Cover Artist: Susanna Isabella
Title: Mayan Earth Angel of Peace
Medium: Acrylic
Contact:  www.natalis.com.au

Feature Article

The Stillness and Serenity of our Being

One image that is conjured up in my mind when I hear the word serenity is a still lake – to be serene, to be calm, to be still. This is the essence of our being. It is always dwelling within us. So why does our society suffer so much from stress and anxiety? It’s all a matter of where we place our attention.

We live in such a fast-paced world, the hustle and bustle of our lives, the lengths of our ‘to do’ lists, our minds thinking all the time. Imagine our thoughts are like little pebbles being dropped into the lake of our being. When we are thinking all the time, all these pebbles are dropping into the lake, causing many ripples across the water. Sometimes so many it’s a confused mess.

So how do we maintain the serenity of the lake? Does that mean to be serene is to not think? Impossible – the mind exists for a reason, we need it to operate effectively in the world. What we need to learn is to observe the mind, the thoughts, and not attach to them and get lost within them.

Let’s have a look at these thoughts, these pebbles that drop into the still lake of our being – what are they made of? Are they crusty old rocks or diamonds? Have they been forged from negativity or positivity? Are they disempowering, deflating and limiting beliefs or are they empowering, inspiring, and uplifting?

For example, do you look into the mirror and say, “Oh my legs are so fat?” Or do you look into the mirror and say, “I’m so glad I have strong legs that carry me around all day?” We can spend so much time beating ourselves up and not appreciating the gifts we have. This thought ‘Oh my legs are so fat’, is a crusty old pebble that ripples out across our being and brings us down.  If you are aware of your thoughts as they come, you can change them. You can change it to, ‘I’m so grateful for my strong legs’, this ripple created is one of gratitude and is uplifting.

The quality of our thoughts is important; it affects the ripples that are created, and these ripples keep expanding. They affect not only us but ripple out and affect all of those around us, or who come into contact with us. We all live in this cosmic sea of energy together. When we are at peace, the ripple effect you have on others is positive and uplifting. It encourages all those who come into contact with you to also resonate to peace.

One suggestion I can make is to watch your thoughts, look at them like a pebble, check out the quality, and choose whether it is one you wish to keep or not.

Be aware that the ripples created are just that – ripples. They are not the essence of who you are. You are the still lake that the ripples move across. Keep your attention focused on the stillness of your being, not the ripples created, and you will be one step closer to maintaining peace and serenity in your life.

So it is a paradox, the stillness of the lake and the movement of the ripples. But regardless of what happens on the surface of the lake, it is always still and calm at the bottom. Deep within us there is always a deep reservoir of serenity. Dive deep.

Renee Cashman

Regular Article

This is a big month. There’s a zero degrees Aries full moon exactly on the Equinox, when the Sun aligns with the Equator at zero degrees Libra. This is the line of cardinal polarity. Here’s a picture: on the evening of Thursday 23rd September, as the full moon rises in the east at 0degrees Aries, the sun is setting in the west at 0degrees Libra. And both Sun and Moon are in exact alignment with the equator. If you could view this from space it would be quite spectacular, but even from an earthly perspective, if you find a hill where you can look to both the eastern and western horizons at that magic moment when the Sun is setting and Moon is rising, you will be experiencing a unique energy flow.

Sun pouring its life-giving energy in from the cardinal point of balance, harmony, equality and oneness, and being reflected back from a full moon at the cardinal point of new beginnings, pioneering, warrior, ‘I am’- ness of Aries. And this energy stream is flowing and amplifying in a feedback loop right across the equator line.

As far as I know people, this has not occurred before and, if you’ve been following the exciting astrological events of the last few months, you will know that Jupiter and Uranus are hovering around zero Aries, and Saturn is still close to zero Libra. We have the unprecedented opportunity to expand into fully conscious galactic beings and celebrate the real power of oneness. This has the potential to dissolve all illusions of separation while still retaining an exciting sense of self. What a beautiful paradox to be resolving.

This is the opening act for the spectacular show that has been announced for 2012. The show has started. Don’t miss out!

Not surprisingly, the federal election results were a perfect reflection of the astrological picture. A horoscope drawn up for election day was startling: I showed it to some friends and it was clear that this election would be absolutely knife-edge – closest thing I’ve ever seen. One by one all the opposites cancelled out each other and there was a deep sense of distrust – right across the spectrum. There probably wouldn’t be a change in government but a small core group would hold the balance and use it ethically and honourably; as near as it gets to consensus government. Truth, harmony and equality acting as powerful forces on a system that generally doesn’t give anything other than lip service to these powerful forces.

And so it seems to have unfolded: validation on a national level that we are absolutely one with the cosmic energy flows, and experiencing unprecedented shifts and expansions of awareness. And, as ever, the stars and planets show us the big picture beautifully. Anyone can find their place and plot their course through this multi-dimensional universe, simply by using their birth horoscope and planetary transits. Aren’t we lucky?

Rob Hart.
Rob is the resident astrologer and tarot reader at the Heritage Markets, Kuranda. PH: 4093 0218.