology, Kabbalah, the Chakra System and the I Ching.  It’s still very new to me, and I hope you find it just as fascinating!  I like the philosophies behind Human Design, and particularly its unconditional nonjudgemental approach, which gives you permission to be yourself.  There’ s nothing like beginner’s enthusiasm…

Lana:  Kim I love the approach of your blog.  It seems to have a lot of old baggage swept away and is very futuristic, and has drawn me to investigate the Human Design System. As Astrology is amalgamated with other esoteric systems, how do you feel that changes the Astrological picture?

Kim: Astrology gives me an immense wisdom bank to draw on when looking at how the archetypes play out in the Human Design Chart.  I draw from sources like Martha Lang-Wescott’s research on the Asteroids.  It’s great to know that there’s some solid observation behind the interpretations given.

My own observations of how a planet plays out in various Gates and Centres could expand our understanding of the meaning of that planet.  As we find links between Astrology and the I Ching, Tarot, the Kabbalah and other systems, we begin to see new links, new ways of thinking about the planets.

A great example is the new Dwarf Planets. We can see what energy centre they were in at the time of their discovery and what specific hexagrams of the I Ching (Gates Human Design) they have moved through since then.  For slow moving planets like Eris and Makemake this brings clarity to the newly arising archetype.  Makemake has been in the Solar Plexus Centre/Chakra since the middle of 2006, in a gate that connects our emotional and sexual energy.  Since Makemake was only discovered in March 2005, knowing about its placement in this Gate helps us understand that some of the foundational archetypal meaning of Makmake must be about the emotional and sexual experience, and how those two energies interact in a person’s life.

Lana:  That’s fascinating, especially about the dwarf planets.  Could you tell us a little of the background and origins of the Human Design System, and how you relate to that, e.g. how it has evolved for you.

Kim: The Human Design System was originally revealed in 1987 to a man by the name of Ra Uru Hu.  The original elements have been evolving ever since, with various people taking them in different directions.

The underlying ‘system’ is a precise correlation between the hexagrams of the I Ching and the horoscope.  Each hexagram is 5°37’30” of horoscope arc.  Each hexagram in the I Ching has 6 lines each of which is 56’15” of horoscope arc.

So for example, today (22 March) the Sun is at 1 degree Aries 31’32”.  In Human Design that would be Hexagram 25 line 4, except we call them Gates rather than Hexagrams.  To take it a step further, we then place that Sun position on the chart and Gate 25 is always found in the Heart Centre, in a position that relates to a connection between Ego and Innocence / Unconditional Love.

Unlike Astrology, a Human Design chart uses two sets planetary activations.  The standard chart uses the Natal Activations plus an additional Pre-Natal Activation, taken at 88 Solar degrees prior to birth.  This Pre-Natal Activation gives us access to a simple, natural self that operates under our conscious awareness.  We can literally see our sub-conscious at work in this layer of the chart!

I believe Human Design is a unique tool that brings us a whole new way of thinking about who we are, and how the human race is evolving.   There are many ideas in Human Design that are quite different to astrology.  Like, astrology though, each chart has its own very unique flavour and exploring that uniqueness is very liberating and empowering.

My personal journey has involved a lot of time spent alone contemplating what the transits reveal about the elements of the System.  I’m very tuned into the collective consciousness, and I pick up the subtle shifts and can then share that information with others through writing in my blog and doing readings.   It has always been very important to me that the person I’m working with has some sense of recognition of what I’m telling them, even if sometimes the new concepts of self take a while to sink in.

Lana:  Yes, I have recently realized that if you make a statement about something someone hasn’t yet experienced about themselves it makes no sense to them!  Right now I have a queue of people with a host of basic questions about Human Design …What would be the best way to start learning about it?  And as a question, to kick-off, many people are curious to know if there is any advantage to having centres filled in, or blank?

Kim: Well Lana let’s organise a Q & A webinar or blogtalkradio show with talkback and they can ask all the questions they want.  I’m writing a series of courses at the moment – some free some paid – which will be available soon.  There’s quite a bit on the web.  People can get a free chart on my site.

In answer to that last question, there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in any element of the system.  A coloured centre has a different quality to an uncoloured centre.  We call the coloured centre ‘defined’ and they have a constant way of operating in the world.  When a centre is not coloured, or undefined, it is always being affected by the people around you.  There is perhaps a bias towards the coloured or defined Centres, but I don’t share that view and often approach the chart by focusing on what’s not defined since that is where we are most sensitive and can develop the most wisdom in life.

Lana:  Are you trying to drag me into the world of 21^st Century technology with talk of a Webinar?  In that case, I can’t say no!  Here’s my next curiosity: Of the four systems used within the Human Design System (Astrology, Kabbalah, the Chakra System and the I Ching)  I am most puzzled about how the I Ching is used.  Could you explain the use and value of it in the evaluation of a chart?

Kim: I had never even read the I Ching when I first discovered Human Design.  And you don’t need to know anything about any of these other systems – Astrology, Kabbalah, Chakras and I Ching – to understand your design.

When I evaluate a chart, I start out by looking at the Centres – what’s defined, what’s connected, what’s conscious.  This is a level of evaluation that can easily be overlooked when people want to gain as much information about their charts as possible.  But the Centres alone can reveal an astonishing amount of information.

After that I begin to look at the detail of planets and gates.  The Gates are the same as the Hexagrams of the I Ching, so it’s important to observe where the personal planets are, they give great meaning to our lives and can be a wonderful source of contemplation.  They are often quite startling accurate.

A great example is Princess Diana, who had her Sun in Gate 39 line 1, the commentary for which reads:

“When one encounters an obstruction, the important thing is to reflect on how best to deal with it.  When threatened with danger, one should not strive blindly to go ahead, for this only leads to complications.”

Well Princess Diana certainly did encounter an obstruction that was very dangerous!

As well as the actual commentary that we can find in any I Ching book, we can also look at the structure of the hexagram – is it ying or yang, shallow or deep, how do the trigrams relate to each other?  For example, Princess Diana’s Gate 39 is a yang hexagram, it’s trigrams are Water and Mountain, giving a quality of letting go of impatience (water) and struggle (mountain) and allowing time to properly understand a situation – this takes us from a shallow understanding to a deep understanding so that we can move forward with the natural flow (water).

Lana:  You seem to use a huge number of asteroids and other heavenly bodies in your work, and enthrallingly so!  How important are they, and could you let us know a little about your view of the meaning of Chiron?

Kim: Well firstly Lana let me say that we can tell a huge amount just from the mechanics of the design.  As I’ve said, just knowing what’s coloured in your chart, which centres are connected to each other, what reaches the Throat Centre for expression, where there’s gaps between Centres, etc.  These ‘mechanical’ aspects of interpretation are so important.

I use the asteroids to bring a more subtle flow to the energy of the chart.  For example there may be quite a difficult gap between, say, the Heart and the Throat. These gaps are often places where people struggle immensely in life and they often have physical symptoms in that precise area of the body.  When I look at the asteroids I might find that there is a Dwarf Planet that bridges the gap.  This gives us a way to explore how we could create a bridge between those two disconnected parts of a person’s energy field.  I also look at fixed positions – fixed stars, the Galactic Centre, black holes, etc, when there is an important connection with personal planets.

Chiron is the one asteroid included in the standard chart.  In my work, Chiron is a place in the energy field where we may have specific sensitivity.  That sensitivity is always a place of great power, but to begin with we may need to examine the possibility of wounds that need to be addressed. In Human Design we can see which energy centre Chiron falls in, and we also get to see the Pre-Natal Chiron in the chart as well, so we can track family patterns of wounding.  I find working with Chiron extremely powerful.

Lana:  That spurs me on to use Fixed Stars and deep space objects such as Clusters in my work more.  How much of your work is mental analysis, and how much of it is spiritual intuition?  And though it is not written yet, how do you see your work evolving?

Kim: Great questions Lana.  I have Mercury and Uranus creating one channel from the Crown to the Ajna, and another with Moon and Ceres.  So I work with an inspired creative mental energy.  The connection between the two centres means that I can’t separate the Crown from the Ajna – they always work together as a team.

My work is all about evolution.  You would be aware of the idea of the archetypal expression of the planets evolving.  Saturn is a great example.  I also see the I Ching, the Kabbalah and Chakras evolving.  As these elements shift, so does our understanding of the Human Design System and therefore our understanding of our energy fields.

For example, my Moon is in a Ajna Gate that says I’m oppressed and exhausted and that’s all there is to it.  Not very cheery!  When I work with people with this gate in their personal design, I know that they have a role to play in helping people shift the way they think.  When we think in the wrong way we create a life that can feel oppressive and exhausting.  When we think in a more natural way we create a whole different life.  If someone has this Gate in their personal design I can support them to be more empowered by explaining that this evolution in their thinking is actually part of their role in the evolution of all humanity.

I work specifically with helping people to understand themselves in this new reality we are entering.  Most of what we know about how to be happy and successful isn’t working anymore.   Using Human Design I can show people a whole new way to experience themselves and a whole new way to make decisions that is really unique.

My main focus is to help people to recognise more subtle layers of self that have gone unacknowledged, and to support them to bring them into their daily reality.  I do that through exploring the different layers of the multi-dimensional charts and the archetypal layer of the natal chart and then helping people to anchor it through the main integrative layer.  It sounds complicated, but when it’s your own chart it just flows so easily and naturally because the recognition is there for you.

Kim’s Blog:

http://www.loveyourdesign.com/blog/

Kim’s Website is also a mine of information:

http://www.loveyourdesign.com/

Kim’s BlogTalkRadio Show:

http://www.loveyourdesign.com/radio.php

E-mail me from my Contact page if you would be interested for a Webinar to take place ~ Lana

As a non-sporty Sagittarian (excuse: Taurus Ascendant) I took a glancing interest in sport this week.  First came the upsetting news about David Beckham (he’s a double Taurean, so there’s my excuse gone).  His injury (Mars) shows up as the red planet squaring his Achilles heel (Uranus in his 6^th House of Health and Safety). Friday night I watched Sport Relief and yesterday I accompanied my daughter to a Sports Shop.  That is 3 times my usual involvement in such matters.  Today continues to support the efforts for the various projects in Sport Relief, with Mars trine Sun.  All systems go, especially for those born under Aries and Leo.  It’s a day of firsts and records may be broken.  It’s a Now sort of day, and very suited to Yang or Macho energy.  It’s the third day of the first Blog-a-thon, concentrating on the Uranus leg of the Cardinal T-square with Saturn and Pluto.  Skip over to cj wright’s website, but not before reading my interview of this week which serendipitously  happens to be cj wright herself.  On her site (named “Auntie Moon”) you will learn about the surprises that Uranus can bring to our lives, and her conclusions about that based on her experience as an Astrologer and her readers’ experiences.  Tomorrow (Monday 22^nd) in contrast the Sun opposes Saturn, so it’s more of a grinding-to-a-halt day.  We have talks ongoing in the U.K. about air and train travel strikes which are proposed and ongoing.  Athletes may be nursing blisters, those who are driven by nature may need to watch their adrenal energy levels if they overdid the weekend activities. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  Mars has been stuck at 0 degrees Leo for three weeks, and depending on how that shows up in your chart you may have been suffering a recurring stress during that time, or have been waiting on the starting block of a project for all that time raring to go.  If so, things may now be starting to shift.  It was during this period that little Sahil Saeed was kidnapped on 4 March, with Mars at around 0 degrees 30 minutes of Leo, then 6 days later Mars turned direct, and 6 days after that on 16 March when Mars was at the same point, he was joyously returned to his family.  That must have been a highlight of news viewing for many people this week.  Tuesday (23^rd) brings more recovery, and more re-balancing in our lives.  Mars sextiles Saturn in Libra, so we may have knocked ourselves out at the weekend, had an enforced rest on Monday, and now (Tuesday) are picking ourselves up again, and assessing what we gained/what we lost.  We may conclude it was equal, but with no regrets, especially if it has all gone to a good cause.  Tuesday is a particularly good day for deliberate, pre-planned action, and for taking the next logical step on your journey of the week.  If it’s your birthday, give yourself a pat on the back for the fine balance you have currently achieved in your life.  People generally may take time to savour the concept of “balance” as it applies in their life and what it means to them.  Being centred is important at this time, as the tension begins to build towards Friday (26^th) when Sun in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn (the individual versus authority).  The balance sways towards excess, and someone or something may demand your extra attention.  The Pluto articles of the Blog-a-thon are archived on Donna Cunningham’s blog (Sky Writer) if you are trying to cope, or working towards mastery.  If you are meeting a friend for coffee that day, you’ll put the world to rights working out where it all went wrong, set up your own political party or TV channel over the table, and then maybe reverse the process and dismantle the whole thing, emerging a few calories heavier, a little lighter in the pocket, but an hour wiser.

This week we are blessed to meet another Auntie, and actually I am just getting to know her myself, so you can enter this journey with me…cj or Auntie Moon hosts an informative Astrological website and blog, and is one of the co-ordinators of the 1st International Astrology Day Blog-a-Thon starting tomorrow, which  “brings together a collection of helpful, insightful and informative articles on handling the challenges of Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and the cardinal t-square”  according to her blog.  Her answers are sparkling and intelligent, and she comes across as serene, perceptive and modest  (I wonder if she’ll let me say that…?)  As the Numerology Editor for All Things Healing www.allthingshealing.com she is content with being number 6.

Lana:  I often think Astrology is a giant hologram where each person can start at a particular point and explore infinitely.  I have the impression from reading your blog that your interests are multifaceted, you have the Astrology, the Tarot and the Numerology, and you have two names…Is there any sense that you see yourself as a specialist within Astrology?

Cj: My interests are multifaceted, but I don’t consider myself a specialist in any particular system. Blending the symbolism of the three different systems reinforces each system’s message. For example, when looking at a tarot card I see not only the imagery on the card but draw on its astrological associations, as well. I also associate numbers with planetary energies, which acts as another dimension of the symbolism. It’s been my experience that a tarot reading often reflects the energies that are activated in a person’s natal chart or transits. Using the systems together is not unlike the “rule of three” in astrology where we look for a symbol three times in a chart reading.

Numerology is a beautiful system. It reminds me of the board game, Othello – “a minute to learn, a lifetime to master” because of its initial simplicity. That simplicity becomes a camouflage for the depth numerology actually has. It’s not unlike sun sign astrology. The primary symbols soon reveal themselves to be incredibly complex and multi-layered.

I used to make birthday gift books that included a delineation of the natal chart, numerology chart, and the tarot cards associated with the major planets. I became less and less surprised that a natal chart and numerology chart carried similar themes for a person, and that those themes were so beautifully executed in the tarot’s imagery. It’s why I refer to my posts on the tarot as the Astrological Picture Book.

I can spend six months immersed in one system, six months in another, and then switch to something else for a period of time, all the while learning as much about the other systems as the one I was immersed in at the time. That’s probably not a good way to become a specialist, but it satisfies my hunger for symbolism and connections.

Lana:  That has answered a lot of personal questions for me in regard to Numerology and Tarot, and given me a new regard for both.  You do give out a real zest for Astrology.  What do you think people are missing if they don’t have Astrology in their lives?

Cj: As long as people have a sense of wonder in their lives, they may not be missing anything. Astrology is only one of many ways to access that sense of wonder. It might be easier for me to answer by turning the question around, “what are people gaining by having Astrology in their lives?”

First, they are gaining a symbolic language, poetry. In its most basic sense, Astrology is the language of the seasons, light and dark, a connection to nature—the elements, temperaments, the night sky, and worlds beyond our own. We learn that we really do revolve around our sun, and that it takes more than 365 days to make that journey. It takes a lifetime.

We are able to explore the patterns of life that go beyond the rites of passage that most people only know as sweet sixteen, becoming of legal age, midlife crisis, or retirement. “She turned 30” becomes “her first Saturn return,” or “he completely lost it,” might mean Uranus opposed his Sun. Those terms speak volumes to the astrologer who can see the cycles unfolding in a life, like pages turning in a journal.

Astrology gives us a look at our own star map, a guide for the journey. But it never loses its sense of wonder because it’s never completely predictable. We may have the map, but we’re explorers in an unknown territory. We don’t have all the details—the peculiarities, histories, and desires of the people who travel with us, the turns we take along the journey, the cultures we encounter, the victories and defeats, pains and pleasures—all of those give a dialect to the language. That’s what makes it poetry.

Lana:  That’s breathtaking,  cj.  My next question is: What is your relationship with time, and how important is it to you?  We hear there’s no such thing, and it is important to be in the Now, and it seems different in Mayan Astrology.  I have kept a diary since I was 15, and it has been a precious resource, and it seems to me that for a Western Astrologer, time is a stock-in-trade.  Is this a silly question?

Cj: No, it’s not silly at all. No pun intended, but it’s a very timely question because you’re asking it during a period when there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough of it. It is important to be in the Now. Eckhart Tolle brought that idea to the general public with his bestseller, “A New Earth,” a book that was a great influence on me. I do try to stay aware of the present moment, but there’s no denying that time exists and that it slips away. I’ve never worried too much about the years passing, and only as I’m nearing my late 50’s have I thought about it much. A lot of people look at time through the lens of regret and that makes me sad. It seems the future holds so much more potential than the past, even as we age.

I’ve never been disciplined enough to keep an ongoing diary, but have a great admiration for those who do, because we can forget the details of our lives so easily. Journaling can be quite cathartic, and I do tend to quasi-journal when I’m sorting things out, but it’s usually on little snippets of paper that I come across months or years later. The time when they were written comes rushing back and so many feelings are revived. Those memories are so vivid they take on a 3-D quality. That could be the reason I never committed to journaling—the memories were too vivid.

Blogging and forums are journal-like, and a fantastic tool for astrologers. We talk about current aspects and the effects we find in our lives. Other people add their experiences. It all happens in real time and then—poof—it’s a part of our history. We didn’t have access to that scale of real-time sharing until the Internet arrived on the scene. I think we’ll really appreciate it as time moves on.

There are two lessons I’ve learned about time that I try to keep in the forefront of my mind. A teacher once said that we could change our past simply by changing our perceptions of it. I try to embrace that, but it can be incredibly difficult to make that kind of change. The other is a piece of scripture, “This too shall pass.” Maybe the best anecdote to time is patience, sort of a homeopathic remedy.

Lana:  I have found that Jupiter in Pisces has made it easier to work in a deeper way.  Is that how you have found it?

Cj: Jupiter’s entrance into Pisces has certainly coincided with a time when I’ve found myself more deeply immersed in work than usual. Its entrance in January also signaled the beginning of my research for the IAD Blogathon, so I’ve been exposed to a lot of websites that may have taken me much longer to discover without the intense focus of the research. I’ve met some people who are true experts and amazing teachers, definitely Jupiterian figures. It has already expanded my horizons. 12 years ago, Jupiter was also in Pisces. That’s when I first started writing about the Moon for a monthly Moon group. That year holds some of my fondest memories. I wouldn’t mind a rerun of that kind of energy. It was lovely.

Lana: Astrologers vary in how much they use Chiron, and I wonder to what extent you do use it and how you experience your Chiron in Capricorn if this is something you have a sense of.  Also, taking the astrology aside, how would you describe your Inner Healer (which may, or may not, be the same thing)?

Cj: I have minimal experience with the asteroids, so I don’t have a good sense of it in my chart. I know Chiron indicates a wound, and that it’s a healing point. It’s also in my 12^th house. An astrologer once told me that it was a beautiful placement so I didn’t pursue it. I’m a firm believer that sometimes we just need to let the mystery be.

I don’t really know how I would describe my inner healer because I’m not sure I’ve actually gotten a grip on it yet. I think I heal most when I stop talking and thinking and start listening. That opens a lot of doors to understanding. I’ve found that help has always arrived when I’ve needed it most. There are messengers who come when answers are needed. They’re real people—bank tellers, random phone calls at the office from a stranger who needed to tell a story, poets, and grocery baggers. They’re all around. I just have to be receptive and hear the message. They’ve always been there and they make the path smoother. Solitude is a great healer. Listening within.

Lana:  Thank you for persevering with the Chiron question.  I thought as many of the interviewees have this placing, the answers collectively might tell us a great deal of how it plays out in people’s lives.  Here’s my next question: Your website is called “Auntie Moon”.  How important is the Moon to you personally, and in your work?

Cj: Oh, Lana, the Moon is everything to me. She represents so much, and I wouldn’t have the joy of this work I love without her. She represents hope, romance, grief, love, longing, and the ever changing cycle of our lives.

I was one of those kids who laid out on the hood of the car at night and looked up at the sky dreaming of possibilities, what ifs. I fell madly in love with the Moon and stars then, and they’ve always been in me even if they’ve been eclipsed by other things that stole my attention for a while. So my journey started with wishing on the moon and has led me to looking for her in every part of life, in the details. I can see the zodiac signs represented in so many things just by tracking her on God’s heavenly clock–everyday things that we take for granted, but that bring us little pleasures.

She opens the door to understanding on a level that truly touches the heart. It is that gorgeous hide-and-seek playing Moon that makes it all worthwhile to me. She helps me find the divine.

Lana:  Your words really carry the reader with you. My last question is about Numerology. Do you find any disharmony between Astrology and Numerology or do they dovetail when you work with them?

Cj:   No, I don’t find any disharmony, at all. As a matter of fact, I’ve found that our personal numbers naturally dovetail with our natal charts. It’s an amazing thing! You might think that two different systems would carry different themes, but there is a repetition that I find downright mysterious. It’s not cut and dried, though. A person may have a strong Capricorn Moon and be born with a Life Path of 1, both associated with leadership or the desire for it. The Capricorn theme may be repeated with a name number of 7, which can indicate a tendency for withdrawal. A Libra might have many 2’s in their personal numbers, just the right amount, or a complete lack, all of which bring forth the themes of partnership and the need for balance but with a different emphasis on the lessons to be learned or taught. It’s never the same—which is what I mean by cut and dried—but there is always a reciprocal support between the two systems.

What this dual symbolism means to me is that there is a rhyme and reason behind the mysteries of life. Math really is the universal language. Everything can be reduced to a series of digits, whether it’s our DNA, the programming that allows us to talk to each other over the Internet, or the composition of the stars. It’s far from meaningless. Opening to these mysteries and allowing the subtleties to reveal themselves is what it’s all about for me. It’s about discovery and connection. Numerology, tarot, astrology, and the search for spirit–and finding it in the tiniest things–have opened many doors to the wonders that surround and bind us together. It’s the grandest adventure I’ve ever taken.

Here’s cj’s website link:

http://auntiemoon.wordpress.com/

And be sure to get the most from the Blog-a-thon:

http://auntiemoon.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/international-astrology-day-blog-carnival/

It’s Happy Mother’s Day here in the UK and if you are a mother in any sense of the word, your appreciation from the Universe may arrive a day or two later, until after the New Moon in Pisces tomorrow night…Meanwhile, it’s full steam ahead until Thursday with the aspects, starting with Sun conjunct Mercury today at 23 degrees Pisces.  Write that poem, rehearse those lines, do your homework, for later in the week.  There could be a memorable occasion in the offing this week, and today’s efforts will be part of it.  Tomorrow (Monday 15^th) is the actual New Moon at 25 degrees 10 minutes of Pisces.  If you are planning an event tomorrow, it could have tremendous emotional impact.  Hard on the heels and a degree away but only 39 minutes later (21:40 Hrs in the UK) Mercury conjoins Uranus.  The two events have to be considered all of a piece, and today’s  Sun conjunct Mercury is also part of that cosiness.  An intense concentration of energies in an emotionally-driven area of your life could produce an astonishing realization.  On Wednesday 17^th the Sun is conjunct Uranus in the morning (again UK timing) at 26 degrees Pisces.  This too is part of Monday’s manifold configuration, but emphasizing a different aspect of it: Individuality, Creativity and Originality.  In the afternoon Mercury enters Aries: and some of the Piscean intensity is relieved.  There’s going to be a tendency for people to stop pussyfooting and to speak their minds.  Accountability and transparency will be the order of the day, with Mercury highlighting O degrees Aries, heralding the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction which will take place there in the summer.  The hauntingly truthful  and powerful words of Reinhold Niebuhr

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;

Refers to the advent of the Cardinal (T-square) Climax over the next year or two.  This astrological event between Saturn, Uranus and Pluto represents the Structures and Strictures we have to work within.

But Lo! Do you feel the accelerating dynamics of the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction approaching?  This represents

courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

This is the counterbalancing gift this summer.

Donna Cunningham’s blog tells us it’s 5 days until the International Astrology Day Blog-a-Thon: “Celebrate International Astrology Day with articles and media from over 50 fantastic astrologers on Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, and the Cardinal T-Square starting March 19, 2010!”  This will be all you can eat on the subject of the T-Square, so register with the Forum and enjoy.  We need to be fully equipped  It would seem that the symbolism of the T-square is encapsulated in the current political situation in the U.K. coming up to the election with the Conservatives (Saturn) opposite the Labour Party (Uranus, Old Labour in its close-to-Socialism purity, and New Labour dislocated from its moorings) squared by the Lib Dems (Pluto, now holding the balance, and the balance of power).  Andrew Rawnsley writes in the Sunday Observer: “The Lib Dems will be intensely pressed during the campaign to jump off the fence, especially when opinion polls put us in hung parliament territory….So the Lib Dem leader has been given equal exposure and status with Gordon Brown and David Cameron which treats him as a candidate for prime minister even though he is not.”  On Wednesday evening Mercury is trine Mars – so seize the day (even if it’s in the evening) – Time and tide wait for no man! (Platitudes rule this week).  He who hesitates is lost.  Now last week Venus (feeling) was under fire, opposing Saturn and squaring Pluto. (Pulled out of my comfort zone, I found myself shielding myself from a spotlight with a tomato at an Arts Festival – you couldn’t write such a script). This week it’s the turn of Mercury (mentality).  So on Thursday (18^th) Mercury opposes Saturn, and again I say he (or she) who hesitates is lost, but it is already too late.  You had to act yesterday, for this aspect is mentally flattening or paralyzing.  On Saturday (20^th) Mercury squares Pluto which is mind-blowing , taking you to mental limits of endurance.  Getting through that, later in the day (17:32 Hrs) the Sun enters O degrees Aries (Spring Equinox)…and if you can let go of a whole lot of mental baggage, you’ll be born anew.  And now for something completely different: If you have an interest in Homeopathy, Channelling or any space or combination between the two, suspend the mind and read this week’s interview with Sarah Berry. This summer is all about the new, with Jupiter conjunct Uranus, so how about a surprise move of Vince Cable for Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Geminian Sarah has a double interview, as I first asked Sarah the questions, and then invited her guide Hendry to comment as well.  She and I graduated in the same year (1998) at the Awakening your Light Body course at Lita de Alberdi’s School of the Living Light, together with Laura Dane.  Sarah is in the final stages of her Homeopathy training, but has channelled Hendry at Light Pod for about 10 years.

Lana:  What do you see as the link (if any) between Astrology and Homeopathy?

Sarah: It’s as huge and as old as the Universe.  I believe all things in existence are connected at the innermost level.  So any discipline will interact with another and contribute to the whole which aids the practitioner in their art. I think a particularly close link exists between Astrology and Homeopathy in explaining the makeup of an individual, their Constitution; whether they are demonstrating  recognisable characteristics – as in Astrology, or out of balance – as in Homeopathy, and in giving insights into a suitable remedy. There is also family history, and karma, to consider.

Hendry: Greetings…I think you do know deep down of many incarnations in times gone by at the beginning of the Universe and formation of the Stars and the study of planetary aspects and undertaking of nature the essence and study of which turns into homeopathic remedies, essences and elixirs.  Connectedness as Sarah says is the key, and the remedies are tailored to the individual make up and requirements.  The two can be used together and one enhances the other.  The link is very deep and very great, and part of the whole, understanding and unfolding.  You will use them in a greater capacity.

Lana:  How did you first get into the subject of Homeopathy?

Sarah: I’ve been surprised at the challenge this question has posed to me, and the difficulty of replying clearly. My first thought was that I was introduced to Homeopathy in the late 70’s when as a 20-something I became interested in Yoga .

Nowadays with support and encouragement I have recently completed a college course. I studied and experienced the energetic responses of remedies, as well as continuing my own treatment, and I feel that I have always known about Homeopathy. It’s like my inner self has this knowledge and it is important to me in practice to let my intuitive-self match my academic understanding. The learning is ever expanding I think.

Hendry:  There is a spiritual background in which Sarah was guided into this field.  Homeopathy found Sarah rather than the other way round.  Indeed, all people are part of Homeopathy and have used it in so many ways.  The knowledge was lost, but the elements were always there and it has recently suffered challenges in our society.  One strong challenge has recently become powerful, but the question is not about being alternative, there is only one alternative.  Artificial chemicals and materialism will have to come to an end.  Otherwise there would be a loss of instinct, intuition and telepathy, which are part of understanding and seeing. The inner elements are especially difficult to translate from the inner planes, if they are to be utilized fully in earthly life.  You need to bring as much of Heaven to Earth, the inner work to the outer, to contribute to the Ascension of the planet in times ahead, and this involves crisis and beauty.

Lana:  One of your skills is Channelling.  I think you are hugely talented in this.  Please could you tell us what you know and sense about your guide Hendry.

Sarah:  My initial intention was to consciously find my guide, after Graduating in 1998 from Light Body with Lita de Alberdi. So I attended her Opening to Channel course for this purpose, where I became aware of my first guide called Speller. Channelling simply happened on this quest almost without me noticing.  My guide called Hendry became known to me when I attended the second, Intermediate, course and has been with me for Channelling ever since. My early Light Body work was enabled with lots of visual experiences. As I became more adept with expanded energies I understood connection without needing to ‘see’.  So I feel my connection with Hendry, and discovered quite quickly that solo verbal channelling was not successful. (I do write up daily insights at bedtime and have come to realise that my answers are via my guide, and have probably been so for many years or even all my life). I am lucky to be able share verbal channelling regularly with you, Lana, my Light Body compatriot, and this is when energy expansion takes off.  I have become aware that Hendry is like the spokesperson for a group of Higher Beings. They are happy to answer, as is best for us to know, any question we pose. More importantly, there is encouragement to continue our growth in all aspects spiritual, Lightbody, physical, emotional, to be in our flow and as fully conscious as we can manage. To be true to ourselves and follow our path as we can best understand it, contributing to continued evolvement of mankind.  I am aware of huge energy and colours and patterns, but find this hard to bring back into the present time. There is always much love and encouragement, tempered with quiet power and challenges for us in our current physicality.  I have come to believe that the group may be closely linked to The Ennead, if not the actual group itself.

Hendry:  So, dear ones, you are asking for a pin-up portrait of some sort, some explanation you can hang on to in your earthly way.  Look beyond the outward wardrobe to the power of the inner group, watching and guiding.  It is not about huge talent, but about matching energies and being open and available, able to cope in a powerful way in the higher energies.  The group requirement is for your earthly abilities to progress in the wider energies, expanding more towards infinity.  Great joy can ensue on the wider levels, where you can expand and are more able to see clearly how a group of souls are poised to be used in greater light energies.  It is necessary to meet with the kindred spirits, because the power is not easily held individually.  On your own too there is a danger of too much enjoyment and indulgence and less work produced.  So meet with like-minded individuals.  But there is free will, these things are not dictated, and energies are not lost, as you will see more clearly at the right level at the right time.

Lana:  I am going to ask a Light Body question now.  Chris Griscom defines the Light Body as “The highest octave of the physical body which exists in the etheric”.  I have a Light Body page on my website, but have not written about it in my blog.  Sarah, you went on to study the Ascension path, and I have always been fascinated with the Merkebah (vehicle of light travel), from reading the works of Joshua David Stone but also from my own experiences, and feel that it relates to the Part of Fortune in the birth chart.  I particularly found your own description of the Merkebah interesting.  Could you give us a brief description of what it is and your experience of it?

Sarah:  The version of  Merkebah that I was introduced to is a Light Body vehicle, created in our Light Body using certain energy states and involving the Central star from above and the crystal heart of Earth. It is possible to use it to travel through the Universe and also dimensions. When I first made my Merkebah I was regularly visiting the Light Grid surrounding our planet and I found this experience wonderfully enhanced when I travelled there in it. Light Grid work has since Ascended. I have been occupied more recently with grounding myself and thoroughly embracing my current physicality so I have not been Star travelling. Your reminding me must mean it’s time to get back out there.

Hendry:  With regard to the question of the function of the Merkebah, a later question about Cosmokrator (of Asia Haleem) comes to mind as the answer is similar.  The connection has been made but not yet fully experimented with, because further power and energy is needed; a wider platform, before Sarah can use it.  It is indeed such a wonderful vehicle, but for now you are on a karmic path and there is no point in being elsewhere.  There will be a time of giving back in a wider universal way and meeting the divine in a more continuous way, but for the time being stay where you are. The earthly path is slower, but you will leap ahead when the time is right, not yet. When the Merkebah was used to visit the Light Grid that was appropriate, and now you have been reminded again of it, but it is no longer needed for that purpose.  We have progressed beyond needing that.  The work ahead will need its joy and lightness, but we do not interfere with your freedom and will.  Humour and Love are important.  Something not coming from Love would not be coming with our encouragement.

Lana:  An honest answer, thank you. The next question is actually about your relationship to Asia Haleem’s Cosmokrator.  You sensed immediately that you might have work to do with it in the future.  Can you elaborate (however briefly) on that?

Sarah:  I forget how long ago, but it was several years, that I saw the Cosmokrator on Asia’s website and sent for one. It is easy to create, arriving in a flat state. It is beautiful to behold, which I do most days even if only a glimpse.  It has recently changed location and come into full view on my dining room table, overlooking a window.  I felt I needed it urgently but haven’t worked consciously with it yet.  It does have a presence and now you ask I think I have been waiting until I felt ready to interact.  This represents deep, inner work, both my own which has recently occupied me, and how I may be able to use the Cosmokrator now I’m more fluent with my true self.  The possibilities seem suddenly exciting.  I intend to do more work with the material which is presented on the website http://www.cosmokrator.com/

Hendry:  Dearest Ones, there is much about all of this which at this time is not fully known. There will be wider and greater connectivity and usage of it that will come to the fore, and preliminary work now of dipping one’s toe in and playing is appropriate.  It is a plaything. But whatever seems simple and playful nevertheless has importance, love and fun, and there will be more experimentation for you. More understanding will arise after work has taken place which is acceptable to you. Certainly Sarah’s feelings about it have foundation, and there are cycles and spirals, which start at one  point and then go on to the next stage.  It is a transitional stage of work, progress and changes resulting in regrouping and about to forge ahead with more challenges and work.  Pleasure, meetings and guidance to come, work taken far and still further to go and is continuing most greatly.

Lana:  Thank you!  Like some of the other interviewees, you have Chiron (the wounded healer) in Capricorn.  What (if anything) does that mean to you, and I wonder if you can describe to me your Inner Healer (not necessarily in astrological terms)?

Sarah: The Wounded Healer makes me think of Archetypes, which I am rather vague about. I’m not disputing them, but perhaps am challenged, so hope I am dealing with it as I progress.  I think I have had to deal with sorting mine and family karma and this has occupied me. Rather like channelling, healing is something I don’t consciously set out to do.  I know myself as an enabler, and to achieve this I guess healing takes place.  My struggle has been to find my real self, and this has felt life-threatening, personality and emotionally-wise. So I have needed to heal my inner self. Along the way it has been possible for me to support others.

Hendry: Best Beloveds, of vital importance is the influence of Chiron in life as the inner healer and in Sarah’s work and the path she is undertaking.  This significance  comes slowly to her, and she is currently not too aware of it.  However there will be rebirthing later in the year, including processing and progress and functionality.

Lana:  Since you began the study of homeopathy I have seen you combining channelling and homeopathy to create your own brand.  Does that resonate with how you sense your future work?

Sarah:  Since studying homeopathy academically over the last three years I have finally recognised my true self in this incarnation.  I’ve said this before but it’s so fulfilling for me that I hope you don’t mind the repetition. The last ‘jigsaw’ parts fell into place, allowing me to let go and become energetically connected both inwardly and consequently outwardly, for the highest good of all concerned.  Reaching my Saturn Return also contributed to all this. I’m sure it’s an ongoing journey but I have brilliant guidance now, trusting the Universe and myself.  So I found that using Intuition was my way of using Homeopathy. I have plenty of text books and a wealth of experienced practitioners for reference when required. I learn things about remedies constantly. I am still feeling my way forward with how my future work will develop, but I see now that channelling, in various forms, is a part of my way of being and will always accompany my activities.

Hendry:  We are delighted that you have agreed to undertake this work…Sarah trusts instinctively and accordingly is able to receive its gifts.  The energies of this work, like Reiki, are all linked energies of healing and part of connectivity.  It is not necessarily to rely on knowledge and learning, though we do not underestimate its value, but the work as has been mentioned before is about matching energy for another person, about timing and about working to assess their needs and allowing through the right remedies.  Homeopathy, Astrology and Past-life work are constantly changing.

Lana: Can I please clarify Hendry whether you are talking about Sarah working with Astrology and Past Lives or my own work with these?

Hendry:  Sarah is not consciously aware but does deep down know the work with Astrology and Past Lives, more than she realizes, but she does not use it.  However for now it is necessary to keep the vibrations high in running the light body energies and making a shift upwards.  The skill and space to create the right conditions for this work are to be undertaken only with strong and high abilities.  There is a question of whether or not you need the mundane work.  Sarah and Lana are both channelling in their work.  There is a quality of propping up others.  They each have their specialisms, which do resonate.

P.S.

Lana:  In the light of the proposed NHS cutbacks on the use of homeopathy, what would you say to persuade the government about their efficacy?

Sarah:  I don’t think my lone voice can persuade the government. There is a danger of over and emotional reaction to the Report from the Commons Science and Technology Committee which does seem to be a propaganda exercise, and the committee members were not impartial. However advice to not make assumptions about motives is important. Homeopathic representation from experienced practitioners is underway, and information is available on the website (www.hmc21.org/).  I was reading an Invocation for something else and was struck by this part to ‘open the closed hearted and open the closed mind’.  Meditating on this I can and will do.

Hendry: This is a demonstration of the old element of fear of change.  It is not about the modern or New Age, there is no newness about it.  All things stem from the original forces and elements, and it’s a circle with no beginning or end.  It’s a time of big alteration.  There are elements reluctant to let go and closed minds.  However much evidence could be found it would not make a difference.  All the telepathic information would not have any influence.  All the pieces of paper and experiments would not affect the climate of thinking.  So go bravely into the work, and know the truth of it, and eventually there will be breakthroughs.  All will see the Light eventually.

Hermes (Lana’s guide): If I may interject, Scientists themselves are in various states of evolution, many of them on the threshold or actually aware of technological lives in Atlantis.  The younger generation especially, known as Indigo children for example born from the 1970s, have brought through sufficient consciousness to work with higher levels of awareness in combination with the prevalent scientific climate.  The evolution of the human brain is itself in a state of flux, and developing light centres in order to accommodate the new energies.  The general trend is forwards.

Hendry: Indeed, the trends are growth and expansion of consciousness and connectivity of all living energy.

Venusian types are chivvied along by the Martians twice today.  At lunchtime, Venus enters the battleground of Aries, so she is not on her home ground, and forced to quicken her pace.  The meandering pace of Pisces was more suited to her placid nature.  And then in the evening (UK time) she engages with Mars in a trine, which would be equal footing if she were not on his home ground.  So if you are Venusian, centre yourself and make sure that you are able to work at your own pace.  If you are Martian, curb your impatience if you want the dance of life to be a success.  I am a Venusian and hubby Mike is Martian, and though he is trying to chivvy up the blog this morning, I feel he deserves a special mention for his help during my Radio Show with the lovely Kim Gould on Wednesday: plying me with cups of tea throughout the one and a half hours, and even going out and buying extra phones just in case.  Thank you, Mike.  The Radio Show itself went well, especially in terms of the flow of information back and forth between Kim and myself on the subject of Human Design, Astrology and Past Lives; and the link to listen to it is at the foot  of this blog, as well as permanently posted on my past life page (try saying that quickly).  Venusians need to make the most of today because later in the week they may be even further out of their comfort zone.  In fact, they may find they need the Martian energy, and today may be good training.  Tomorrow’s good too (Monday 8^th), especially for Geminis, Virgoans and Sagittarians, as Mercury conjuncts Jupiter at 11 degrees Pisces.  This is a good aspect for broadening your mind, business meetings and catching up with your reading.  This week’s interview is rather a long one and features Barry Stevens, the Mandala Artist.  I know many people have been looking forward to his interview, and I don’t think they will be disappointed.  What I would recommend  is to visit his website first, and take the tour of the stunning galleries of mandalas, then to read the interview, making sure someone is plying you with tea throughout.  If you do nothing else this week, please read it.  Tuesday (9^th) has an opposition between Venus and Saturn, and Venusians will feel a little flattened (after being flattered on Sunday) but Capricornians will feel warmed.  If Taureans or Librans are interacting with Capricornians, the latter may get the best end of the deal, but ultimately it is an equal exchange – it just may not feel like it to some.  For instance, the Venusians may propose a creative venture, and the Capricornians may throw a wet blanket on the deal.  But the fact is that the Venusian may not have thought it through, and meanwhile something may click with the Capricornian for a future collaboration.  It takes time for Saturnian seeds to grow: Venusians may like a slow pace, but Capricorns like it slower.  On Wednesday (10^th) Mars goes direct, and the sleeping lion wakes, the ram is ready to butt, the tiger to roar.  Ariens and Leos feel that Spring is already here and ready to go.  Why wait until the Equinox, they might feel.  Virgoans may disagree, pointing at the calendar.  But the Venusians by now are dealing not only with the opposition with Saturn, but also an impending square with Pluto, and this is stress which may affect the throat chakra.  Plenty of rest, honey and lemon to be recommended.  Colourwise, blue scarves.  Thursday (11^th) is the actual day of the square, and Plutonians may ask more of Venusians than they currently can easily offer in terms of stamina and resources.  Plutonians and Scorpios need the answers to searching questions about life and love, and the cycle of incarnations.  Venusians at this point need to find a quiet corner on the Martian battlefield and go into meditational retreat, and regroup their forces, before re-engaging.  The battles may rage in the background, but the inner stillness is needed to ensure that you are true to your original incarnational blueprint, your pre-birth lifescript.  We all have Venus and Mars in our charts, in varying measures and interplaying in various ways, and are likely to find out a great deal about ourselves this week.

To listen to Kim Gould’s Radio Show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kim-gould

I wouldn’t have this self-created kind of website if it wasn’t for certain people in my life, and one of these is Barry.  From first seeing his mandalas in 1985 I was struck by their outstanding progressiveness and power.  I contacted him in 1987 when studying Tibetan meditation at Manjushri in London, and first saw the originals exhibited at the Festival of Mind-Body-Spirit in London in 1988.  I own two originals, but my house is overrun with mandalas now, which include my pale imitations.

Barry’s website opens with the words: *Mandalas are universal images which can be found all over the world and beyond.  They exist in the West, notably in the rose windows of cathedrals, and other forms of sacred art.”

Lana:   What do you see as the link between Astrology and mandalas, and how has Astrology slotted into your life in relation to this?

Barry:  Philosophically speaking, my exploration of mandalas and astrology are part of my experience and expression of Oneness. Both the mandala and astrology are based on the principle that all are connected and One.

The link below explores this principle and features the mandala Sacred Centres and zodiac poems of Lana:

http://www.mandalas.freeserve.co.uk/AstroSacredCentresopt.jpg

Also the text which accompanies the mandala Sacred Centres expands further on the subject.

http://www.mandalas.freeserve.co.uk/Sacred_Centres.html

Historically speaking, the experience of Oneness  arose in my late teen years and was part of my interest in meditation, philosophy, art, mysticism and depth psychology. Astrology came along a few years later. The first time I remember someone calculating my chart was in my early 20’s when I was living in “hippy communes”.  At that time there was some uncertainty about my exact birth time and therefore ascendant but my birth certificate clarified that some time later. In the ‘80’s I spent about five years in or near Glastonbury and it was then that I made a serious study of astrology, attended a number of courses and workshops about it and started drawing up charts which I continued to do into the ‘90’s. I drew up the charts by hand and used a design I made myself which had in the centre a mandala. My idea was to remind myself and others that all the energy, patterns and cycles and so on that astrology explores exist in the context of the unchanging absolute symbolized by the centre of the mandala.  In 1987 I was contacted by Lana and commissioned to paint her chart which was a synthesis of my understanding of astrology and my mandala art work.  This was completed at the time of the Harmonic Convergence.

That led to various collaborative activities with Lana including putting together an unpublished book called “Open Space”.  This writing process involved collaboration with Asia Haleem who was a literary agent at that time and for whom I painted a number of images of a mandalic nature for a book called The Atom & The Octave.

Astrology continues to be one of my interests and I often turn to it for understanding at times of bewilderment!!!

Lana:   Well that is certainly a broad answer to a broad question.   I hope this next question has enough bearing on your art.  If not, feel free to extemporize…I have always been obsessed with the point between the manifest and the unmanifest, in creation.  There has always been an unwillingness in me to move from non-writing to writing, and I find painting a painful exercise.  Creativity obviously flows much more easily for you.  Do you have anything to say about this point of creation of a mandala at the interface between the manifest and the unmanifest?

Barry:  Well the first point I’d like to make is that having seen you painting I am not sure how to take your statement that painting is painful….

When I first worked with the image in the ’70s I was fascinated with the idea that at a certain point an image or energy becomes so subtle that it almost disappears. In ’76 I wrote the following which expresses this sentiment:

Whether it is poetry, art or music,
Mystical expression is very close to dissolution.
When there is dissolution,
The One is attained.
Mystical expression is very concise.
The simplest words contain the most essence.
(Dorset 1976)

Also in the poetry section of my book Sacred Circles I have written:

When there is silence,
a higher vibration is attained,
than when there are words.
Silence, emptiness and stillness,
communicate the Truth more completely,
than any externalised word or deed.
The “Tao Te Ching” says,
“Better stop short than fill to the brim.”

I think it is true to say that in both instances I am resonating with what you are expressing re the manifest and unmanifest.

On another level I would say that an alternative perspective is to consider the manifest and unmanifest to be two aspects of one whole and as in the yin yang symbol each polarity contains within itself the seed for the other. So in that context life is an ongoing dance in which differences of whatever nature are continuously interacting in a vast cosmic symphony.

As I understand it we do not have any “choice” about any of this. As one teacher I came across said something along the lines that choice exists prior to the realization of Oneness. Post Oneness there is surrender. Choice is a subject that is given a lot of attention in our world both secular and “New Age spiritual”. I don’t think it has the same degree of attention in classical mysticism. As I understand it we have no choice about being creative or being manifest or unmanifest. It all arises in the vast expanse of consciousness which contains and transcends whatever the mind can conceive or not conceive.

Gate Gate Paragate,
Parasmagate
Bodhi svaha

Gone, Gone,Gone  Beyond

Gone Beyond the beyond

Hail the goer

Alternative propositions such as being manifest or being unmanifest, being creative or not being creative, having choice & not having choice arise in the realm of duality. In the realm of Unity polarities arise and subside, change into each other, merge and dance. Being aware of that underlying Oneness is what I call “creativity”. It may well manifest or may well decide not to!

One interesting interaction I once had relevant to this question was with someone who had been looking at one of the mandalas I call Shunyata. He was excited about it disappearing when he looked at it. Many people have had this experience with this particular image. In other words one moment you are looking at an image and the next moment an empty space. This was in a sense a culmination of my attempt to integrate and express the manifest and unmanifest as One.

On another but related tack I recall being at a meditation retreat with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi about 1968. He was saying that in the state of God Realization the difference between the manifest and unmanifest are more or less non-existent. Other teachers go further and say that there never was two and that it is all one. My own understanding is that when consciousness is perfectly centred in the “I Am” unity is the primary experience. Manifestation and form arise but are seen to be in essence One.

In terms of manifesting or not manifesting, I guess it’s true to say that manifestation has been my work in life in terms of mainly the mandala.  However it seems to me it’s a two way process, the energy “pushes” through and also is “pulled” through. One is somehow a “conduit”!  If the push and pull are strong enough,  manifestation happens!

Lana:  Who is interviewing whom by the way?!  I would love to ask more about the poetry/philosophy, but this is a finite interview.  Maybe I can interview you again in 5 years’ time.  The next question I have is about the use, or non-use, of earthier colours such as brown in your work.  If you can also extend this to the colour work of Aura Soma that would be most illuminating.  This question has been indirectly posed by Astrologer cj (Auntie Moon) in discussions about colour, and I thought it would be an interesting question.  I have also noticed that green is not prominent in your work, but (apart from green shunyata) tends to appear as part of the rainbow and not as a basis for your mandalas.

Barry:  My understanding of colour is that there are at least two considerations.  One is hue and the other is tone. Hue is the movement from red to violet and tone is the movement from white to black. Brown would be in the orange (hue) part of the spectrum and mid point between white and black (tone) or more or less depending on whether the brown was a light or dark version.

Generally speaking I use “spectral” colours which are colours with very little or no black in them. This is because I am endeavouring to represent luminous vibrant states of consciousness and in my perception spectral colours accomplish this more effectively than colours with grey or black in them. I do appreciate the darker, earthier colours and they are present in my photographic work as part of my exploration and celebration of “earthly” beauty. Earthly beauty can also become heavenly beauty….. I refer you to the photos on my web site to see what I mean by this. The reverse is also possible – heavenly beauty can become earthly beauty. I see it in terms of vibration.

With regards to Aura-Soma, which I am not really qualified to talk about,  my understanding is that it recognizes that we all have a unique vibration and are drawn to bottles accordingly. So in my case I am drawn to the more pastel bottles. They do have some deep coloured ones but when you shine light through them they become much more luminous. They may well “birth” a brown bottle in due course. Who knows?! Perhaps it will be called the St. Francis bottle as Franciscan monks wear brown robes!!!

This relates to the apparent absence of green in my work though it is present to a certain extent but is not dominant, but neither are several other colours. I have a bias towards the blue end of the spectrum. It is a question of vibration and resonance. We all vibrate on a certain frequency and are on a specific ray which has a colour associated with it.

Lana:  Your originals certainly have an incredible luminosity – the birthchart you painted actually glows in the dark like a fluorescent light. Moving on, you say in your book Sacred Circles that you were aware of your evolution in terms of the upward triangle of evolution representing the (my words) call of the divine and the downward triangle of involution representing the more grounded phase of evolution, which comprise the six-pointed star as described in the work of Alice Bailey.  In earlier discussions you felt that my view of your description was a little awry.  Can you put me right on this? And also if possible describe the moment when you had this realization in this lifetime.

Barry:  Many symbols and ideas put forward the idea of two complimentary forces such as for example the yin yang (male and female), the six pointed star (ascent and descent) and the cross (vertical and horizontal). This involves the idea of balance or equilibrium. However this “balance” is not a static state. Within this context of balance is to be found that of growth.  A symbol often associated with growth is the spiral.  I have combined the spiral and the six pointed star in the mandala I call Rainbow Spiral.  At any point on the ongoing process of balancing and growing specific energies can become apparently dominant, but as in the yin yang any energy includes the possibility of its opposite. So what I was saying in our previous discussion was that at a certain point a specific energy was dominant and at another time a different energy. In terms of the previous question about colour it is like at one point adding a  specific colour and at another point a different one which gradually builds up an image which comes to fruition in due course. In my case for instance for quite a while most of my painted mandalas had blue, lilac and gold or variations of these colours in them and not much of any other colour. Then later on I felt a need to include the full spectrum in the form of the rainbow. Later still I worked with all the colours in the Shunyata Series. In present time I am considering the options which appear to be and actually are infinite……

With regards to when I had this “realization” it was in the early ‘80s. As the general theme of this answer suggests it was preceded and succeeded by different realizations….

Lana:  Have you an awareness of your Soul Lineage as an Artist honing your skills through many lifetimes?

Barry:  Although it seems I have rather exceptional recall of events in this lifetime I have limited memories of past lives. I have had a certain amount of past life recall in the way of visions, dreams, experiences of one sort or another alone or assisted by others but have no specific memories of being an artist prior to this lifetime.  Ramana Maharishi says something to the effect that we are blessed not to know all the details of our past lives because we are already burdened by memories from this life time. Though having said that he himself did seem to know the details of his disciples’ past lives in some cases at least. The question however does raise the consideration of what we mean by “honing artistic skills”. I see art in the wider context of being “all of life”. I have never been that impressed or convinced by the idea that it is particular “art form”. In this wider sense I am sure we are all being refined over many lives to facilitate greater insight and enlightenment.

I am aware that you work extensively with past lives so am not sure how the view expressed above fits into that. My feeling is that the path of awakening from the dream of this or another life involves tuning into “The Eternal Now”. I recognize that the past and future are of relevance and interest but only in the context of facilitating awakening. My understanding is that from the perspective of The Eternal Now movement forwards or back in time can occur without generating further impediments to Enlightenment and may as your work and studies suggest facilitate it.

Lester Levenson says something to the effect that time is like a movie reel. We can see it all at once but for one reason or another we see it frame by frame. For me past and future can fit into the context of the previous question in that they may be considered to be complimentary concepts. Awakening or Enlightenment would correspond to the centre of the mandala.

Lana:  And so we come to the Now!  I am looking forward to filling in my colouring  book, and hearing more magical tales of labyrinths from you.  What is your current focus?

Barry:  Well the last few months I have displayed on my round table the angel card of Healing. I usually select three cards and change them fairly frequently, but I decided to leave the healing one out indefinitely. So I guess that implies that my current focus is healing. It involved initially a series of “cleanses” and I may well do another in due course. Meanwhile I am as far as possible eating a “pure diet” which is vegan and has plenty of raw ingredients. There is the occasional “blip” when socializing but that is the general ongoing principle in terms of diet at the moment. On other levels healing is also ongoing and if one extends the term to mean “wholing” one could possibly say it is a lifelong endeavour.

In terms of work and creativity I have not been that prolific the last year. I have however updated and extended my book Sacred Circles and also created a  Line Mandalas for Colouring book which you refer to in your question. It is a quiet time in terms of giving workshops, commissions, sale of prints and so on. I am in the middle of painting a mandala that I began in Latvia in 2005 but am not sure how it will work out right now…..

As for Labyrinths, I am considering having a section in Sacred Circles which explores that theme as I have tuned into them a fair bit over the years.

So life flows on and continues to flow on….. from and into the One in a Vast Cosmic Spiral.

Barry’s Website:

http://www.mandalas.co.uk/

The high energies of Jupiter conjunct the Sun are stirring up the waters in Pisces and opposing the Full Moon in Virgo (Mother Earth).   Climate change deniers may have to start admitting there is something unusual going on, instead of exacerbating the problem by diverting time and resources from where it is really needed.  Jonathon Porritt recently wrote in his blog that it is getting beyond a joke, adding later: “The damage done to the credibility not just of climate science but also of the entire approach to climate change is already serious – and getting worse.”  With the earthquake in Chile, and storms raging around the world, we might find it difficult to enjoy to the full this conjunction of Sun and Jupiter.  The Moon if left to its own devices in Virgo could be quite placid.  But the two happen to oppose each other today, and if say you are having a family get together, the kids are likely to be extra lively.  If you are running a country, you might lose your temper or resort to bullying…our Gordon has done his best to develop his social manners and curb the temper of his Mars-ruled Ascendant in Aries since taking up a position unsuited to his Sun in Pisces naturally introverted personality.  And he seems genuinely outraged at the talk of abrasiveness on stairwells when he was developing his personality and learning to smile for us.  I feel this has been his spiritual path…But for today, invite your inner child out to play and celebrate life – it’s a day to live life to the full.  There may be a cosmic giggle to tune into.  I remember during the great hurricane of October 1987 having an experience of being at-one with the elements as a cosmic dance.  There may be energies liberated in you, which need to be stirred in order for you to take notice or awaken  If you need to ponder your own spiritual path, you may find my interview with Laura Dane answers some questions, posted on Friday.  It’s a Theosophical path, in contrast to the previous two.  Tomorrow, Monday 1st March, Mercury enters Pisces and there is a change of mental focus from intellectual to compassionate.  It starts to nestle in the sea bed of Pisces and gather new information, readying itself for a constructive meeting scheduled later in the week with Pluto well-earthed in Capricorn.  Wednesday and Thursday 3rd and 4th are special for meetings and greetings, with a conjunction between Venus and Uranus at 25 degrees Pisces.  You may be invited to a social occasion, or if you have time to spare or insomnia bites why not listen in to Kim Gould’s radio show on BlogTalk Radio and learn more about the Human Design System and past lives? (see my even earlier blog “Astrology meets Human Design on Air”)  I will be taking part, and exchanging impressions with Kim.  Mercury meanwhile will be establishing itself in Pisces and reaches a sextile with Pluto on Thursday late morning (UK time).  It picks up a theme from the ocean of the collective unconscious and investigates it more deeply, following through its implications.  This favours self-understanding, social work, mental health issues, looking at sibling rivalry for instance, and can also promote true meetings of the mind.  If it is your birthday, you will have the gift of the gab to move hearts, and if a freind or family member has this birthday they will take you with them on their journey to the centre.

Laura and I have known each other for over 12 years since we met up at the “Light Body” course held at The School of the Living Light, then based in Ely.  Ever since then, we have phoned each other every week to report on and catch up on each other’s spiritual progress.

So, picture this:  it’s 9 pm on a Saturday and I am huddled in a chilly hallway by the phone, wrapped up in a blanket and with mug of cocoa in hand.  Listen up……………

Lana:  Laura, since I have known you, you have been communicating telepathically with the Masters. Can you describe your unique relationship with the Masters, explaining who they are, and provide this readership with a brief outline of how your telepathy works?

Laura: In order to understand “the Masters”, you first need to understand that everyone in humanity is treading a long, long path of spiritual evolution over many thousands of lifetimes until he or she has completed the “human” evolution and have become perfected beings. At that point, they are known as “Masters” although the Masters themselves regard themselves merely as perfected men and elder brothers of humanity.

Most of those who achieve the level of Master move onto Sirius to continue their evolution but a few remain on Earth inspiring humanity.  At their head, is the World Teacher, Maitreya, who is also known as The Christ, the Iman Mahdi, Krishna, and the Messiah.  Ever since the dying days of Atlantis, they have withdrawn from working openly with humanity but have continued to inspire it from behind the scenes.  They are now preparing to emerge to work openly with humanity again, led by Maitreya who has, since 1977, been living in London.  For any reader who is interested in learning more, I would direct them to Share International at www.share-international.org

I would not regard myself as having a unique relationship with the Masters.   I talk most often with 2 particular Masters through telepathy and occasionally, for reasons I do not always understand, with others from time to time.

Telepathy is a form of non-verbal communication which occurs at all levels of human expression and even in the animal kingdom.  The most familiar to most people is that of the medium who communicates through the solar plexus.  There is a higher level, where communication is either soul to soul or mind to mind and requires the telepath, as a personality, to be somewhat in contact with and subject to the guidance of his soul.  This is how I communicate telepathically.

Lana: Am I right in thinking that your background is one of Theosophy? If so please could you explain a little about the essential facts of that historically and its role in your developing spirituality?

Laura: Yes, you are right.  It’s a long story reaching back to my teens which will require a rather lengthy answer.

Looking back now, I realise that there has always been a strong spiritual theme in my life. My first experience was an orthodox one, attending Methodist Sunday school and accompanying my mother to weekly service at the Chapel, most of which I found utterly boring and I dreaded it.  As I hit my teens, I became frustrated by the superficiality and ignorance of Christian teachings and the total lack of any real religious teaching in schools.  There was a part of me which yearned to learn more, particularly about other world religions

The opportunity to learn more came when I became a student because this gave me access to wider range of books.  I searched and read, following a pull to “move Eastwards” and eventually came across “The Ancient Wisdom” by Annie Besant, a simple book on the essential teachings of Theosophy.  Reading it gave me the answers I had been searching for in a practical, common sense way: it was like finding water in the desert.  This was quickly followed by a reading of the Bhagavid Gita and the two together shattered my illusion that the world “out there” was true reality. I would say now that “The Ancient Wisdom” provided the occult path to spiritual understanding while the Bhagavid Gita provided the mystical path.  This deep shattering of illusion put my life on hold for about 3 days as I absorbed this new realisation. I had found what I had been searching for – the deep spiritual knowledge, both occult and mystic, provided by Theosophy.

Theosophy, for any reader who is unfamiliar with it, is the wisdom and knowledge which stands behind all the world religions (past and present); science and philosophies known to man and shows that, far from being inimical to each other, these different branches of knowledge are simply individual  routes to the same source of wisdom.

I then left the subject entirely alone for another ten years or so when I began to realise and reject the dull daily routine of work/life and the accumulation of material stuff.  I found myself asking “is that all there is?”  The answer came as an idea in my mind to return to spirituality.  So, I returned to Theosophy and joined the Theosophical Society in London which gave me access to like-minded people and the richness of the Theosophical Library.  I started to read the books by Helena Blavatsky,  which provided the foundation of Theosophical knowledge but was quickly “moved on” by events to the books of Alice Bailey.  The ideas they propounded were very challenging at first but, after a great deal of contemplation and brooding, they began to make sense.

The Theosophical Society has been invaluable in another way because  its Dhyana Centre taught me how to meditate and to understand the true purpose of meditation.

Theosophy, for me, is a spiritual compass to help me recognise what, if anything, of any new spiritual theme or idea I encounter can be accepted as truth.

(For any reader who would like to know more about Theosophy, I would direct them to The Theosophical Society in England  (www.theosophical-society.org.uk) where they can also find details of the free meditation programmes provided by the Dhyana Centre and to the Lucis Trust (www.lucistrust.org.)

Lana: How fascinating. I have known you 12 years and hadn’t heard your story. Now for question 3: Astrology may not be a central theme of your work, but it is nonetheless compelling for me that you often receive astrological information along the lines of the Esoteric Astrology of Alice Bailey. Many people find her work a difficult study. Is there any interconnection between exoteric Astrology as practised by most Western Astrologers (the old bottle) and esoteric Astrology (the new wine), or is the future of Astrology in your view entirely new?

Laura: In my understanding, there is most definitely a connection between the mundane Western astrology  and the esoteric astrological information set out in Alice Bailey’s “Esoteric Astrology” because both are elements of a Greater Astrology.

Mundane astrology relates to the personality and appeals to those who are personality-centred – both astrologers and their clients – because the astrological explanations and predictions match the personal experience. For these people, mundane astrology offers a wide field of investigation and experience.  However, as the individual evolves and start to connect to and become influenced by his soul nature, he finds that mundane astrology no longer works and that is because his soul contact is opening him up to (for him) new astrological influences which are not considered in mundane astrology.

These new influences are the increasing influence of the astrological signs (i.e. the constellations of the sign); the higher power of the planets and the subservience of the planets to the power of the signs.  Not only do the planets transmit their own energy but they also transmit the energy of the signs.  Thus, in order to understand esoteric astrology, the astrologer’s central focus of attention has to shift from the planets to the signs and to understand the transmission of energy inwardly to the Earth from the signs to the planets and also from without the signs from the Stars to the signs.  The whole pattern of astrological influences becomes not only more powerful but also expanded, more complex, fluid and synthetic.

The future of astrology will be, in my view, the expansion of mundane astrology into esoteric astrology and the combining of the two together with esoteric astrology as the dominant influence.

Lana: An excellent clarification. I need to clarify the term “mundane” for the readership. As far as I understand it, in exoteric Astrology the term “mundane” is used for the Astrology of current affairs and politics. As far as Laura uses the term from her more deeply esoteric standpoint, she is using it in the way I use the word “exoteric”. In non-astrological terms the word mundane is used to mean everyday affairs.

When I first knew you, you were working in the material world and commuting. How do you find it works now that you are a freelance Company Secretary? How do you interweave the two experiences in your life, the inner life and the more mundane CoSec work?

Laura: The interweaving of my work as a freelance Company Secretary and my inner spiritual work is not under my conscious control.  It  is, as far as I can tell, an area under the control of my soul nature and one which I follow as each step is revealed to me.

I really can not say any more than that.

Lana:  You were born in a year when Chiron was in Capricorn, in common with other teachers such as Caroline Myss who has a definite style of teaching. I wonder if you can describe the particular healing needed for this placement, and if possible also how you see your Inner Healer.

Laura: I have not found it at all easy to understand role of Chiron in my life because I have not been able to understand the common astrological description of the Chiron, the wounded healer, who had to give up his immortality to heal himself.  I have had to seek information from my guides on this subject.  So far, I have been given three ideas:

1.  In relation to the theme of “immortality. The “immortality” as it applies to humanity, is the belief in the immortality of the personality and therefore its God-like status, to which everything else must be subservient.  We eventually learn, however, that the power of the personality is limited and that in order to progress and gain the power to which we aspire, we must give up our sense of personality immortality and allow our soul nature to control and guide the personality.  It is akin to an adolescent child recognising and accepting that adults have greater wisdom and power than he and that aligning with it is to his benefit.

2.  In relation to the “wound”. There is a part of us which is highly sensitive and therefore more vulnerable to being wounded.  Because we are not aware of it, we cover it up with a psychological shield, scarring or some other form of protection which acts as a barrier between it and the world.  We have effectively walled it up and separated it off from the rest of our personality. That is the first wound. That highly sensitive part of us – indicated by the house position and sign of our natal Chiron – is a gift designed to act as a compass to keep us to our true selves.  The barrier we erect is, symbolically, the “immortality” of Chiron which has to be released in order to recognise and heal the wound.  The resources we draw upon to heal the wound (and to continue to heal the wound as we re-create it by going off-course) becomes a healing power in ourselves which we are able to share with others.

3.  The healer within us is often the most powerful aspect of our Chironic nature because it is that aspect which enables us to recognise the wound and to evoke the correct healing.

My natal Chiron, being in my first house, indicates the nature of wounds which occur when the sense of self and self expression is not able to flourish because the personality finds itself in an unsupporting environment.  The healing comes from the soul and being able to understand the soul’s perspective of the personality, which it loves unconditionally.  In the end, I think it just comes down to loving oneself as the divine loves its creation. So, the continuous development of self love, self esteem, self regard etc is extremely important and essential to healing the wound.

According to Barbara Hand Clow’s excellent book on Chiron, a Chiron in Capricorn requires the personality to recognise the importance of joy and laughter and not to take life so seriously as it is wont to do due to the influence of Saturn!  I agree with her analysis.

Lana:  Thank you for a very rich answer, full of food for thought (for another interview!) My next question, possibly the penultimate, is about suffering. From what I know of your pattern, you live out the suffering which arises from your evolution in this world, and when you have worked on it to your utmost, insights come from the Soul or the Masters which release you from that particular struggle. What determines how long the suffering continues? Is it a karmic issue?

Laura: I would like to start by putting this question into some sort of context.  Humanity, as a family, is on the 4^th ray of harmony through conflict and therefore, its way of evolution is through the use of conflict.  The struggle is for the spirit or divine spark in each of us to overcome its imprisonment in the world of illusion (mental matter); glamour (emotional matter) and maya (etheric-physical matter) so that it can control rather than be controlled by the world.  In short, “to be in the world but not of the world”.  This imprisonment is the source of our suffering, whether we are conscious of it or not.

As an individual evolves to a point where he is in contact with his soul nature, the pace of evolution quickens, intensifies and expands in scope and, with it there is a growing awareness of suffering and the problem of how to respond to the suffering both within ourselves and the “world out there”. .

I recognise that my life over the past 15 years or so, ever since Pluto moved into my 12^th house, has been one of intense spiritual growth.  I have always been driven by the “need to know”, to find the truth and the spiritual route is the only which has provided the answers I seek.  Thus, I accept that the present intense spiritual growth is a response from the soul to satisfy my “need to know” and, while frequently overwhelming, is ultimately very rewarding and fascinating.

As far as I can understand my own process, the soul sets the agenda and arranges for the next “crisis” to emerge in my life which I frequently sense, as feelings of aggression (Mars); being undermined in some way (Neptune), a blockage (Saturn) or breakdown (Pluto) which lead to feelings of depression, despair, hopelessness, powerlessness and an inability to see my way out.

I have to sit and wait. What I have learnt is that the planets do not cause these feelings, they reveal them and their role is to help us recognise and release the cause of these feelings which is some thought or behaviour we have created and which is not to our benefit.

I find myself in a point of tension.  The personality attempts to escape by pulling into my awareness all the thoughts, feelings and related past experiences in order to get me to take action.  I find that I can’t.  During this phase of tension and waiting, the subconscious and hidden thoughts and feelings which hold sway over me by remaining hidden are brought into the light.  Everything connected to the theme of the crisis is pulled out and collected together.  They lose power, are weakened and can be ejected from the personality by the soul as the new comes in.

At this point, revelation can come (and with it, the end of the suffering related to the crisis).  The revelation is  the new understanding or approach being given by the soul to the personality but which can only be received when the personality has let go of resistance to the new. Sometimes, that is helped by a phrase or comment given to me by my guides.

Then, there is a phase of calm when the new is integrated into the personality life.  Then, the next crisis can be set up.

Is it a karmic issue?  Not in the sense commonly understood of “suffering” because I imposed suffering on others in a past life.  But in the sense that this lifetime is about taking advantage of a “karmic opportunity” for accelerated spiritual growth.

Lana:  You take delight in encouraging others to do what they love in terms of work, and so for this last question I would like to ask how you see your future work and creative expression?

Laura: Like my Company Secretarial work, my future and/or creative expression is an area under the control of my soul nature and one which I follow as each step is revealed to me.  For the present, it appears to be a long process of (1) observation and the gathering of knowledge, rather than practice, over a wide field and (2) the integration of the mind and heart to a higher creative level.

I do receive hints from time to time as to what I will/could achieve in the future but, until and if they manifest, I would prefer to remain silent on this matter.

I thought it was instant karma, as I had just begun the interview series on my blog, but Human Design practitioner Kim Gould has invited me to be a guest on her radio show.  I am also hoping that I can provide an interview with Kim for my readership later in the series.  Kim has one of the most dynamic and spiritually uncluttered blogs I have seen, Love Your Design.  She wants to explore what we can discover about our past lives from looking at the Human Design BodyGraph and Astrology.  Human Design is an amalgam of 4 spiritual systems: Astrology, Kabbalah, the Chakra System and the I Ching, and I have only just recently connected with it.  I feel it has much to offer in enhancing the levels at which I look at Astrology, e.g. energetically.  This is a debut on the air waves for me, though Kim can talk for Australia (she is based near Byron Bay), so wish me luck!  I am not focussing on first-time nerves, but on enjoying the prevailing aspect on the day/night of Venus conjunct Uranus which promises a sparky meeting between Human Design (Venus) and Astrology (Uranus).  I will be learning more about Human Design from a newbie perspective and Kim will be hoping to pick my brains on Karmic Astrology – we’ll be looking at and comparing celebrity charts, as well as taking calls from listeners.  If you are interested in any of these areas of exploration, be sure to tune in.  It’s an internet based show and anyone in the world can listen.  The show airs at 10 pm on 3rd March in the UK, which is 5 pm in New York or 9 am on 4th March in Sydney.

Here are the links:

to listen in:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kim-gould/2010/03/03/exploring-past-lives-in-your-human-design

Kim’s blog:

http://www.loveyourdesign.com/blog/