Toronto, Ontario, Friday, May 12, 2006
For daily blog and photo, click link above
To subscribe, call (206) 567-4455

Buddha Moon World

By Paloma Todd
 
May's Full Moon, called Wesak Moon, is considered the most auspicious day in the Buddhist calendar. It is the celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha.
 
Spiritual energies are at peak during full moons, and in Buddhist tradition the Wesak Moon is the most potent amongst these.
 
The origins of this celebration are connected to agricultural notions of time based on the moon. The previous New Moon before Wesak is the Sun and Moon annual rendezvous in the earth sign of Taurus.
 
The image is, as the Moon gets pregnant reaching the water sign of Scorpio, so our consciousness grows expanding within us.
 
This is the time of the year where the soil is removed and prepared to be seeded. The concept of insemination is backed up by the mirroring of the Sun and Moon, Father and Mother, in Earth and Water, blessing man's yearly labor.
 
Wesak is about man's union with nature and with the stars. A celebration of the divinity behind all manifestation: the infinite intelligence that lives in all. This is the feast. Man acknowledging his place. Honoring all living beings. All participants in the cycle of life.
 
Buddha reached inside himself and lived the same process that lives in nature. He opened himself, was fecund by divinity, and was made a man-god.
 
In his honor, for centuries, in Tibet, Nepal, India and South Asia, it is a time for meditation, and chanting. A powerful time of prayer and devotion with a focus on healing and enlightenment for all beings. Generosity and kindness are practiced in service of all living things. As too are dancing, painting and dramatic reenactments.
 
And many rituals are performed.
 
In Malaysia it is good karma to release caged animals. Doves, tortoises, frogs and birds are freed from small cages on the steps of temples.
 
A good metaphor for us.
 
Opening the caged and limited view of ourselves, and letting that deep connection with divinity free to manifest in us is one of the best conscious actions we can perform during this Full Moon.
 
Stepping out of a cage implies remembering how to be free.
 
This might be frightening. The step toward regaining memory implies a dark passage.
 
Are we proud of our evolution? Have we honored the life that sustains us? Is humanity in harmony with Earth? Can we, the human race, take full responsibility for our actions? How do we relate to the World?
 
Some metaphysical teachings say that during the May's Full Moon, each year, masters of spiritual hierarchy, initiates, and aspirants gather in the valley of the Himalayas. The meeting place is called the Wesak Valley, in Tibet, and the reunion happens on both the spiritual and physical level. It is said that it is a moment of collective channeling, where spiritual forces of cosmic order descend to earth and flow through humanity's body.
 
A brotherhood between Christ and Buddha is the axis of this powerful collective encounter. It brings us the notion of higher forces and of cosmic help.
 
We can help us.
 
The severe wound inflicted on the Tibetan nation is just a condensed reflection of the rest of the world's reality. The wave of suffering expands itself in a world more and more at war with itself.
 
In the context of Tibetan history, the celebration of Wesak is an active process of identity preservation and consolidation. The makers of tradition have saved ancient rituals that connect the past, the present and the future.
 
Taking into account Tibet's political situation, remembering is political.
 
And ritual too, works within a political reality because it connects us to one another, to the larger pattern of society and to the cosmos.
 
Thanks to the New Age movement, the Wesak Moon has become in the past decades a global celebration. In many cities around the world collective rituals, prayers, chanting and meditations are performed.
 
The synergetic nature of new age allows the merging of the occident and the orient, favoring the concept of unity and global responsibility. Wesak is therefore and also, a bridge to the other. It implies the healing of the concept of otherness: the false idea of separation, within ourselves, from each other, and from Spirit.
 
This global invitation is to use our individual power, to work, think, act, as in as a group, for a group, as a power distributor. The invitation is to forget about ourselves in the task of containing and maintaining the energy of this sacred date for all humanity.
 
The word World means 'the age of man'.
 
Like in the figure of The World tarot Arcana, we are dancing in celebration of what we really are and always have been, surrounded by cosmic forces available to us all.
 
Wesak offers us the gift of continuity.
 
So invite yourself in. Participate in the collective dance. Get connected. In doing so you are helping humanity to step out of the cage.
 
You are helping the World to be free.

--

Paloma Todd is the Planet Waves photo editor. She is based in Paris. You can visit her Internet site at http://www.ojoazul.net/

---

Planet Waves Weekly #610 - Friday, May 12, 2006

By Eric Francis

Happy Birthday Taurus
This is a peak moment in your life, and rather than saying you have to take the bad along with the good, I suggest that you take the good along with the usual challenges. That's because the usual challenges will always be there, and the art of living is being able to place the emphasis on what you want to experience and do your best to let the rest shift to the background. There is, however, one subject that is reaching for your attention, something that has been the subject of much uncertainty over the years. You are now ready to confront it; you are ready to have more influence over the direction of your life.
 
Aries (March 20-April 19)
Just think, your whole life has led to this very moment. Shall we ask how that happened, and what that portends for the next stage of existence? The relevance of the past is the question right now, particularly as pertains to the past of your most intimate relationships. Once we manage to survive our family of origin, every interaction we have with another person bas in some way based on who we think we are -- which is usually based on who we thought we were yesterday. It's time to start thinking about today. Because it is very much thinking about you.
 
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
Later this week, there's a Full Moon in your opposite sign Scorpio, which should do a nice job of bringing a particular discussion to a climax. Or is an anticlimax? Here's a clue, if you happen to remember all the way until Saturday when things get interesting. There's an entire point of view missing from the discussion. Those who are involved, including yourself, have a pretty firm idea of what the situation is supposed to be about. All the viewpoints involved seem to be intractable, and at the same time, they are all subject do an odd kind of doubt. Something is missing. The salient theme or issue has not, actually, been raised before -- but if you think, you'll know what it is.
 
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
It will take some time to sort out what is true from what is false, including your own beliefs and opinions -- but not quite as long as you think. The risk you run is taking action based on incomplete information. Therefore, I would rate to you the first law of investigative journalism as written for posterity by your scribe, Eric Francis. It is: know when you don't know. Then, based on the fact that you do not know, seek to find out. You need to use your nose as much as your mind; listen to what your dreams are telling you as much as you believe what your eyes see and your ears hear.
 
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
It is true that you're in a complicated situation, but on another level it's only as complex as you make it. Here are the important questions: 1. Are you enjoying life? 2. Why or why not? 3. Are the people most intimately involved with you giving you what you need? 4. How generous are you feeling, and what can you point to in your life that would establish this? The planets are pointing t something new, rather than something old; they more than hint at a development that is extraordinarily positive rather than so much as questionable. I suggest you gently move the obstacles out of the way -- and live well.
 
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Well it's certainly been a busy and productive time, and life has been providing you just the kinds of challenges you love: the kind where you can express your talent and leadership in ways that matter. You're doing a great job of showing the world what it means to be steady and clear-headed. But with the Moon currently in ultra-sensitive Scorpio, you might not be feeling on top of your game. Let it pass, go through a little emotional crisis if you need to, and get back into the game. Over the next week the emphasis will distinctly shift from professional aspirations to creative and social ones, but there's still some work left to be done.
 
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
Now is the time to sort out all the theoretical, philosophical and ethical issues. Now is the time to work out the psychological stuff, the lingering doubts about whether your parents approve of what you're doing, and for that matter, certain distinct religious ideas that tend to get in your way over and over again. Get clear about what is important to you. You have about one week until the pace of life picks up substantially and there won't be time to bicker with yourself over matters that you can just as easily settle now.
 
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
On one level you are absolutely certain where you're going. On another level, there is something huge and annoying in the way. That something involves a relationship, or rather some kind of emotional attachment, entanglement or involvement that you can't quite sort out and where you seem to struggle to have any power or influence. It is precisely this struggle that is pretty much making sure you get nowhere. Your attempts to take authority rather than express love and creativity are doing little other than lead you in circles. If you're going to force a showdown with anyone, let it be with yourself.
 
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
This weekend's Full Moon in your birth sign has the potential to open the floodgates on a whole well of feelings that you've been holding in. They run the full range from sadness to gratitude; from anger to passion. I suggest you ride out the intensity. Friday night will likely be the most intense wave -- which you can process, experience or express any way you like. Dancing, painting and music come to mind, and I suggest that it be any way but emotional drama. If all the needless drama of the world were converted to art and music, there would not be enough galleries and concert halls to contain it. The streets would be flooded with color and life.
 
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
You're on the right track if something is bothering you, you don't know what it is, and you're not particularly concerned. The sky is one big setup for psychic confusion and a lot of meaningless data is flying in the direction of Sagittarius. Some of it, however, is quite a bit beyond meaningful, and the trick is to sort out just what that is. I suggest you look for the pattern of things going from false to true; from true to false; from unbelievable to credible; from ridiculous to sensible. Then, assemble the bits. Meantime, don't let them get to you.
 
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
You drive a hard bargain, particularly when you're challenged. You have exceptional political and negotiating skills, except when somebody gets under your skin. And in the event somebody happens to do that some time in the next few days, you have to be at your best, remain calm, and most important, own the part of the discussion that really belongs to you. In common psychological and spiritual parlance, own your issues. If someone is not willing to negotiate or have a serious discussion, wait them out. Most important, don't fall for accusations. Of what? Of anything.
 
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
You've got some momentum going, and if you can negotiate the emotional intensity of the approaching Full Moon, you can take these days as an opportunity to enjoy some unusual success. Rather than being worldly in nature, this is the cosmic kind of success: it involves blending your deepest personal expression with a sense of belonging in the world. You may find yourself feeling and as a result saying things that are rather unusual for you. You may jeopardize your reputation for someone known mainly for making good sense, such as you've managed to preserve it any time lately. This will be the best thing that ever happened to you.
 
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
The best has yet to come. Many factors are working for you, but more to the point, you are cooperating with the process of your own life. This is always the key. There is the game of making the best of the hand you've been dealt in life, and then there is the other game of making sure you really do have your own best interests at heart. You can leave any lingering doubts behind you. We don't need to ask what you would do with all that energy, were it not invested in fear, and the answer is now obvious: you would direct it into the love, pleasure and creative passion for which your astrological sign is rightly famous.

--

If you've received this edition by forward, you can subscribe for your very own self! People are happy they do, and you get to come along on our publishing adventure. Here's our reader feedback:

http://www.planetwavesweekly.com/feedback.html

Here's the subscribe link. It's easy, fun and very economical!

http://www.planetwavesweekly.com/sales/home.html

Published by Planet Waves, Inc. of Vashon Island, WA. All rights reserved. Planet Waves is a trademark of Planet Waves, Inc. To subscribe or for all editorial inquiries, please call (206) 567-4455.

Subscriber Services: chelsea@planetwaves.net
Webmaster: anatoly@planetwaves.net
European/UK Media Contact: najma@planetwaves.net
Reach Eric: francis@planetwaves.net