Offering bodywork to babies

For some reason, I have been avoiding this topic in principle for years.  That would be the topic of giving treatments to babies.

I’m not sure why – perhaps because babies seem so fragile, or because I would not want to have the parents asking me all sorts of questions when my mind is in intuitive bodywork mode.  It could also be because I have or had some unprocessed psychological stuff around my own birth and early upbringing (this is most likely the case).

My main bodywork teacher, Janet Evergreen, gives free treatments to newborns and any babies under 2 years of age.  She is possibly one of the most gifted spiritual healers on the East Coast of the United States.  And I do not say that lightly – I have had many teachers.  I have taken numerous empowerments and numerous Dharma teachings from many legitimate Tibetan lamas and yet Janet offers something unique, something a little bit different.  She is Buddhist, but she follows her heart.  She has a powerful root lama and yet she forges her own path at times.  She does not go by the book.  I do not quite know what to make of her.  But as far as teaching bodywork, there is no one else I would rather learn from.  (I have witnessed her work miracles with her clients in the most empowering way possible – we all have the ability to heal ourselves, and she does not want her students putting her on a high pedestal.)

She has been treating babies for years, and I have been taking her classes for years.  I have taken nearly all of her classes at least twice each – Craniosacral I, II, III, Supervision; Zapchen Somatics, Zapchen retreats, Advanced Zapchen 10-day retreats; Organs (visceral manipulation); Working with the Vagus system I, II.  I even joined a support group that she hosted for artists and bodyworkers and yogis and I was a part of that radically advanced and dynamic group for close to 3 years.  And this exhaustive list does not include the dozen of advanced Buddhist retreats that we were a part of together.  But I have never taken her Babies class.

Maybe I thought that I did not need to work with babies.  Maybe I thought that I would only be good at working with teenagers or adults (the populations I have had success with up to this point).

I have only worked with 3 or 4 babies with her – in 11 years of taking classes from her!

Yes, I fear that I have subconsciously been avoiding this topic.  Until today.

Today, I was blessed to be a part of treating two babies – two 6-week old baby boys.  The fact that they were baby boys resonates with me.  I was a baby boy once.  There is a baby boy part of me.  I, like other baby boys, do not wish, did not wish to hurt my mother during my long birth process.

Today we treated 2 babies in under 3 hours and I was a part of it!  I held the second baby’s occiput and helped with its rebirth process (where the baby is going through a re-do of its birth, how it spiraled its way out of the birth canal, pushing against the top of the womb with its legs).  They were miraculous treatments.  She did re-births with both babies.  She checks the dura tubes of the babies, the diaphragms, the vault holds, the vomer bone (because this has a lot to do with their ability to suck on a nipple), and the craniosacral pump – she listens for the spiral dynamics still in the birth memory of the cells and she follows the baby as they unwind any birth trauma that their bodies are willing to reveal at the time.  And she has many skills and knowledge (and wisdom) from working with Myrna Martin and pre- and perinatal psychology workshops.

It is a lot.  But babies are more flexible, more plastic, more able to change traumatic patterns within a few minutes.  Therefore they might be able to do a ton of releasing work in under an hour!

It is not a simple process.  Years of preparation and personal growth work have gone into her ability to do this.  She is not an ordinary human being.  Janet Evergreen is a dakini.  And (at the same time) she has a few human foibles (which she is working on).  But she is constantly working on herself and working to improve her classes and her teaching skills.

Somehow she combines the transcendent wisdom of the Buddha Dharma with the embodied wisdom of Zapchen and Continuum dynamics and Somatic Experiencing.  It is an amazing process which I am blessed to be a senior student of.

After working with babies today, I feel like I have discovered a new way to taking refuge (in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha).  I do not say that lightly.  Taking refuge in the 3 Jewels is a sacred and rare path toward enlightenment and joyful bliss.  I loved working with babies.  I loved having my hands on babies.  I want to learn more.  I have much to learn.  But I am eager to get started.

I fear that I have been wasting much valuable time.  It is time to get an office space going.  To attract new clients and to put out the willingness to help new babies unwind their birth trauma (and generational trauma).  Babies are the future.  Babies are extremely pliable.  If I can hold self-care and wisdom and compassion and wide, spacious awareness; then the babies will respond positively and reveal how to unwind them into the health that is never lost.

I am excited and nervous and worried about this promise to my heart.  Walking my talk, removing all that is harmful from my path, living in embodied visceral wisdom is not easy, nor is it comfortable.  But that is why I have taken this incarnation.  I seek to have a meaningful life.

I wish for all sentient beings to know happiness and its causes.  I wish for all beings to never experience suffering.  I wish for all babies to be free from suffering and its causes.

May it be so.

(Thanks for reading!)

May 2016 update

I haven’t written in a while.  So here goes nothing  🙂

I am primarily doing the following: working, resting, doing a little Dharma practice each day and attempting to take a nap most days.  Not the most glamorous of schedules to be certain, but it is just what I need.

I am presently taking several Tibetan medicine herbs / precious pills and I am taking Vit B spray (for neuralgia) and homeopathic remedies for Lyme’s Disease.  So my body is adjusting and working through detoxing of that harmful bacteria and it is more tired.  Plus my mind is adjusting – in the past I always assumed I would be healthy and I would play computer games occasionally, or watch a late night move and lose sleep, or hang out with friends and stay up late one night / week…  So my mind is adjusting to a more regulated, more self-care filled regimen.  It is good for me.

I am also assisting with a Vagus I class with Janet Evergreen.  So I love that work – I fill in and give / receive bodywork if they have an odd number, otherwise I walked around and answer questions the students have and support the teacher.  This is very juicy and supportive for me.

I am scheduled to take Pharmacology this summer and that starts in 2 weeks – way too soon.  If I had been in classes this past semester, that would have meant that my “summer break” was 2 weeks long…  Ack!  By taking Pharm this summer, I will be able to have an easier spring semester when I dive back into clinical rotations and hospital work.

So I am keeping it pretty simple.  Practicing more self-care.  Resting down when I can.

Thanks for reading!

~K

What am I doing about Lyme’s (and neuralgia)?

So I saw the licensed acupuncturist, Michael Jabalee (Michael Jabalee’s website) who specializes in treating Lyme’s disease.  He used a type of bioenergetic testing on me and determined that I have four major issues going on with my body: Lyme’s disease (fortunately without the associated co-infections), leaky gut (possibly in conjunction with Lyme, Herpes Zoster (from the shingles and of course chicken pox) and herpes simplex (A – I get cold sores on my lips and possibly in my nasal cavity).

Since seeing him I have done quite a bit of reading up on Lyme’s disease.  Apparently, it is one of the most complex bacteria and therefore it is a very complex disease.  It mimics many other symptoms, hence the high number of mis-diagnoses out there.  Sometimes it shows up as rheumatoid arthritis, other times it looks more like cognitive deficits and in the rare, extreme cases, it can go to the heart and cause serious dysrhythmias and palpitations.  Eventually it can go to the bones and if untreated, the person’s spine might like they are double their age…  Scary stuff.  And the most bizarre aspect in my opinion is that there is really no agreement about treatments.  Even among allopathic doctors…

One school says that a short dose of antibiotics (which I strongly disagree with) will eradicate the Lyme’s bacteria and most of any co-infections.  That is what I did, and look at my symptoms!  The school of thought that I agree with says that one needs to do a minimum of 4 weeks of antibiotics as soon as possible to eliminate the bacteria from the body.

But what do they say for people like me who are closer to having chronic Lyme’s disease?  This is where it gets even more convoluted.  Apparently the bacteria can form biofilms which prevent the antibiotics from getting to the deeper layers of infection.  The bacteria can invade the bones and deeper tissues where the antibiotics might not go so readily and easily.  In other words, I don’t think there is a quick and easy fix for chronic Lyme’s sufferers.

Rather, and this is the approach I am taking, it is best to treat the whole body and strengthen the whole immune system as a whole.  I figure if this route does not show improvements in two months, then I will consider the more invasive and potentially damaging long weeks of antibiotic therapies.

What am I doing now?  Michael Jabalee gave me homeopathic sprays – one of which targets Lyme’s disease.  I have 4 sprays total, which I take 3x/day for a month.  And then I will slowly back off of that dose using another Lyme’s spray.  And I am taking 2 weeks worth of Tibetan medicine from a Tibetan doctor.  When I saw him – I did not realize I had Lyme’s disease quite yet.  Although he felt my pulses and said that I felt exhausted (right on with Lyme’s), that my digestion was not quite right (in agreement with leaky gut) and that I felt more irritable and possibly even had a temper on my bad days (also true – if I get really exhausted or if I push myself too far physically, I can get really irritable.  Although this has only been happening in the past 6 months – also a Lyme’s by-product).  So I am taking 4 different types of Tibetan herbal medicine once/day each.

Jabalee also told me several things to add into my diet / supplement routine to benefit my nervous system (from having shingles along my trigeminal nerve).  He also sold me a couple of Vit B supplements, saying that some Vit B deficiencies are so bad that they are becoming epigenetic – the deficiency is being transferred from mother to child.  So that sounded like good advice – it also resonates with much of what I have been reading online.

To avoid making neuralgia worse he said that during episodes of nerve pain, I should avoid anything containing high amounts of arginine (amino acid) which includes nuts and shell fish, and to definitely avoid taking that as a supplement.  I don’t do that, so that is easy advice to follow.  This is common knowledge though – he just pointed me toward it.

Second he said that the following can help to build a strong nervous system and to restrict the herpes zoster virus from strengthening: St. John’s Wort, Lemon Balm, Vit B1, Vit B12, Vit B complex, taking L-Lysine (amino acid) and Zinc during any herpes flare-ups.

So I am working on a paradigm change.  No more computer games.  Less screen time.  More rest.  Getting some exercise every day if possible, but only pushing as hard as is comfortable.  Incorporating some of these supplements.  Getting regular body-work (maintenance self-care).  Eating better and more regularly.  Going to bed earlier.

I have only been putting this into effect for the past few days.  So I will update everyone on how things are going.

Thanks for reading!

Further thoughts on Lyme’s disease

I had the bull’s eye rash about 18 months ago, and then I took two weeks worth of antibiotics – doxycycline.  Let me just say now, after doing some research, that two weeks is not enough.  If I could go back, I would take at least 4 weeks worth.  Minimum.  I have a feeling that that round of antibiotics knocked out a lot of the Lyme’s bacteria – the mysterious spirochete, but obviously some stayed around.  It went dormant for at least 6 months.  I did not have any (significantly noticeable) symptoms during that time.  However, I might have felt off.  I did not have the “usual” bouts of flu-like symptoms or headaches as far as I can remember.  But at least a year ago, I definitely knew something wasn’t quite right.

First my knees would ache if I bent them for half an hour and then straightened them out.  They were definitely growing more stiff.  Then a couple months later, I started noticing joint pain in my knees and elbows and wrists.  Then I tried to go for a bike ride – I may have only made it 4 or 5 miles when I started to get tired and irritable.  I turned around promptly, knowing something was off.

Keep in mind I was extremely busy with nursing school, so I did not have a lot of time to check into my still functioning but stretched body.  I had had a lot of tests done – no I did not have HIV, no I did not have TB (not that I had any of those symptoms).  My blood tests were mostly positive and showed no signs of issues.  The one thing that was low was my platelet count.  After doing some research, I’m thinking I also need to be tested for the co-infection of anaplasmosis – a parasite that can come with Lyme’s disease, also transmitted by ticks.  Anaplasmosis can cause low platelet counts.

Then last November, December, as I was stressing out with nursing school assignments and labs and clinicals and tests…  I began to notice inflammation creeping up my arms – specifically my ulnar nerves.  And at the height of the problem, it was starting to affect my pinky and ring fingers on both hands.  (The ulnar nerve innervates the pinky and half of the ring fingers.)  This definitely got my attention.

What if this problem got worse?  Would it possibly affect my nursing career?  This got my attention to be certain.  And as I began to worry about this problem, I was working too much and anxiety started to creep in.  Long story short, I decided to withdraw from most of my nursing classes this semester.

I rested more, thinking that it was a stress issue.  Of course, I should have gotten some blood tests done sooner.  I should have ruled out the really bad inflammatory diseases – Lupus, Crohns, Epstein Barr, etc.

Now that I know it is Lyme, the complex bacterial infection, I have to change my entire mindset.  It is time for serious rest, recovery and rebuilding.

the dreaded Lyme’s disease

In the late summer of 2014, I found an unusual bite on my leg, just above my knee.  There was no tick, so I thought nothing of it.  At the time that is.  Because two days later, a strange tell-tale bull’s eye rash began to form.  The bite and an area a centimeter in diameter was red, and then there was pale colored skin for another 1.5 cm ring, and then there was a red outer ring.  It was disturbing to say the least.  I have a tendency to dissociate (leave my body or at least drift away from my heart) when it comes to personal health problems.  I have Chiron, the mythological wounded healer, at the MidHeaven of my astrology chart.  It would make sense that I am somehow able to heal others when I am wounded.  I am a wounded healer.

Even still however, I knew the potential serious ramifications of Lyme’s Disease and I went straight to the doctor.  She assessed the lesion (rash) and put me on 15 days of doxycycline, a potent antibiotic.  I felt better for at least six months.  I was staying busy with work – working full time while taking prerequisite classes to get into the nursing program at Piedmont Virginia Community College.  I spent hours studying Microbiology (where I learned more about the Lyme’s bacteria) and Anatomy and Physiology and I got straight A’s.  Of course I got into nursing school – I’m a male with great grades, emphasis on male.  I was also busy with a new inspiring relationship in my life.

Anyway, I forgot all about that rash, that bull’s eye shaped lesion on my leg.  Yes, if a practitioner asked me about Lyme’s, I would remember and mention it.  They might ask me about aches and pains, but at the time, I was feeling fine.  I was too busy with school and life.

So the Spring of 2015 rolls around, and I slowly – I mean very very gradually – begin to notice new aches and pains.  If I sat with my knees bent, on the floor for more than half an hour, they were very achey and tight.  And then Summer of 2015 rolled around.  I was starting to notice slight aches in my finger joints.  Just little things that were barely noticeable.  I brushed them all aside.

But then the Fall of 2015 came around.  Now I was super busy with nursing school.  I was spending 30 hours a week studying outside of class.  I was spending 12 hours in class.  I was spending 8 hours in the hospital doing clinical rotations.  Plus I was practicing another 6 hours / week doing lab skills – learning how to take and listen for blood pressure, how to change colostomy devices, etc etc.  I did not have time to notice that my elbows and knees and wrists were beginning to feel arthritic.

Then the winter break rolled by.  I had four weeks off.  I had been busting my butt in a manner that I had never known before.  I had somehow pulled off 2 A’s and a B in nursing school – which is difficult to do by the way!  So I decided I was going to let loose and play a new computer game.  So some days I played 4 – 6 hours – maybe 2 or 3 days / week.  At the end of winter break, I started noticing that the inflammation was creeping up my arms, specifically my ulnar nerves.  And by the time school restarted in January, I was scared that I might lose feeling in my pinky fingers – it had started to decline – the sensory feeling, not the motor control.  I am sure that all that screen time did not help, but playing a hundred hours of computer games should not cause nerve breakdown and serious neuralgia?!  Right?

So I was scared and concerned that my nursing path would be jeopardized.  And I withdrew from school for the semester.  It was a knee-jerk reaction, but I definitely needed to drop something.  I was working full time and my nerves were shot.

A good friend of mine is a nurse practitioner.  When I told him what I was experiencing, he got very concerned and asked me to get all these tests run.  Blood tests to determine if I had Epstein-Barr virus or Crohn’s Disease or Lupus or HIV, etc.  He tends to worry.  But he had a right to be concerned, as there is / was a serious problem within me.

Fortunately, I met an acupuncturist who does bio-energetic testing and he works with homeopathic medicine, along with using nutritional therapy to bring the body and the gut (and the nervous system) back on line.  He tested me and sure enough, Lyme’s disease is present.

His name is Michael Jabalee and I will detail more about the session with him in the next post.  I feel good about the protocol he has put me on.  It was not cheap (considering I am a student working as a waiter living in the high-cost-of-living-Charlottesville), but I would gladly pay twice the amount if I can actually rid myself of these pesky symptoms for good!

Michael Jabalee’s Website

Thanks for reading and I will post more soon!  May all illness be pacified and may all beings know happiness and its causes.

~KM

opportunities least expected

Two months ago, I had way too much on my plate, I was overwhelmed with nursing school responsibilities and for some reason I thought I could handle an accelerated program at the same time…  Yes, in hindsight, I may have been crazy.  So my response to my body making protests with inflammation and anxiety was to quit it all…  an equally crazy reaction!

So over these two months, I have been working more, seeing a few astrology clients (and I have done some exceptionally profound relationship astrology sessions for people!) and now I am finally getting the energy and desire to write more.  Although I am writing more on the side (not here on my blog) – writing about my time in the military which traumatized me, writing about early Buddhist experiences in working with and being close to Tibetan Lamas here in the U.S.

I want to show that one does not necessarily have to go to some exotic place to have serious mystical experiences!  Even though I am just an ordinary human being (so spiritually young and immature!), I have been blessed to be close to a number of authentic spiritual masters.  And all by traveling within the state of Virginia and Maryland!

That is what I am up to: studying pharmacology to take this summer, attempting to write at least half an hour per day, walking the dog, enjoying the spring weather and seeing the odd client here and there.  It is not as exciting and newsworthy as a part of me might like, but it’ll do.  I am still planning to get back into the nursing grind – but I’m not going to overdo it.  I would rather take one class and do well in it, master it than spreading myself so thin.

Thanks for reading!

~K

the sounds of trauma

occasionally, we must make do with where we are and with what we have got in front of us…

presently my partner and I live in a nice neighborhood, conveniently located close to my work place and hers, and not far from my school either…

but recently a family moved in downstairs which is just pushing a lot of buttons…

and caught in the middle of it all is their sweet little black puppy  😦

you came into our lives, cute and precious, with obstructors trailing after you

your little boy sometimes plays nice, but sometimes kicks you

he was not raised right, he is just five, we are trying to teach him

that being kind will in turn elicit kindness

his mother had substance abuse problems and assumes life is tough

his grandmother yells at him and assumes he is being a burden to others

but no, it doesn’t have to be that way!

the kid is sweet he just needs proper guidance and opportunities to socialize

he needs to learn to use his words, that his version of touch is less-than-kind

because that is all he has been taught

you all need support and resources that help move your family toward health

and I pray you receive it very soon

(we are in conversation with the parents and with the land lord and the friend about these issues…  it is challenging though.  Life can certainly throw some curve balls our way.  And yet compared to some parts of the world, this trauma is tiny in comparison.)

May all beings know happiness and its causes!

What is spiritual?

One of my teachers, several years ago, said, “You know where the body is.  You can experience the mind, the mental.  You can improve your mind and your body.  But where is spiritual?”  (Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen)  So many people are concerned with improving themselves spiritually.  Back then, when he said these words (2008 maybe), I had less life experience.  And I happened to be one of those people who was obsessed with trying to fix myself spiritually.  It was probably a good thing that I dove in so deep for a few years.  But now I think I have found more of a balance.

Today, I think I am a little closer to understanding what he was / is referring to.  Someone recently came up to me, knowing that I have a background in process-oriented bodywork and meditation and astrology, and he said, “Kirby, can you help me spiritually?  I need to become more stable somehow.”  My first thought, even though I did not say this out loud, was, “No, you need to strengthen your psychological boundaries, you need to develop more self-respect.  You need to assert yourself more around your family.”  But what I said was, “Sure, I might be able to benefit you.  I would recommend Somatic Experiencing to strengthen healthy resources and boundaries.  I might be able to help you stabilize your mind.  But you have to be willing to do the work.”  I explained what Somatic Experiencing was and he said that sounded good.  He did not set anything up and I have not heard from him about this yet (that was just a few days ago).  But again, what is spiritual?  How can we work on spiritual when we have such big gaps in our psyche and our boundaries and so much self-doubt?

If someone wants me to, I can assess them psychologically (I am not formally trained – so if / when appropriate I would obviously refer them to the proper professionals) and tell them what I think might benefit them.  [Keep in mind if someone seems to have an obvious mental illness, I would swiftly change the subject or recommend they speak to their doctor or psychiatrist!]  I can look at someone’s astrology chart and get a glimpse of possible weak spots in their psyche.  I can put my hands on someone and feel whether or not they are grounded or embodied or calm or nervous, etc.  I can tell if they have had recreational drugs within the past couple weeks (through my hands).  I can tell if they are a heavy smoker.  I can tell if their body resonates with what they are saying.

But have I mentioned anything about touching the spiritual realm yet?  Maybe it is a combination of all of the above.  Maybe I can be of benefit to someone spiritually, but I would never claim to be able to do that!  Rather, stick with what is measurable – psychological benchmarks, anxiety scales, feeling grounded in our bodies or not, etc.  Stick with stabilizing your mind.  Work on improving your health and body through exercise and improving your diet and practicing better self care.  Stop worrying so much about fixing yourself spiritually.  If you work on what I mention above, the spiritual side will start to come into alignment on its own.

Of course work with a spiritual teacher.  A legitimate leader in a legitimate spiritual tradition.  A meditation teacher, or a well-respected and empirical and compassionate professor (these are tough to find).  But do more than that.  Work on what you know.  Work on what you can touch, what you can experience.  You don’t know how your karma is going to manifest – sure you can use a tool like astrology to see how certain influences affected your life in the past and attempt to project that onto the future – but you will never know the subtleties and intricacies of karma cause and effect (until you attain unsurpassed enlightenment).

So take small steps today.  Do a little something nice for yourself today.  Be more kind to yourself, today.  Take a nap.  Spend time watching the beautiful sun set.  Go for a hike.  Etc.  And above all else, if someone or something causes you harm, then put some distance between yourself and them.  We have to first alleviate the causes of suffering before we can stop suffering!  Realize that desire is like drinking salt water – the more we get, the more we want, but we are never satisfied!  We just keep needing more and more salty water (or money or beautiful women or handsome powerful men or cars, etc etc).  Slow down.  Pause.  Take a deep breath.  And know that all things eventually resolve in peace (long term).

Thanks for reading!

Kirby

A wealth of insight in relationship astrology

I’m thinking I should specialize in relationship astrology.  Today I chatted with a client for about 40 minutes about his relationship and the back story around it.  That allowed me to tailor my interpretation (although I knew ahead of time some of the major obstacles that the two of them might encounter).  The crux of the matter was a fundamental tension aspect between calculating, cranial, rational Aquarius and luscious, romantic, touchy-feely Taurus.

I must say I’m pretty darned good at relationship astrology.  About a third of all my clients are coming to me because of relationship questions.  But I left feeling like I had learned a good deal as well.  It is almost as if the wisdom I share is not entirely my own.  Perhaps I am channeling some of it.

Playing with nuance and carefully crafting the right phrases to describe what I am hearing and seeing is an art.  And when I get to learn something in there as well, so much the better!

I am very grateful to all my readers and clients out there.  Let me know if you have a relationship astrology question for me.

Kirby

Transits March 2016: Jupiter and all planets beyond

I am writing about transits in this post.  And specifically, I am writing about my personal natal chart and how the transiting planets are affecting it.  Yes, it is a subjective topic (highly personal that is) but I will attempt to be as objective as possible.

I am going through a bit of soul searching, having paused my nursing school pursuits (see previous posts).  It is difficult to go from 60 mph down to 10, in just a month or two and my mind is still gripping after ideas and grasping for purposeful and meaningful activity.  Better yet, how about I work on resting my anxious mind?  That is where astrology can come in.  Perhaps I can spot where I am leaning in too heavily or where I am being subtly influenced by the energies around us.  Let’s see if the planets’ narrative fits with my own life at present.

Jupiter – the expansive giant of grass-is-always-greener wanderlust is presently retrograde (a factor which much be taken into account) and going through the second of three passes to square my Neptune, from my second house.  And soon Jupiter will move on beyond that square to oppose my natal Sun (in about four months).

It would seem (from reading Robert Hand’s Planets in Transit – see my note at the end of the post) that I have avoided most of the pitfalls of Jupiter square Neptune – no false messiahs or new bizarre spiritual teachers coming into my life (no invitations to any cults in the last 6 months).  The only thing I would mention is that I have not told my job that I completely took this semester off.  I told them I cut back significantly at school – so they still think I am in one class.  I just did not have the heart to tell them, when they are so supportive of my success, that I am taking this semester off – rather I did not want to admit to possibly making a mistake in the process 😦    So there is a little bit of deception going on (Neptune) in my life.

As far as Jupiter in my second house goes, rather than acquiring materials or hoarding money, I think a revising of my core values is taking place.  I have too many Dharma trinkets – lets tsa tsas and statues and pictures and practice booklets.  I need to let go of some stuff.  Not only that, deeper values are being challenged right now (which may have to do with other transits as well).  What do I want out of life?  Am I capable of maintaining daily Dharma practice or am I just routinely beating myself up because I only sit on my cushion a couple days a week?  Is my spiritual practice shifting?  I think I am not close enough with my root lama to fully explain the changes in my practice and in my body.  I had a health scare, which was a part of why I pressed pause on school.  My body has been having a tough time over the past couple of years.  What is most important right now is that I discover joy in slowing down and relaxing more.  What supports that?  🙂

The only other Neptune / Jupiter piece is being tempted with computer games.  I have gone for long spells without indulging in that old vice of mine.  I went for seven years from 2003 to 2010 where I focused on spiritual and academic pursuits wholeheartedly (and was never even tempted to pick up this less-than-ideal habit).  And then I went for about six months more recently when I plunged into the full rigors of nursing school.  But when I am faced with a full day off, and it has been raining (so I can’t go for a hike), I download an old game and play for a few hours.  I would rather do more meaningful activities.  This is where Neptune’s whispered mischievous advice is kicking me in the pants (although I do not blame Neptune – I am the one creating this predisposition by playing off and on).

I am a very fluid and flexible individual.  I can shift and understand where most people are coming from, which is why I am a great waiter (food service) and bar tender.  Therefore I do not see the Jupiter opposite Sun snags getting to me very much – maybe the arrogance and feeling that I know what is right (I am a Leo Rising after all).  Otherwise, I think I can maintain some good humility to dodge any confrontations with superiors that might indicate.

So as far as Jupiter goes, I think I am doing pretty well.  I am a spiritual being having a human experience and therefore I tend to avoid some of the more gross layers of astrological influence.

In my next post, I will discuss Saturn and what it is up to in my chart!

Thanks for reading.  Have a blessed day and enjoy the Spring weather when it shows its inspiring and uplifting bright face.

As an aside, I must add that Robert Hand’s book on Transits, while invaluable to most and quite accurate for some, does not often accurately peg me.  (And Robert Hand should go down as a brilliant scientist, empiricist and pioneer for American astrology.)  But I am a bit different than most – not sure why exactly – as my intuition and psychological fluidity might indicate, I experience my astrological chart differently.  That is why frequency-based astrology is so valuable and so difficult to find good practitioners of.  There are some days where I’m not sure who I am going to meet after looking at the chart of a relative stranger.  I am always pleasantly surprised though and I try to offer insight and a fresh outlook on their charts.