Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation

Karmic stench leaving

So yesterday I said I would blog every day for the next month… Not sure if I will be able to keep up that pace, AND I’m not sure you will be wanting to read what I have to say… but here goes nothing:

Authentic practice –

Old shadowy fears,

Sleek, seductive, less-than-healthy patterns,

Little maggots of attachment and aversion,

Crawling, pushing, being forced out,

no longer permitted the job of veiling the central channel,

At the surface, tiny insects of hatred and lust,

Liquify, melt, start to pool,

Ancient beads of karmic sweat,

Drip, drip…

Aaahhhhhh…

[Thanks for reading!]

I just wanted to inform you that I intend to start a one-per-day blogging scheme for the next 30 days. So expect to see something everyday. Just don’t expect much more of that, because after the first week or so, I may run out of creativity and start posting Haikus about the rigors of blogging too frequently. 🙂 Ha!

Thanks for following my blog!

Stressors, Trauma and Driving fast unconsciously

I have been taking classes in Trauma Resolution for several years now, and considering whenever you touch someone else in a professional, platonic, ethical manner with the intent to provide a space for their system to heal, then you might inadvertently be doing some form of Trauma Resolution work. Do keep in mind though that there are specific classes which make a practitioner very skilled at holding space for any type of trauma to arise and be released. I will mention those modalities at the end of this post.

For now however, I am writing this particular post about a recent phenomenon I have noticed. And I think it was only through taking the above classes that I could notice it. If you find yourself driving, and you are normally a safe driver who rarely ever pushes the speed limit, and you find yourself thinking about something scary or daunting or overwhelming (or if you are listening to the present news in the world…), then I bet you will unconsciously start to press on the accelerator. Now keep in mind this has to be spontaneous and unconscious – you can’t purposely try to listen to scary news, take the present outbreak of the Ebola Virus in West Africa, and then see if your foot starts pressing while you consciously watch the speedometer.

No. What I am referring to is if your mind starts to wander off. You have the news on. You have the windows down in the car. It is a comfortable evening. Suddenly the BBC switches over to talking about the horrific situation happening in the Gaza strip… and then a few seconds later you are doing 75 in a 55 mph zone. That’s what I’m talking about.

Now why would we start to drive faster if we are scared or overwhelmed? I think it has to do with the Fight / Flight or / Freeze pattern. In human beings, and I suspect in other mammals as well, there are two systems that are a part of the Central Nervous System (CNS). One system is called the Sympathetic Nervous System – think sympathetic to stress – and this is the system the instantaneously decides whether a new stressor is a threat, and if so, it then decides (completely unconsciously I might add) based on our psychological resources whether we should turn and fight this threat OR if we should run away OR if we might be better served by playing dead. This is the Fight / Flight / Freeze pattern I was referring to above.

The other system that is a part of the CNS is the Parasympathetic Nervous System and this is also known as the Rest and Digest system. When we feel safe and comfortable and especially when we are in good company, then the gut and the brain know that we can calm down, rest back and digest our food. Those of us who act as healing facilitators attempt to rest in a Parasympathetic state most of the time and we intend to bring our clients to that state and teach them how to rest in the state for longer and longer periods of time.

And I believe that this is a part of the reason why we start speeding unconsciously when we thinking about something scary or intimidating or about someone who threatens us, etc. Maybe this is yet another reason why it would be good to go out and receive some quality bodywork from a trained practitioner. Someone who walks their talk and is able to rest down on a regular basis. Someone who is quite stable and who shows up.

As I mentioned above, some of the modalities which are good at providing resource for trauma resolution (and whose work sticks with us) are Somatic Experiencing (SE), Biodynamic Craniosacral work and Pre- and Perinatal Psychology (working with birth dynamics). Actually all three of these modalities tie together well. I have also experienced some Continuum Movement Therapy which was good at resourcing trauma as well as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and DNMS (Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy).

In my experience though, and in talking with some trusted mentors and bodywork teachers, nearly everyone says that the most efficacious modality for doing Trauma Resolution work is Somatic Experiencing. Peter Levine, PhD, founded this system of resourcing the Central Nervous System and the Vagus System (from the Vagus nerve) and it is very efficient. It allows the practitioner to go slow enough to catch all the little conflicts which arise when trauma is put into the system.

Yes there are other modalities out there which can resource trauma. But do experiment and see if they are gentle enough for you and you really need to investigate to see whether or not these modalities are inspiring long-term change.

Thank you for reading!

Dixie Lee Peas, further info on the farm

I just wrote the first post in this series yesterday and in it I described the way in which I drove out of a small but cosmopolitan city into the country, and then I drove back in time to visit my friend Simon, the old-timer farmer.

I asked him about the barns behind his house, and he proceeded to tell me that the land had previously been owned by a gentleman in the early 1900’s who fancied himself as a plantation owner. He owned the entire 559 acres and he had several families renting from him who were tenant farmers. This plantation owner had over a hundred head of cattle (hence all the cattle grates on the driveway), pigs and chickens. Apparently some of the barns had collapsed or disintegrated, but they had been used for bacon or making sausage or storing hay, etc.

He mentioned how this “plantation owner” had gone bankrupt in the 1920’s and how his father and uncle had bought him out. Then somewhere in the 1950’s, Simon had inherited his father’s half and then bought out his uncle’s half of the land.

He seemed anxious to get going (or maybe he was anxious to stop talking about himself or his family), so we headed down to the garden. Keep in mind we are in the thick of summer here, so heading down to the garden is not an easy stroll through well manicured lawns, rather we drove through relatively smushed grass and parked under some saplings. Getting out of my car, I had to walk through some tall grass to get over to the vine-covered fence which delineated the garden. And of course that meant I had to pick off another tick!

Simon is almost 80 years old. So the amount of work he gets done in a day is amazing! Even if he claims to be slowing down now, I still think he could accomplish more in a day than I could. Wow!

We stopped near the fence where some sod was bare and obviously some plants had been moved or pulled up and disposed of. Simon had one of his buckets with him, and he showed me what was in it – compost type veggie and fruit scraps in a broth of reddish colored water. He proceeded to pluck up some grass and produce a makeshift strainer from the grass. He poured the compost water over a couple of raspberry plants – it was obvious he loved his raspberries very much!

Then we walked toward the main part of the garden. We stopped and he showed me where he had pulled up the raspberry sprouts from – apparently when raspberry plants lean over, where they hit the ground, they put down roots and a new root stock is created (allowing these plants to spread rapidly). So Simon just dug up the new root and put them where he wanted them and then he clipped back the main part of the plant. In his compost bucket are the tops of tomatoes, green ends from veggies and apple cores, etc. He also mentions how he saves his grey water and uses that to water half of the garden. He has a large garden – probably 100 feet by 30 feet, so I understand how there would not be enough grey water from one person to water the whole thing! And not to mention the work required to haul the water down there!

He tells me how he misses the groundhog which used to devour some of his crop. Apparently he loves to share some of his garden, especially with the small “varmints.” Now deer are another story – he has lease hunters come onto his land once a year and take all the deer they can get. But I learn more and more how complex a character this ancient Virginian is. He loves snakes, some varmints, raspberries and yet he is a gun-collecting, bible-thumping, conservative country man as well. Oh, and he might be the most generous person I know.

Simon tells me how he thinks the coyotes got his groundhog friend. Apparently he knew where the burrow was for this little friend and Simon no longer sees any tracks or rodent sized trails around it 😦 I did not realize coyotes were so common in Virginia, but once you leave the city, I guess they are there. He mentions hearing the coyote pups yipping and the adult baying some nights.

And then he explains how to go about picking the bush beans. “Do not step on anything green.” He explains. I know more than he thinks I know about weeds and gardens, but I agree and pretend to be the humble pupil in this situation. I look around at his garden and I see enormous okra plants, climbing tomatoes which are tall and verdant. Plus he points out a rare variety of melon called a Vine Peach or a Mango Melon. I had never heard of such a thing. He explains how he has never gotten a fruit from this plant as the frost hits in the fall before the fruit becomes ripe. But he is trying yet another year – and I’m assuming he is watering this melon well from his baths or his compost water.

We go about picking the bush beans – which are basically green beans – although some are more like peas in that their pods are more flat. Apparently these plants can produce one or the other of these types of bean.

It takes about 20 minutes or more to get through the first section of beans. And then he moves on to picking cress salad. This is a large leafed version of watercress (as far as I can tell). It also had the rich, astringent flavor similar to watercress. He told me to soak these leaves in water for about 20 minutes and then to steam them or put them in a soup. Adding bacon or a beaf bone would help too! Yum!

I will mention more of his stories in the next post. Thanks for reading!

Dixie Lee Peas, the adventure begins

My friend called me last week to say that our mutual friend, the extraordinarily generous old-timer farmer, had some bush beans, cress salad greens and tomatoes for her and that I could share in the haul if I did the picking.

So of course I said, “Sure!”

Keep in mind that this mutual farmer friend of ours has lived in Virginia all his life and grew up on the land he still owns. And his house is built into the side of a hill – yes, has bushes and grass and sod for a roof. And he has a stove pipe and several vents peeking through said grass.

And he has some really funny euphemisms and other fantastic anecdotes! So I said, “Yes! I am happy to spend time picking beans with Simon.” I made that name up to keep his real name anonymous.

A farmer's house under a grass rooftop — A farmer’s house under a grass rooftop

I will start from the beginning… Oh – and if “Simon” lets me, I would love to write a book about him, complete with recordings of his classic old Virginia accent (which you don’t hear anymore due to all the dilution).

As I drive out toward Mr. Underhill’s house and land and garden, it is a chilly summer morning. We are in the midst of a “polar vortex” in July and it is 72 degrees in Central Virginia at 10 AM in the middle of July! I turn off the main highway onto a typical, green-tunnel-of-trees-and-canopy, country road. It is narrow and I go up and down hills and around several wide curves. At one point I cross over a one-lane-bridge – those are always fun. I take it for granted myself, considering I was raised in the country myself (in beautiful Nelson County Virginia), but then I realize there are probably some city folk who don’t have a clue what I mean. So a one-lane-bridge is a narrow, bumpy, wooden bridge over a little creek or stream.

I get out to the driveway onto Simon’s land, which has a cute name. I cross over a cow grate immediately, and I assume that at one point, this large swath of land held many heads of cattle on it. At first the driveway is all gravel and it is wider than my Toyota Corolla. The driveway looks like it is well trodden (by cars). Then I take a left at a fork and the lane narrows a tiny bit. Passing several white farmhouses, I drive another quarter of a mile and I take yet another left at a fork in the road. And now the driveway has tufts of grass sticking up in the middle, as there are obviously less cars that come this way. And I hear several plants and vines striking the side of my car as I drive by them (the road has narrowed and one side has trees which come pretty close to the two tire tracks).

Then a dirt spit juts off to the right but I stay in my two gravel tire tracks. Then I go across a bizarre chunk of concrete which serves as a bridge over a little trickle of a stream. I’m not sure how old that chunk is, but I trust it, for now. And now I know I am getting close – there are several large rocks which have weathered over time and are sticking up out of the ground like ancient teeth, plus there is an old, rusted barbed-wire fence on the right.

Now, in a strange twist of things, the driveway is suddenly paved. And I see the barns in the distance which rise behind Simon’s house. Going around a bend, which wraps around a vine-covered fence post, I am suddenly at Simon’s house. Now I say the word “house” with some hesitation. See above picture…

Outside of his front door, there is a large assortment of junk metal, old buckets – some of which contain plants and other which seem empty, hub caps, old tires and several fig trees of all things! Oh plus there are about half a dozen broken tools which have obviously been rusting for years. And his house is built into the side of a hill. Maybe that is why I made up the name Simon Underhill for him… 🙂

I knock on the door. Nothing. I knock again. He had told me that he was going to be in the back doing some canning, so assume that is where he is. I wander toward the garage and take a peek inside – more of the same, tools, buckets, gardening supplies, picks, tools for his truck, etc. Then his door opens and I walk briskly back to meet him.

He is in his underwear with a thin long-sleeved shirt on his torso, so his long spindly legs are peeking out from under the shirt. I am a little taken aback, but by this point I have learned not to expect the usual from Simon. He tells me he will be right with me and shuts his door.

I wander around the side of his house and look at the bushes and grass on his roof. Oh, I should mention that I sprayed my legs and feet with this potent insect repellent which contains DEET (30%) to keep the bugs and ticks away from me. But in the time I walk from his front door and around the back of the hill which contains his “house,” I already have to pick off two eager adult deer ticks. Yummy! 😦

I peer around at the dilapidated barns and farm out buildings behind his home. I anticipate asking him about these. I am curious as I suspect this land has a rich story to tell.

By the time I get back around to his front door, and fortunately I might add, he is dressed and holding two buckets….

To Be Continued…

What little I know about Birth Dynamics

This material is copyrighted by M. Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Thank you for visiting! If you would like to receive a Spiritual Astrology interpretation or process-oriented bodywork, you can check out my website at www.mkirbymoore.com

As some of my readers may know, I have been studying process-oriented bodywork, pre- and perinatal psychology and Tibetan Buddhism for some years now. I have been giving and receiving treatments since 2004, and every day, I am amazed at how many layers there are to plumb the depths of. For instance, I recently received a treatment when the practitioner asked if I was a “forceps baby” – meaning were forceps used to get me out of my Momma? Yes, I was. So I am going to describe what happened next, but first some context.

I have been taking regular classes – at least 60 hours of class time per year since 2005, I have been giving and receiving regular treatments – I need my self-care / bodywork maintenance (!), and I have gone through some intensive birth process workshops and somatic process retreats. So I am probably not a novice anymore, right? I am blessed and yet I make stop-and-go progress which is occasionally frustrating. So this is the context in which I was receiving this most recent treatment.

So yes, I was a forceps baby. Keep in mind I am not a doctor, I’m not an obstetrician, and I am not licensed to practice medicine. So this is just for entertainment purposes or to be used as experiential testimony. After going through some basic listening stations along my body (feet/ leg bones / hip bones / ribs / paired cranial bones, etc) and then checking my sphenoid bone (the bone behind the eyes), she told me that my cranial bones were pretty locked up. I was feeling that. She asked if I wanted to try something. I said sure!

So she asked me to put my hands on my head, above my ears, and then she put her hands on mine. Keep in mind that this practitioner working on me has years of experience and she is certified as a registered craniosacral therapist, and on top of that, she is more of a listener and a healing coach than a “I’m going to fix you” type of practitioner, and that is why my body responds so well to these treatments. I am not recommending this to be tried at home – if you want a treatment like I am describing, you should research who in your area has studied some solid modalities like Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Pre- and Perinatal Psychology, Somatic Experiencing, etc.

Back to the story, her hands were on top of mine, applying very gentle “pressure.” Then she asked me to put all my angst and feelings about those forceps into my hands as I pushed hers away from my head. She recommended I make some sounds. So I did. I grunted and expressed my objection to anyone using a harsh, invasive, powerful force on my malleable baby head. And then we did this another two times, each time I was moaning or groaning or saying “No!” with determination. She resisted my hands a little, so this was not easy.

Then, after the third time, I told her I noticed a small, vulnerable part of me that wanted to cry. She asked where I felt that in my body, and I said I thought it was in my gut. Keep in mind that it is not easy for me to get to this baby part of me. I have done years of work, and yet I think some non-verbal aged trauma (pre-one-year-old) is very difficult to touch and process. So I was amazed at how such a simple exercise could do this.

Then she re-checked my cranial bones and she said I needed to take it easy for the next few hours as my bones had loosened up, but that I might feel wonky for a little while as a result. And sure enough, that afternoon, I could really only do about half an hour of work before I felt a strong need to rest for the same amount of time. It was like a magnetic pull to rest down!

I just want to express my little non-educated opinion on the subject of using forceps. First, I am glad forceps was the “worst” intervention used to get my baby body out of my mother! If a C-section was the next step, I’m glad they used forceps. And apparently, for babies who are sort of “stuck” in the birth canal, the use of forceps can sometimes be forced to be done blind. So I hope my doctor was very skillful!! And I certainly hope doctors are still skillful using this technique today.

With that said, the use of such a strong force on a baby, even if done right is an invasion. Therefore, I think it is necessary to talk to the mother and baby ahead of time – tell them what is coming. And just as importantly, it is necessary to have someone (a nurse, a mid-wife, a doula, etc) present at the birth who understands how to adjust babies’ cranial bones so that they don’t internalize that loss of control. I wanted to make my own way down the birth canal – but after 8 hours of contractions and pushing, the doctors decided things for me.

So there I was at the tender age of Zero, already developing a distrust of doctors, a fear of the medical system and I was already getting my sympathetic (fight-flight-or-freeze) nervous system geared up as I wanted to fight the doctor who had that horrible contraption around my head. BLEHCK!!!! No thank you!

And this is just one trauma that I experienced as a baby. You know, I wonder if this (and other traumas too) is why I do not enjoy celebrating my birth day. I always thought it was because I wanted to be humble or modest, but it might be more than that. Why would I want to remember the most important day of my life when it was marred by complications, mechanical interventions and potentially insensitive doctors? Yeah.

If you have read this far, you might need to take a deep breath. I am fine. Fortunately I have met with teachers and practitioners who know how to help me process all this “stuff.” I have overcome depression and headaches and other issues and I am really doing well. I am healthy and I continue to enjoy plumbing the depths of these psycho-emotional layers of what it is to be a body and be a human. Yay!

Thank you for reading.

Natal Jupiter in the 12th, Transiting Jupiter 12th

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My last post was about having natal Jupiter in the 12th in the sign of Cancer. And now, for the next few months, transiting Jupiter is also in the sign of Cancer, meaning for me Jupiter is traveling through familiar territory – the 12th house. So what are some potential ramifications of this?

The 12th House in the larger scheme of Astrological Cycles… Go back and peek at the previous post if you have not already done so, because that will detail what Jupiter in the 12th (as an independent Astrological House) can mean. Here I will detail what the 12th House means in relation to the other Houses.

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In Western Astrology, the 12 Astrological Houses each describe and are associated with differing areas of life. The 1st House is typically the beginning, the time and situation around one’s birth, and it is very self-oriented. What is my path? How do I go about treading my path will show up with the sign on the Ascendant and its aspects.

Likewise, as the 1st House is the beginning of a new cycle, the 12th House is the closure of the previous cycle. That is why the 12th House is sometimes described as the Cosmic Dustpan. Because that is where we are tidying up all the work done in the previous Houses and WE ARE PREPARING FOR A NEW CYCLE TO COME ABOUT.

But if you are like me, you are not entirely comfortable with the unknown! We want some control. We want some knowledge about what is around the corner. This is why most of us do not go through huge upheavals during Jupiter’s transition from 12th to 1st. (But we might say it is an upheaval when the Progressed Moon or Saturn go from natal 12th House to 1st.) Generally speaking we will have some knowledge about what is around the corner, but the details will be missing. For example… I am going to start a new direction in school – graduate school maybe? How am I going to pay for that? Which school will accept me? Where will I live? Will I have to get a job while I am in school? Etc…

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Temptations as the 12th is associated with Neptune… For me, as I mentioned in my previous post, Jupiter in the 12th House is not always easy. Yes it is Jupiter we are talking about, and yes in the 12th it is known as a Guardian Angel… But too many Neptunian influences will be difficult to navigate through. If we have Jupiter trine to our Sun, Moon or Venus from the 12th House, then we might be inclined to sit back and wait for the blessings to fall into our laps. I am not saying we are lazy (look to Saturn’s placement to answer that question). But we have learned that we are just fortunate enough to get by and we can be content with that. This will not be everybody, but this could especially be true for people with Jupiter in Cancer making a trine to a Piscean Sun Moon or Venus (plus a couple of planets in Virgo). You will be blessed in that case. But how you go about using your potential is up to you.

I started off this section mentioning the Neptunian temptations because Jupiter in the 12th is in Neptune’s domain. And again, this would be true more so for people with strongly Neptunian charts. Look for a stellium (3 or more planets) in the 12th House or in Pisces and / or look to strong Neptune aspects (conjunct / square / opposite Sun, Moon, Mercury, Ascendant). If we have a strong pull from Neptune when Jupiter is in the 12th house, instead of waiting with confident patience, knowing that we must consciously pause while a change of energy comes about, we might push on with frustration and tire ourselves out. Or we could become frustrated with the waiting and say to the Universe, “Screw this! I’m going to escape from this difficult waiting tonight!” You will hear Neptune’s voice whispering in your ear – and if a lot of 12th house energy or Neptune / Pisces energy is flowing around your chart, then you should find a wise person and ally yourself with them. I have heard it said that a Dragon – a powerful, wise and compassionate person is hard to find, but if you know of a Dragon in your neighborhood (an authentic spiritual teacher might very well be a Dragon), then you should seek them out. Especially during Jupiter’s transits through your 12th House!

When Jupiter is in the 12th House, see what forms of self care are both easy and kind to our selves. We can take a short bath. We can take a quick nap instead of using the computer to distract ourselves. Maybe we can go for a nice walk or a short hike? When you hear Neptune’s silky seductive voice whispering in your ear, move your awareness down into your heart. What does your body want? What does your heart need? Maybe sleeping would be a better idea than watching that Star Wars marathon…

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Feeling uncertain about the future but resting in the immediately present blessings… When Jupiter is in the 12th House, typically things will work out quite well within the next year. When Jupiter actually crosses the Ascendant, things will have been gradually clearing up and by that point, you will know what direction to pursue and how to go about that pursuit. We will probably be able to wait patiently while Jupiter is transiting the 12th House, but like I mention above, who is good at waiting patiently with confidence? This requires that we TRUST the process and trust the Universe to provide for us. And frankly, at times, that can be terrifying! Most of us use some form of distraction to pass the time. We do not like the word “bored.” We would rather spend an hour on Facebook than lie around waiting for the Universe to show us our path 🙂 But if you can slowly start to realize the ways in which we take a detour from our path, then we can start to do self care or spiritual practices which help us stay present and aware.

Jupiter in Cancer, 12th House

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And we will have courses coming out on Teachable soon (certainly by January of 2023).

Let’s unpack Jupiter in Cancer in the 12th:

What is Jupiter about?

Jupiter is the jovial, optimistic, speculating, the-grass-is-always-greener-on-the-other-side-of-the-fence, wanderlust-filled, adventuring, mental pioneering, broadener of horizons. Typically, Jupiter is seen as one of the sources of enthusiasm in the astrology chart. Does your Jupiter trine your Sun Moon or Mercury? If so, you may be prone to bouts of enthusiastic delight. 🙂 Also, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and it is the only planet which actually gives off energy by itself (without the Sun being involved). It’s size indicates how it tends to expand our thoughts about what is possible. Jupiter can push the envelope as it were and this can definitely show up with a potential to gamble when we have a strong Jupiter (or in fire signs). Although in this case – a watery sign like Cancer and a diffuse house like the 12th, gambling may not be indicated or recommended (look at the 5th house for more clarity around speculation).

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Jupiter in Cancer?

Jupiter is exalted in the sign of Cancer. What does exalted mean? This is the second most potent placing for the planet to be. Jupiter rules Sagittarius. Meaning it is very strong in that pioneering, studious (sometimes know-it-all sign), adventuresome fire sign, but it is also strong in the sign of Cancer. Why? Because Cancer is all about nurturing and taking care of our loved ones – be they family members or close friends and associates. When Jupiter’s natural expansion encounters Cancer’s natural love of nurturing, it is a good combination, let me tell you. In Buddhism, the word for the “highest” altruistic motivation is called Bodhicitta, which means the mind which wishes for all sentient beings (seen and unseen, known and unknown) to attain happiness and complete enlightenment. It is a very powerful motivation. However, most of us (myself included) have a difficult time maintaining strong Bodhicitta because we feel slighted by anger or jealousy or not getting our way (etc…).

Well Jupiter in Cancer has a natural leaning toward an altruistic motivation. You will not find many people with Jupiter in Cancer with a powerful cutthroat mentality unless it shows up in multiple other areas of the chart. Jupiter in Cancer types will be natural cooks, care takers, nurses, teachers, healers, and / or realtors (Cancer has a Lunar connection to the 4th house of land and real estate as well).

Jupiter in the 12th house?

Jupiter in the 12th house is said to be the Guardian Angel of the astrology chart. Why is this? Because the 12th house is the most mysterious of the Houses. It is where we subconsciously work against ourselves. It can also indicate a natural proclivity toward spiritual practices and awareness. It can even indicate psychic abilities (whether the individual wants them or not). Keep in mind that the 12th house is strongly associated with Neptune (and Pisces). Previously, before Neptune took over Pisces’ rulership, Jupiter ruled the sign of the bonded dual Fishes. So Jupiter in the 12th house is not much of a detriment when looking at planetary strengths. Normally all planets (save Saturn) lose strength when they are tenanting the 12th house. Jupiter still loses overall strength by being in the 12th, however it might confer extra intuitive abilities and not to mention unexpected luck and spiritual protection.

Jupiter in the 12th is watered down though. You will not often find crazy dare devils who are risking their lives deep into their 40’s and 50’s with this placement. Depending on what the 5th house and its ruler look like, you might take a few risks, but this individual will probably realize the fragility of the human condition sooner rather than later. And yes, I speak from personal experience… Therefore a watery Jupiter in a watery house is not going to be the wildly adventurous or overly jovial type (unless other strong indications exist in the chart).

So… My Jupiter in the 12th, in the 29th degree of Cancer indicates that I have the potential for spiritual awareness, a natural proclivity toward giving and altruism, a desire to nurture those who I care about and I might even have innate healing abilities. Hhhmmm. Well this all sounds great so far right?! And it is. I am quite blessed.

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$150.00

So why am I hesitating? Because Jupiter in the 12th house indicates a strong leaning toward a nebulous Neptunian nature. And then if this individual (me) is a Pisces, which I am, with Neptune squaring his natal Sun, which I have, then there is often times too much Neptune going around. And what does this mean?

Neptune seeks to transcend this dense world of relative reality we live in – in other words, Neptune seeks to transcend planet Earth and all the physical phenomena that come with living on this great planet. Neptune is the escapist, the addict, the artist, the seeker, the poet, the romantic and the mystic. But it is never the pragmatic realist. Sorry folks. So that is why it has taken me at least 35 years to begin to realize what I am doing on this planet. And this waiting is often times hell. I would rather push push push and accomplish something (this pushing is probably Saturn talking by the way, or an unconscious double bind speaking), even if it feels empty down the road than sit around and wait for my energy to rise. (Because Neptune can also indicate a watered down immune system where your energy will literally wax and wane.)

With all that said, Jupiter in the 12th house in Cancer is an incredible blessing. I am in contact with my spirit guides. I do not “hear” them directly yet, but I have spent a lot of time working on embodying and becoming more grounded. So I feel it in my body if a decision is way off the mark. I will get a quick head-ache if I make a severe detour from my path. And my body suffers if I waste too much time with less-than-wholesome pursuits.

I hope this speaks about Jupiter in Cancer and / or Jupiter in the 12th house a little. Let me know if you have comments on this subject.

Thanks for reading!

Spring 2014 update & crystal healing beds

Hello dear readers,

I have not been posting much recently because I have been working several part time jobs (at the same time). I am still waiting tables at a nice golf and tennis resort in town. Plus I have been helping a friend build a large deck on his house for a few weeks. And I am still working the front desk at the Bed and Breakfast where I live (downtown Charlottesville) – this is usually only one day a week. On top of that, I see clients one or two days a week as well. So all of my sparse down time is going toward self care and rest.

Fortunately I have a couple days off this week and I might have three days off next week! Wow! What will that be like? Although I am to help my step-dad build a new deck on their house starting in a few weeks… So I am happy to be staying busy.

I also wanted to say that I have started exchanging with a friend. I offer her Craniosacral treatments in exchange for lying on her crystal healing bed (from John of God’s center in Brazil). http://www.johnofgodcrystalhealingbeds.com/healing_sessions.htm

So far I feel that it does what the website says – I feel my chakras are balanced, I typically fall asleep for at least a few minutes (and considering my busy schedule, I could use some rest), and I feel more present, more grounded and often times I feel more embodied after lying on the bed. I do feel that there are altruistic beings working with and on me, but I do not know exactly who they are. I have not seen them or heard anything while lying on the healing bed.

By the way, “crystal healing bed” might be a bit of a misnomer. What it is is a bed you lie down on while the crystals are above you. There are 7 crystals which have different colored light shone through them onto your body. The various colored lights blink at a pattern which has been determined to have healing effects. The frequency of the blinking pattern can be slowed or increased. The colored lights are all associated with the 7 chakras – starting with violet at the crown chakra, indigo at the third eye, light blue at the throat, green at the heart, yellow at the solar plexus, orange at the secret place and then red at the root chakra. It is pretty wild.

My friend is interested in having more people use the crystal healing bed, so let me know if you are interested. She lives in Crozet, Virginia. Email me using kirby[at symbol]mkirbymoore.com or you can call me to inquire about it – 434.465/0603

You can also visit my website for more contact info and to see what I offer: www.mkirbymoore.com

Series on Hatching: Light Beings in the O.R.

This material is copyrighted by M. Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Thank you for visiting. If you would like to support Kirby’s blogging efforts, you can visit his website at www.mkirbymoore.com (You can also click on the links to the ads below)

As I wrote in my previous post, in 2002 I went into the hospital after having a prescient dream of having appendicitis. If you have not read that post, I would suggest doing so. Apparently the surgery went well, and also, with a fact I was not aware of, about 5% of people undergoing appendicitis surgery have complications (in my case, there was an arrhythmia) and in my case, they stopped my heart for a few minutes. I was “fine” considering I was already hooked up to life support and there was no brain damage. However, I would argue that there will always be ramifications when stopping someone’s heart (on a tangent: in the Tibetan language, the word for “mind” is sem pa and it is also a word for “heart.” Whenever a Tibetan person talks about their mind, they are often times pointing at their heart).

It turns out there were ramifications to having my heart stopped. I will be jumping back and forth a little here as far as a timeline goes, so hopefully you can keep track with me 🙂 Surgery – March 2002, Dreams about surgery – March 2005, Realizing the gravity of the dreams – May / June 2005

It took 3 years to begin to have dreams about what actually happened during that night of the surgery. And in the midst of those three years, my life started to change rather remarkably for the better as I began to study Spiritual Astrology, Reiki Energetic Healing and Western Shamanism. And of course, I should add that whenever one goes through a huge shift or transformation, there will be waves and troughs – periods where adjustment, reorientation and integration are necessary.

So first, about the dreams I had. I had that surgery around March 1st, 2002. Then a series of events led to my being invited to Hawai’i to take part in a dynamic week of workshops (Sacred Partnerships), swimming with the dolphins and going on whale watching boat trips. I met some incredible people and I had several vivid dreams. I was staying on the Big Island, where it is said that the energies are so powerful that your intention will come true (especially if it resonates with your Higher purpose). So they say be careful what you wish for while on that island. I am now wondering what I wished for, because I got some vivid glimpses into another dimension.

It was nearly 3 years to the day of the surgery when I had my first dream (about it). At first, when I had these dreams, I did not have a clue what I was seeing or why or how it affected me. Anyway, here is an example of the dreams: I am out of my body. I cannot see “myself” whatever form I am in, but I can feel and sense and see light beings around me. They are golden in color and a bit nebulous. I am very happy, blissful, feeling calm and at ease to be among these light beings.

In the second dream, the setting similar to the above details, plus I notice I am in a large hospital-type room. There are about 6 doctors or nurses in scrubs around a table. But I want to stay with the light beings. Their golden warm energy / light is soothing and I don’t want to leave them.

I had a total of three dreams about this event. And in the final dream, these light beings somehow (without opening their “mouths”) urged me back toward the operating table. I don’t recall any words, but somehow these beings are screaming at me to go. So I hesitantly glide back toward the doctors and the operating table. Then I am horrified when I am close enough to see who is on the table. The body and face on the table belong to me. It is my face. And then the doctors are doing something to shock “my” body around the heart area. And then I woke up from the vivid heart-pounding dream.

So of course I was shocked and very curious about these dreams, especially after having the third one. What was that about? Due to the three years of time overlap, I did not immediately put two and two together and it took discussions with several friends to realize that the dreams were about my previous surgery and that I had indeed left my body.

Another factoid which I feel may be pertinent here. When I had these dreams, in a new-age bed and breakfast on the Big Island of Hawai’i, I was staying in the “Dolphin” room. When I first entered that room, there was a picture of dolphins on ever wall – at least four pictures. Then I told the owners of the B & B that I was having rather remarkable and kind of terrifyingly vivid dreams. So near the end of my stay, they informed me that the “Dolphin” room where I was staying was actually the Archangel Michael room – because underneath each of those dolphin photos was a picture of the Archangel Michael – who I happened to be named after (my first name is Michael). So who knows, perhaps he had something to do with the timing of those dreams. Maybe it was the magical island I was staying on, or maybe it was just time.

A part of the reason I am sharing this information now, years later, is that these light beings or guides who I observed in those dreams would actually play a role in my life later on. And that is what future blog posts will be about.

Thank you for reading!