Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Kardung la Pass

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6/23/08 – Yesterday was a good day. We saw incredible monasteries, a veritable Buddist city on a hill and we crashed a Ladakhi wedding where everyone was incredibly generous and welcomed us with warmth and authenticity. Well guess what I discovered on this day, which might live in infamy in my viscera… My fear of heights translates to many different situations – Yay! Or I should say, Ouch. Here’s why: The roads in Northern India are not any better than the poorest roads in the United States (from my limited travels). I guess we should be grateful that they have roads at those high altitudes in India at all, but… I’m not sure I need to be on them! Maybe if I practice more Dharma I will let go of my attachment to self and this little phobia will go away upon doing so.

We were heading to the Nubra Valley. There are several monasteries in this valley, along with views of a canyon which rival that of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA, and there were several little surprising attractions as well.

On this day, we primarily traveled by car, up and across the highest motor-able road in the world. Seriously – 18000 plus feet. The problem, if I may go so far to call it that, was that to get to the Kardung la Pass, most of the road hugged the sides of precariously steep, cliff-like mountains, some of which seemed to be supported by shoddy masonry (only). As we went up higher and higher, we would see, far down the slopes, skeletons of Jeeps and LandRovers and buses that had fallen off the road, most likely with tragic consequences. And as if that were not enough, there were a couple places where rock slides had taken the road out and they were in the process of patching it back together.

Oh, and I need to mention that we were heading into areas that border Pakistan (or China), and therefore we had to have our passports with us in case we came to a military check point, which was not uncommon. That also meant we had to be careful what we photographed (basically no cameras around military installations). Not to cast a somber mood, because it seemed like these rules had been relaxed, but all of this was in my mind as we climbed to the highest point in our pilgrimage.

Just to give readers a little glimpse of what I found frightening: nearly all the corners around the mountain roads are blind. There are no lines on the road, no median and no extra space in the shoulder. Also, on at least half of the curves, there were no guard rails. So a slight mistake on the driver’s part or by the on-coming driver, and well, it would be time to practice Phowa (and hope our preparations for our next rebirth had bee in good order). Therefore, the drivers constantly honked as they approached each curve (thank goodness!) and as a result, I was constantly reminded of my fear of heights… But there was a silver lining and a beautiful valley to see on the other side. With that…

In my journal, I mention that there were large, colorful cargo trucks on this road, along with other buses and vans full of people and supplies. From about 16000 ft and up, the pavement stopped and more of a patchwork of cobblestones could be observed in the road. This was true on both sides of the pass. All in all, the journey to the Nubra valley took six hours (from Leh).

On top of Kardung la Pass, the air was thin, clean and crisp. Considering we had gone from Leh at 11000 ft to 18 K plus at the top, we needed jackets and there were little stubborn patches of snow around. Oh – a side note. Thankfully we did smoke pujas – otherwise known as offering rituals of protection on most days of the pilgrimage. And on this particular day, I was enormously glad we had done these rituals and that we continued doing them. We did smoke offerings at the top of the mountain as well, at least most of us did. Some people (those of us with spry youthful bodies) decided that 18,300 ft was not high enough and that they should continue climbing a rocky ridge up toward some boulders (see photo).

There was a military outpost on the pass, with soldiers milling around. There were a number of other tourists as well. We went up a little ways and came to a curious little temple – a one roomed shrine. There was a small couch or bed of sorts which made me wonder about its occupant. The shrine was in good order. While this little temple was fascinating, what really took the cake for me was the prayer flags on the “summit” near the pass. I got some good photos of members of our group, of the smoke offering being made and of the surrounding mountains as well. They said that, on a perfectly clear day, which was not this one, people could see all the way to the north and gaze upon K-2 – the second highest mountain in the world. As it was, they pointed out several mountains which were near K-2 (I guess its brothers and sisters).

We stopped for lunch near the side of the road, in a village that had an army base in it. There were wild dree (sp?), the hybrid breed of yak and cows, running around. They were incredibly dexterous and agile – considering they may have weighed in excess of 300 lbs! It was fun to observe a new species – a really hairy, agile cow. At first, some of us thought they were yak but we were quickly corrected.

Once we got to Nubra, there was a separate truck that had our supplies and workers (cooks and camp setter-uppers) – they had gone on, just ahead of us. We put our stuff in our tents, were supplied with sleeping bags and pads and some of us, like yours truly, were so exhausted from the long, precipitous ride that we took a nap.

Up above you can see the glacier which provides the water for Leh and its valley. They said that each year it is slow shrinking, which is going to be a problem one day. The Ladakhis are some of the best in the world at channeling water – their systems of irrigation were just mind boggling. But without any water to transport… Yes, a problem indeed.

Thank you for reading!

Kirby Moore

konchog chakchen

Crashing a Ladakhi Wedding

I went with a great group of students and practitioners and wanderers to Ladakh India in June and July of 2008. We had some incredibly amazing experiences – just coming back home, safely, after riding around the Ladakhi roads is saying something. But one of the surprising events, not on our itinerary, was on June 22nd. We were coming back from Chemray Monastery, when, luckily the trip guide had the windows down in his car. He heard some music coming from far off and asked the driver to stop. They backed up and sure enough, there was a wedding going on, out of sight but relatively close to the road. And of course you bring your 16 Caucasian, Western (clueless) tourist / pilgrims to a random wedding! I mean who doesn’t?

In the first picture, is the significant pile of wedding gifts, which I will get into. But first, we were a little hesitant. Was it okay to crash a stranger’s wedding? Did Namgyal, the guide, know these people? No he was not sure but he was insistent anyway. It turns out he knew some relatives of the bride and other friends. There was an enormous tent set up, with tapestries (dyed cloth) serving as the roof. And under this tent, there were at least 200 people – seriously. Up front where we came in, there were five or six musicians, playing big drums, little drums and a couple had wind instruments – horns of sorts. Every once in a while, the drummer with the largest drums would shlop some oil on his drum and smooth it around before continuing to play.

The Ladakhis were so, so sweet and generous. They made room for us up front and then they proceeded to treat us like we were honored guests – have you ever heard of such a thing? The parents of the bride and groom came by and greeted us – shaking our hands. Then they passed around plates and cups, along with the traditional Tibetan / Ladakhi butter tea – a very salty, buttery tea. Normally that tea is not my favorite, but on this day, it was awesome – of course it is like a meal in a cup, but it is filling and warming. Quite nice at the right time. Then someone came around with the celebratory rice with small sweet-potato-like roots in it, sweetened with raisins. I think it is called trol-ma-drey-see in funky phoneticized Tibetan. And that’s not all! After they had given us something to drink and fed us, someone passed us some Ladakhi Chang – it was called “Godfather.” Chang is the fermented barley beer / wine. Little did I know, and thankfully it was not a problem, but in Ladakh, this is not pasteurized – so the probiotics and vitamin B’s are better but you better hope they used clean water!

We arrived as they were about to start dancing. In Ladakh, they do a rhythmic, slow circular dance which I believe resembles and signifies a flower blossoming. The matron of our guest house explained it later on in the week. Some of us got up and danced with them, some people had to be pulled. For some reason, I was enjoying the Godfather (beer) too much to dance – or I had not had enough yet! On a side note, I have given up drinking for the most part, except on Tibetan holidays or with religious celebrations and on this day, I made an exception. Hey – when it Ladakh, do as the Ladakhis do – right? The tent was so large that, despite 30 or 40 people dancing in a circle, there were still rows of people in the back and they only circled a small part of the space (where the gifts were situated).

Later, once the dancing paused, the groom and his friends got up in front and started talking amongst themselves and occasionally one of them would go and talk with the parents of the bride / groom (I could not tell who was with whom). If this wedding was anything like a traditional Tibetan wedding, which I only know a little bit about, the families involved probably planned the union. We were there for at least an hour – maybe two – and we did not see any vows being exchanged and only rarely was the groom anywhere near the bride.

The groom and his friends were wearing some very interesting clothing and accessories. The groom had a traditional Ladakhi / Tibetan / Chinese tunic, blue jeans, Nike running shoes and he and his friends (about half a dozen or more) were wearing hats that looked like they were trying to communicate with extra terrestrials. I’m not sure if this is traditional garb for Ladakh, but see for yourself.

The bride was wearing the traditional turquoise and semi-precious stone head dress herself. I have heard that these are very heavy, and since I mainly saw the bride sitting down, it made sense. The ceremonial female headdress is like a cobra’s hood of sorts and actually the money in the Ladakhi families is controlled by the women because it is in their jewelry. Patriarchal religion but matriarchal family structure of sorts. See below for a picture of the back of the bride’s head – she was turned away from us and I did not feel like running around being a photographer (might have been rude at an otherwise awkward situation to begin with).

Thanks for reading and have a good day.

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Chemray Monastery

As I reflect on my trip to Ladakh, we were so very lucky. We had numerous adventures which tourists can only dream about – attending a Buddha and a King in His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, crashing a traditional Ladakhi wedding, attending a shaman / oracle and seeing her in action, as well as having tea with numerous Tulkus (recognized reincarnated Lamas). It might be difficult to replicate this pilgrimage in this lifetime. And of course there was the camel riding and other “touristy treats.” Wow! Needless to say, I’m glad I went.

So, in this post, there is a little Buddhist city known as Chemray Gompa. As we drove by it on the way to Tak Thog monastery further up the valley, I had an inkling I had been there before. It literally looks like a town on top of its hill – all the building in the traditional colors of monasteries – hence the Buddhist City designation. It is (another) Drukpa Kagyu monastery – as the majority of the monasteries we visited were of that sect. But it’s splendor is not easily passed over.

We ate lunch below the monastery and we got to see several Ladakhi families – including precious toddlers running around, exploring the stream and the irrigation canals. Afterward, we drove up the winding road to the monastery.

There were some local villagers at the monastery when we arrived, and seeing an ancient looking Ladakhi, her eyes deep and present, full of wisdom and chanting the Mani Mantra was precious. She may have been in her 50s or 60s, as, due to malnutrition and the harsh environment, Ladakhis tend to age quickly. In the states, her appearance might indicate 80 to 90 winters.

There were gorgeous murals (including these impermanence-inspiring dancing skeletons), very fresh and crisp – as if they had just been painted the day before. And at the very top of the monastery was the Guru Lhakang – the Guru Rinpoche shrine, and the paintings in there continued up the 20 ft walls and then across the ceilings. Incredible! This is where we saw the “I <heart> Drukpa” bumpersticker with His Holiness the Drukpa Kyabgon’s picture.

Thank you for visiting!

Kirby Moore

konchog chakchen

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – Tak Thog Monastery

In this post – we went to two monasteries on this day, along with crashing a Ladakhi wedding – what a surprise treat! The second monastery and wedding will wait for the next post. So, we went to two additional monasteries today – and while yesterday had the enormous Buddha statues, this day and its monasteries had their own selling points. First we drove to Tak Thog (rock ceiling) monastery and then visited Chemray on the way back.

We were in the car at least 90 minutes to drive out to the far reaches of Ladakh, in fact, Tak Thog monastery is significantly higher in altitude than Leh, I would guess it is at least at 15000 ft. We noticed the difference when we were climbing the monastery’s many steps. The road basically ends at the monastery because beyond, the mountains become too steep. In my journal I wrote that it was “way out in the middle of no where” which is saying a lot for ultra-rural Ladakh. Tak Thog is named appropriately, because some of its shrine rooms are in cozy, butter-lamp-soot stained caves with low rock ceilings (the rock walls and ceiling are black from the butter lamp exhaust). It is famous for having hosted Guru Rinpoche (he meditated there) and he apparently left a foot print in his meditation cave – however, today there is always a retreatant in that particular cave and we were not allowed to see it. Does that sound at all fishy to you? Not that it didn’t happen of course!

In this particular photo, I could not get a completely clear picture of this shrine room, even though I took over a dozen shots (?). However, this is the best pic I have. The ceiling had paper money (rupees) and coins stuck to it as offerings. Notice the black color of the rock.

The guide said that the monastery was “one ridge away from a glacier” (which is where the water for the long valley below originates). There were big round rocks all over this monastery, which was a treat. Unfortunately, the murals and paintings were blackened with soot and could only be viewed as vague outlines. This is one of the only Nyingma (ancient school) monasteries in Ladakh, so there were multiple statues of Guru Rinpoche. They were in the process of filling several – so a monk gave us a detailed explanation of that process (filling a 2 meter statue would take at least two months – so a tedious task to be sure).

I loved how this monastery used the natural rock formations, it was almost as if the mountain and the rock were more important than the building itself. What a great indigenous / Earth-loving concept!

Thanks for reading!

Kirby Moore

konchog chakchen

Pilgrimage to Ladakh – 6/21/08 – tidying up

In this post – a little continuation from 6/21/08. This is a picture of Buddhas carved in the 10th century!

I forgot one thing from the previous day, which is pretty cool. After Shey Palace we visited these carved rocks. Apparently these carvings are from the 10th century – which means they are over a thousand years old! Wow. They look similar to saints of other traditions.

Continuing my Pilgrimage to Ladakh series, a bit delayed

In the title I mention “a bit delayed.” Perhaps it has taken this long for me to have quality down time and who knows, maybe I am complete in my processing of the Pilgrimage – but I doubt it (two years later). In the post where I left off, we had just visited Stakna and Tikse Gompas (monasteries). And then, that long busy day continued and in this post I will mention the Stupa Burial Field and the Shey Palace.

6/21/08 continued… After the monasteries, we stopped at an enormous field of stupas. There may have been hundreds, literally, and they were in varying states of decay (a direct reminder of impermanence). Apparently this enormous stupa field was our equivalent of a graveyard – just for monks and lamas. The one pictured here was in good condition and we were told that it had just recently been the crematorium of a high lama. However, I was not about to find out if that were true or not!

One of our group members, who I wrote about in a previous post, you guessed it – the one who considered marathons to be a WARM UP, well he went jogging off into the distance, disappearing over sand dunes and then reappearing as a speck in the distance. Apparently the altitude (14000 ft) eventually had an affect – he continued running but when he returned he was breathing hard.

There was a pleasant pace about this part of the afternoon – we were given a bit of leeway and time to roam. We were corralled however and most of us walked up the street to the Shey Palace.

For me it was a good day. How could I tell? Well, when you are a Buddhist practitioner and you come across two of the largest Buddha statues you have ever laid eyes upon, both in the same day, it ought to be a pleasant experience. This is the picture of Buddha Shakyamuni’s head, which was easily taller than me by itself. I think this statue was 12 meters tall – like the previous Maitreya Statue, you could look down over the edge and see the statue’s lotus sitting position down below.

The palace had been ransacked apparently (a while back), and the thieves had cut a hole in the back of the statue’s head – hence the screen being there. Otherwise we were able to walk around the statue and the Buddha’s attendants had statues themselves in the corners – Shariputra and Maudhgalyayana. In this shrine room there were a couple of local Ladakhi’s speaking with a monk, and according to our guide, the monk was doing a divination for them.

The shrine in front of the Buddha statue was gorgeous. There were little piles of food and candy, flowers – you name it. See below. The Palace was large but we were only allowed to enter two rooms, and then walk around the roof. I thought it was special that the upper portion of the stupa, on top of the palace, was either solid gold or gold coated. It turns out most stupas are like that. Well hey – you learn something everyday!

Thanks for reading!

Kirby Moore

konchog chakchen

Kombucha! Fungus amungus

This material is copyrighted by M. Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

You just never know what will turn up on this blog. This is my Kombucha recipe, which I cannot take credit for. It was passed to me by Anne Catherine Bridell, a healing facilitator and brewer in the Nelson County area. See the notes after recipe for why you would want to brew or drink this ghastly, I mean, healthy concoction.

Kombucha Recipe

1. Bring to a Boil 3+ quarts filtered water. (2.84 Liters)
[I no longer recommend boiling for long periods of time, as this reduces oxygen and carbon necessary for proper kombucha fermenting. Use water of known quality. Heat the water to dissolve the sugar and extract the tea.]
2. Add Tea. 5-7 tea bags or 2-3 tsp. loose tea usually 15 grams
3. Steep 15 minutes. NOTE: refer to the specific tea brewing recommendations.
4. Add Sugar – 1 cup Sugar (6-8 ounces / 200-300 grams)
5. Allow to cool to room temperature

Keep covered and be careful of contamination at this stage as the brew is a highly Sweet and Appetizing. It is important to let the sweet tea brew cool down, because adding hot water to a large glass jar can cause it to crack or break, ruining your jar and your present batch.
7. Pour cool, room temperature liquid into fermenting container. (Large pickle jar works for me – allows for single batches, a barrel with a spout on it allows for a continuous brew, home beer brewing equipment also works well.)
8. Add Kombucha Mushroom (which is also at room temperature). You can buy a kit or get a mushroom from a friend, like me, who has extra – as they reproduce with each batch.
9. Add 2 cups Previously Fermented Kombucha Brew as a Starter. (25%)
[use the liquid that came with the mushroom starter ] or use 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar. (to reduce the pH and protect the ferment from pathogens). Do not use un-pasteurized non-distilled apple cider.
10. Cover with a clean cloth, paper towel or coffee filter (cheese cloth or coffee filter work best, if unavailable use a clean cloth which covers the entire spout of the container and then use a rubber band to seal well). Set aside in a quiet undisturbed spot. Every time the liquid is disturbed the mushroom will begin to start forming over again and not form properly. (This last sentence is a little strong, I believe it takes quite a disturbance to disrupt the mushroom’s process. However, I would not shake the container or move it while it is fermenting.)
11. Ferment. 6 – 8 days normal brew cycle at 80F constant temperature, 8-14 days in the 70s F). 60F or below is not recommended. First time may take longer. Temperature Range: 68-83 degrees Fahrenheit. (20 – 26 degrees Centigrade). The pH 2.7 to 3.2.
Save 1-2 cups (8-16 oz/240-500 ml) to begin another batch. Each batch should produce another mushroom (SCOBY). Save one mushroom and tea safely away in the event of some disaster. Use either mushroom to start another batch. You may also combine mushrooms or give away to friends.

Okay – that is the info I got from friends, along with a little of my own editorials. I have found that you can use any kind of caffeinated tea, or, every other batch if you want, use a red tea (rooibos). For some reason the mushroom flourishes in caffeine – I guess there are fungus junkies too. Therefore, if you are like me, and are sensitive to caffeine, you can still brew a form of kombucha, but I would recommend “recharging” your mushroom every other or every third batch.

Why would anyone want to drink this vinegar-smelling / tasting concoction? Well, from my personal experience, it is very beneficial for my digestion. In my limited studies on the Kombucha subject, the fermentation process creates many healthy probiotics and actually, when the acidic liquid is digested, it forms an alkaline pH in the body, which is very healthy. After a few drinks, you get used to the taste and actually, depending on what kind of sweetener and tea you use, you can really make diverse variations. For instance, you can experiment with honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses or other types of sweeteners – I used rice syrup with positive results on one batch.

I know there are websites which post the “dangers” of home brewing kombucha, but in my experience of years of brewing beer at home and now with non-alcoholic fermentation, if we are careful about cleaning all the equipment and supplies (sanitizing), then it is difficult to create a “rogue” batch. Only once in eight years have I produced something which might have been able to start an engine, and I swiftly determined the difference from the odor and I did not drink it (that was a batch of beer several years ago).

Now I am not recommending you do this on your own – I would recommend you work with someone who has experience and who knows what it is supposed to taste like. But I certainly do not pay attention to nay sayers in this case. The problem with purchasing the store brands of kombucha is that they are either pasteurized (and missing many of the healthy bioflora) or they are not pasteurized and you might be taking a chance with their product.

Overall, it is a fun process and watching with unusual curiosity, all the various striations and forms the mushrooms take as they grow (sometimes it can be a bit bizarre and fascinating), I find it to be a valuable and worthwhile endeavor.

Professional soccer, hard knocks thru an astrological lens

This material is copyrighted by M. Kirby Moore. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

This post is about professional soccer and the possible reflected angst on the field, shown in the astrological heavens. I watched this game on February 6th, meaning these words are all applicable to that time period.

I played soccer for 18 years and then, when injuries continued to set me back, I stopped playing and coached for several more. Therefore, I am drawn to watch quality soccer and in particular, the English Premier League. My favorite teams are Liverpool and Everton (due to certain English and American players whom I tend to favor). Recently, both of these teams played each other, and in watching the highlights, I was shocked at how rough the game was – much more so than a “normal” heated rivalry game. The referee ejected two players outright and yellow-carded (warned) several others, which is rare indeed. [When a player is ejected, that leaves 10 or less on the field meaning the players quickly become exhausted.]

Don’t get me wrong. When you have devoted umpteen years (thousands of hours) to something, you begin to understand and relish the subtleties of that subject. Even in the case of sports. Some people who know me as more of a philosopher / spiritual practitioner may wonder about this aspect – but I am just being honest about me (the question I have heard more than once is – how does intellectual debate and over-paid athletics fit together in the same context?). Well, my answer is such: When I watch a quality soccer match (like the upcoming World Cup will hopefully bring us), I see art in motion – the ball gracefully and eloquently dances around the field, often times only being touched once by each player, and yet it goes exactly where they intended it to. Once you know the intricacies of the game, the strategy and the nuance start to open up, and you watch as these elite athletes do the impossible with the ball. I believe there is a reason that soccer is the world’s sport – to get to be that good at something without using one’s hands, arms or shoulders truly requires consistent, diligent effort – and not to mention substantial reorganization of the brain’s synapses (we are “programmed” from birth to have faster development, easier dexterity and fine coordination in the hands, fingers and arms compared to the legs and feet).

Well guess what? The above game reminded me that the astrological players (planets) are going through a shoving match of their own, but at present they are being more intense than usual. The harsh tackles of the game made more sense in my mind, after observing “the stars” and their aspects. Sure, some people would agree that these are overpaid, hot-headed athletes, and for them to let the heat of the moment get to them might make sense. However, restraint and self-control are actually the norm. So what is going on that might lead players to “attack” each other so harshly?

I want to state for the record that the planets do not actually “do” anything or directly cause any events to occur (obviously), rather they are a reflection of our ego states. You could say that the planets represent and reflect parts of our collective and individual psyche. So when the planets line up in heated aspects, that means internal psychological parts of us may be doing the same – internal conflicts being made transparent through the solar system. For instance, there are constantly parts of our internal structures expanding, contracting, seeking pleasure, seeking stability, craving independence, etc – I believe the astrological planets represent these different flavors.

I would have to say that Saturn, Pluto and Uranus are involved, then throw in Mars being retrograde and the transiting Sun / Venus being conjunct transiting Neptune, and you have yourself a recipe for multiple impassioned, deluded, machismo-filled players. I will run through these quickly, as I have touched on some of these aspects in previous posts (see the Spiritual Astrology category).

In the extremely fast pace of professional sports and in particular sports like soccer where there can easily be contact and tackles, grace and instantaneous reaction times and instincts are necessary to protect the body. Split second decision making is the norm and the ability to cause harm to other players is always present, even inadvertently – it is the athlete’s restraint and instincts that normally protect them and each other. And astrologically speaking, I believe that certain planets represent different parts of the body / mind system, in addition to their psychological ramifications. And I wonder if response times would change if different parts of the psyche heat up as it were. I certainly believe that decision making is affected, as was evident on the field that day.

So, I would say that the over-arching culprits were Saturn and Pluto. These transiting giants have been making a Square aspect for several weeks now, which is finally starting to resolve. Then Saturn will move into orb with Uranus, making an Opposition aspect as it completes its retrograde cycle. Due to their orbit times, Saturn and Uranus will not be making a hard aspect for another 10 plus years. Saturn is the cold, distant, stern, disciplinarian planet – the perfectionist and the efficient task-master (these are the traits in us that it reflects). While Pluto is a dark, calculating, secret, stewing planet of transformation – imagine a hidden, subterranean pressure-cooker. Both of these planets, in contemporary evolutionary astrology are indicators of the ripening of challenging Karma. So, when they collide, it is generally a good idea to practice restraint, patience and self control – not to mention having your spiritual practice in order ahead of time (we never know what our karma has in store for us, but if we practice sincerely, I believe we might be able to lighten the burden as it were, if appropriate).

I am not intending to make a fatalistic prediction here – it is only when the Square aspect these giants are making falls directly on planets in our Natal Charts that the causes and conditions arise for challenging karma to manifest. That is why life continues to go on for the rest of us. To put this in understandable language, Saturn is in early Libra at present, squaring transiting Pluto which is in early Capricorn. They are both in Cardinal signs, which means there is a 90 degree, or Square aspect formed between them. On an individual basis, if we have numerous planets, or if one of our significant personal planets is in the early degrees of Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn), then we should take some precautions during this time. What I mean by major personal planets are the Sun, Moon or Mars (and / or the ruler of the chart, Sun or Moon).

Also, if you have a major planet in the late degrees of Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and especially Pisces), then Uranus (at present) and Saturn (coming in late March / April) will be making hard aspects to those. Luckily these hard aspects fall in the more flexible Mutable signs, but I still might recommend some extra time for relaxing as these are two of the more potent transiting planets (Saturn, Uranus and Pluto are known for manifesting challenging karma – in terms of physical manifestations. Neptune is also a karmic indicator, but it exclusively affects the mental / psycho-spiritual / creative realms).

I will touch on the precautions that I mention later, for now, I want to continue with the above recipe that I mentioned: Mars is also retrograde, plus transiting Venus and the Sun were conjunct transiting Neptune. Whenever Mars goes retrograde, it is recommended to be a little less active physically and become more active with planning / reflection / introspection. Actually I would add that more time is needed to stretch and warm up – we can still be as active but we must prepare our body more as Mars rules the musculature and connective tissue in the body. Basically, if you have the capacity and the resources, when Mars goes retrograde (about once / 2.5 years) it is recommended to go into meditative retreat or at least to increase the time spent reflecting. Mars rules the musculature, the blood (iron), athletes (it is the god of war), the head, plus the fine line between healthy competition and heated, aggressive conflict. In general, when Mars goes retrograde, you can notice more injuries happening in professional sports – especially the sports where there is heavy contact (American football, soccer, hockey, rugby, etc). More stretching and warm-up time is needed during its retrograde cycle.

Finally, the Sun and Venus were transiting and in conjunction with transiting Neptune, enhancing and amplifying the delusional and imaginative side of the mind for a week or so. If we have a major planet in the late stages of the Fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, then this combination could reflect our head being in the clouds for whatever reason. I also believe that this combination might slow the reaction times in the body – Venus and Neptune are all about the subtleties of life – slowing down and enjoying the nuances of art, food, beauty, nature, etc. The classical Taurus (ruled by Venus) and the typical Piscean are not quick to react or exceptionally dexterous, rather they are more clumsy and into the refined side of life. So back to my theory: having the Big Three Karmic Giants active, plus Mars retrograde, in addition to Neptune’s influence, I think we saw numerous athletes lose their heads and their tempers and unfortunately it led to an ugly game. Luckily no one was seriously injured.

In general, a good prescription for the above “ailments” is more rest and down time, and more importantly, know yourself. If we know the red flags which make us reactive and hot under the collar, this is a great first line of defense. We should probably stay away from situations where we might make costly errors in judgment during these times (like go to an upscale bar as opposed to the rowdy, competitive sports bar until the transits pass). If we play sports, take the requisite time to stretch and if you feel your temper starting to flare, quickly demand a substitute. Take some deep breaths – give the hot energy a healthy outlet. I know a little about this, because in my personal soccer career, during Mars retrograde and transiting Pluto Conjunct my Sun Ruler (Neptune) and Square my Natal Sun, I sustained three injuries within several weeks of each other and quit playing as a result. Luckily, through coaching, I can stay passionate and enthusiastic, yet stay safely on the sidelines.

Thanks for reading! Have a great week.

Wanderers and Magicians

As readers may have noticed, I have been working excessively at the local ski resort for the past few weeks, and as a result, I needed a breather. Thankfully I received one this past weekend, as the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick Maryland had to postpone their Losar celebrations for a week, as they were dealing with 3 to 4 feet of snow. Saturday was a Manjushri teaching and blessing ceremony (an empowerment) and then on Sunday we had a Lama Chopa practice, a Tsok feast and then outside for a Losar smoke offering.

Amidst enormous piles of snow, I spent the weekend with Khenpo and friends at the TMC. They were hit by two blizzards in the course of five days, leaving them with more than three feet of snow to deal with. Khenpo and Michael (the manager) had just shoveled the roof, and I chipped in with shoveling the deck. Even after a couple weeks of melting, there was much work to be done.

“A true hero is one who conquers their internal afflicted emotions, not one who conquers outer enemies.” ~paraphrase of Shantideva’s quote from the Bodhicaryavatara

Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin led the ceremonies, as he was the only lama on the mountain (for the weekend). Saturday, we had about 15 people show up for the Manjushri blessing and teachings. This was precious, as I had not received teachings on Manjushri from a Kagyu lama. Khenpo led us through the blessing ceremony, in a thorough fashion, with plenty of inspiring explanation. Then in the afternoon he taught on the actual practice of Manjushri; I had been fending off a cold, so I needed a nap. I turned up the speakers in the main house however, so I dreamed off and on about receiving Dharma teachings. I am hoping we can still receive the teachings at some level when we sleep near the shrine room… Is that a stretch?

Saturday night, Khenpo was kind enough to let me watch the Olympics in his room, as he both watched and sent emails. I enjoyed and am grateful for a deeper connection with him as we discussed several topics, both superficial and more in depth.

Then on Sunday, despite a very limited parking arrangement (there was a path wide enough for two cars to park in, about ten deep), we had about 75 people show up. It was kind of comical – every five minutes or so, someone would check in asking – “who is the owner of a brown / black <blank>? We need you to move your vehicle as you are blocking the way in / out.” This happened at least five times.

Lama Chopa, according to my limited understanding, is a practice where we make offerings to the entire Drikung Kagyu lineage, especially to Lord Jigten Sumgon, the founder of the lineage and to the lineage holders up thru the present. Then we ask for and receive their blessings, and if we are offering a Tsok feast, we get to partake of the blessed food during the ceremony. There were about 15 college students there, some from Georgetown University and others from Gettysburg College – some of them had many questions and were reluctant to participate, however, Ngedun – the resident Frederick Md. Drikung Kagyu Western monk – was able to pacify most of their worries. I’m glad he offered to distribute some Tsok food and give limited teachings as he was doing so.

Then we went outside for the smoke offering. This is known as a Sang offering in Tibetan. Someone had done a lot (!) of work shoveling snow from around the kiln, enough for us to have about 30 people join the smoke offering ceremony circle. The only two monastics were Khenpo and Ngedun, so I stood between them as they needed someone to hold the text. Khenpo played the cymbals and Ngedun played the huge drum. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of this actual ceremony, as I was busily flipping pages and inhaling the blessings of the smoke… ugh. However I am very glad I did so. Actually there was a woman present with multiple cameras from the Washington Post – she said they were changing their “On Faith” section and she was doing a project on Buddhism. So I might have my picture in the Post (small chance).

People continued to arrive throughout the day, and a couple of families arrived in the afternoon after all the ceremonies were complete. I was in charge of driving Khenpo back to Charlottesville as he was joining us for a mid-week teaching and then he is heading down to Va. Beach to bless their new shrine room and give teachings.

On the road, Khenpo asked me how school was coming along. Was I finished yet? Uhhh… Well I had to answer him and we got into an inspiring conversation. I told him that “I still did not know what I want to do when I grow up.” Considering I am turning 31 next month, this is a bit of a sensitive topic for me. I guess I have shame arising as a result of being in school off and on for 12 years – and still not having graduated. He asked further into what was holding me back and I told him. Then he mentioned something quite valuable – he said, that for me to be this close to finishing school (I just need one more semester of classes), despite my not knowing what I want to do, is like someone planning an extravagant vacation, booking the tickets and going to the beautiful new country. But then, once they arrive, they go to their hotel and just stay in the hotel the whole time. They do not see the beautiful sights around them and then they just head back home – so what was the point of their vacation? They wasted all that time and money for what? Yes, I get it – I just have to finish school and allow life to unfold as I do so.

May all sentient beings cultivate a connection with compassionate wisdom beings.

Buddhist view of the Astrological 12th house – Part II

I would recommend reading Part I first, as this post is an extension of the former post – “Buddhist view of the astrological 12^th house.” Also, I added a section at the end explaining how all this 12th house shadow material can be worked through, giving us more creativity, intuition and joy – it is not all trouble with the 12th! 🙂

When we break out of the conditioned habitual tendencies of thinking of ourselves first; when we start to serve others sincerely – just for the sake of benefiting them (not out of fame, gain or praise or any other distortions), then we start to purify our negative karma and therefore purify our bad habits. It is possible – but it takes time. We should not start out on the spiritual path thinking we will become completely and perfectly happy in one year, or even five years, because that is absolutely unrealistic. Think about it – we have spent millions and millions of lives – countless years perpetuating many challenging habits – to try to break a deeply ingrained chain like that, in a short period of time, is almost impossible. Therefore have patience, be kind to yourself along the way – take some breaks to integrate, make mistakes make repair but keep practicing, keep analyzing, keep being gentle to your self and others.

Then we start to unravel the 12th house. We don’t have to be Buddhist – when we have been sincerely practicing Bodhicitta for many years, or even for many lifetimes, then we can start to move toward unsurpassed, perfect, complete, precious enlightenment – to gain an understanding of the ultimate nature of reality. But until that time, we are caught in these cycles of dissatisfaction. One of my heart teachers, Julie Henderson, the creator of Zapchen Somatics constantly reminds me, when I use the word, “addiction,” that this word is not kind – it has a rather negative connotation. Rather, I have habits which perpetuate my suffering and dissatisfaction – I have taken refuge in behavior that will not lead to enlightenment – therefore I should call these habits an “insufficient refuge” or “temporary compensations.” I whole-heartedly agree but I have to catch myself – I have a habit of being hard on myself and reverting back to calling them “addictions.”

[Revised 2021: I mention the above advice from Julie Henderson with some distance from it. I say that because I have now worked with numerous people in the recovery population – whether over-eaters, narcotics, alcohol, etc. And for them, there is a problem, there is a sickness, and they need to be honest about it to begin to repair it. Therefore, if it benefits you to call it an addiction, then by all means please do that! Once we can put some distance between my self and my thoughts, my witnessing consciousness and my compulsions, this witness part of me and my emotions, etc, then we can more easily say these are habits are merely insufficient sources of refuge and temporary compensations. But in the meantime, we need medicine for our sickness. So we should get that in any appropriate way we are able to!]

[Update Nov. 2017: the more I learn about the autonomic nervous system, the more addictive behavior makes sense. For instance, when a situation is too overwhelming, we slip out of possible social nervous system down into sympathetic areas – and we revert to fight flight or freeze (wary freeze is different from below). Then if that situation remains too overwhelming and does not change for the better, we can slip even further down the nervous system tree into parasympathetic freeze or shock. When this occurs, we often compensate by dissociating, disembodying or checking out / numbness. And here is the important part: the body starts to produce endorphins as a last defense against dying. Endorphins make the mind feel some bliss. It is as if, “well I’m about to be eaten by a lion, might as well bliss out ahead of time!” But today, in this modern world, this evolutionary defense is a detriment. Because for those of us who have felt that parasympathetic shock and accompanying endorphins, we unconsciously yearn to get back to that state. If we move toward health a little, but then have some of our overwhelm history get triggered or activated, then we will be tempted to do some behavior (or substance) which gets us back to dissociative numbness with the accompanying endorphins. This might explain a little about addictive behavior.]

It is these habits or conditioned patterns which work against us, and show up through the 12th house. When we are reactive and self-oriented, the 12th house might show some afflictions (challenging aspects to planets within it). But our frequency and our understanding determines how these afflictions manifest – I have seen clients with Saturn and Pluto in their 12th house be completely happy and content through serving others. Sure they did not have a lot of spare time for themselves, their lifestyles may not be for everyone, but they themselves were very content. Who can honestly say that about most areas of their life? “Yeah, overall I’m quite happy.” Overall are you content? Maybe some of us. I’m not sure about my answer.

I have also seen people with loaded 12th houses be very self-oriented, in afflicted ways. Petty theft, lying, personality disorders, the ability (and possibly the enjoyment) of pushing other people’s buttons, etc have all been reflected in 12th house issues – say the Moon in the 12th squaring Neptune (they might use those psychic, intuitive abilities in a distorted, manipulative manner like a psychopath might). Or as in the case of one of my high school friends – he had his Sagittarian Sun, Venus and Mercury in the 12th, with a challenging aspect to them, and he was extremely oriented toward self gain – it was almost as if he saw the world as an enormous personal challenge and he had to outwit and conquer it. Ugh! [From my personal experience of having worked with people who have birth trauma to work through, this could have been the case here.] Just relax, work to improve your lifestyle and ethical behavior, accept your karma and start leading a virtuous lifestyle – things will change eventually. Cause and effect is a universal law. If we put the conditions in place for positive outcomes, they will come.

For me personally, at present, Mars is retrograde and transiting my 12th house. This is in addition to Uranus transiting my Natal Sun which is in Pisces which is associated with the 12th house. Recently, I have been very tempted – I want to fall back on old habits which I know in my heart will lead to perpetuating the conditions for further suffering, but the pleasure and the comfort of these patterns is so tempting – I desperately want to revert to my old behavior. But luckily my practice is such that I am now able to say, “this is my mind moving through space. This too shall pass.” I observe my process and I am able to breathe through most of these retrograde thoughts. And, most importantly, I have surrounded myself with wise spiritual friends who gently point out what I am experiencing, what they notice and remind me of the vows I have taken. And I have a long way to go.

The 12th house shows us our flaws and defects. When major planets transit the 12th house, we can be tempted and we will probably fall back on sources of insufficient refuge and temporary compensations (substance abuse, deception and/or indulging in eating lots of comfort foods are easy examples). We might revert back to some behavior which we thought we gave up years ago. We might “retrograde” along our path for a few weeks or months. Especially if we tend to self-isolate. Without spiritual friends and a loving, supportive community, people who tell us the truth – with wisdom and true compassion – no matter how it might make us feel – we can easily step off our path.

In conclusion, I would not recommend having fear toward the 12th house. Rather, slowly build up wise habits and constantly aspire to develop good qualities. Realize that it is okay to take some steps backwards – but build in resources (teachers, spiritual friends, tools for quality self care, daily meditation practice which leads towards a heart filled with Bodhicitta, etc) which will prevent you from backtracking for too long. Be kind to yourself – we are human and we make mistakes – how else do we learn? And we can still love ourselves. Bring failure and success onto the path. Be aware of a desire to constantly “get it right.” This is unrealistic and an impossible goal to achieve. Through diligent practice and analysis, we can gain an understanding of the world around us, as well as an understanding of our inner machinations. Work to leave the world a better place than how you found it, practice patience and acceptance – of yourself and others. Then, I feel, we are on a path toward lasting happiness and on our way out of 12^th house challenges.

As Garchen Rinpoche says, and I paraphrase, “benefiting self leads to suffering, benefiting others leads to happiness. With compassion toward others, we can melt the ice of self-grasping from our hearts.”

Update Nov 2017: Wow – I really give the 12th house a bad name don’t I? There are some great boons to having planets in the 12th as well. Especially if we work through some of the unconscious material that it is indicating. For instance, people with planets in the 12th can be extremely accurate judges of character. Their gut feeling about someone is usually right on. Sometimes, if we have Neptune in the 12th, or Moon making a major aspect to Neptune from the 12th, we might be able to see auras or we might have precognitive dreams – seeing bits and pieces about the future. A lot of psychic energy is stored in the 12th house. When we liberate the shadow material – honor our history, resolve old misunderstandings and trauma, bring our little wounded parts along with us on our healing journey, then that psychic energy which was going toward our shadow stuff becomes liberated and we have more psychic capacity, more creativity and more joy as a result! Wow!

Thanks for reading!

Kirby Moore

konchog chakchen