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Source of Inspiration
Life experience, astrology,
metaphysical teachings, past
life regressions
© 2010 - 2017 by Joyce Mason
This offering and some of the soon-to-follow
PsychKicks are updated articles from The
Radical Virgo and Hot
Flashbacks, Cool Insights. They fit our PsychKicks themes, and that I thought
you’d enjoy or re-enjoy them in their newest incarnations.
I
first became involved in metaphysics in 1977. Little did I know then what a red-letter year ’77 would be.
On November 1, the planetary body Chiron was discovered. Chiron would
ultimately become my specialty as an astrologer, but not until we “met” eleven
years later. Among other things, Chiron’s discovery ushered in a focus on
ecology, alternative medicine, and an interest in “New Age” spirituality.
Another iconic event that year awakened the consciousness of many people—the
release of the first Star Wars movie.
There’s nothing like cinema to coincide with and even help create cultural turning
points. Suddenly, we were saying, “May the Force be with you,” acknowledging
that there was one joining power we could tap into. We were spouting Yoda-isms,
words to live by from the tiny green wizened one.
“Luminous beings are we … not this
crude matter.” ~ Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
My intro to these subjects came from psychic and
meditation teacher
Betty Bethards and
Unity Church, but my upbringing
influenced the way I saw a melting pot of ideas from different religions and
traditions. Take
karma for example.
While karma has many dimensions, the rough parallel is the biblical, “As ye
sow, so shall ye reap.” However, karma adds the idea of reincarnation, that you
may be reaping your crop through several lifetimes. This is much more than “God’ll
get you for that,” as
Maude used to
tell her husband Walter on her hilarious spin-off from
All in the Family. Karma is about balance, learning both what
nourishes us and what doesn’t work—anything that hurts ourselves or others. If
we hurt others, we’ll eventually walk a mile in painful shoes. If we don’t love
ourselves enough, we’ll taste the bitterness of that path and be given a chance
to try the sweet nectar of self-compassion instead.
What Are the Mechanics?
I was one of those overly curious kids who asked my father why so often, he wished
he had a why swatter. When I received new information, sometimes before my
physical and emotional maturity to handle it, I would always get hung-up on the
mechanics. For instance, when I first heard about sex and how people “do it,” I
had to get out two of my dolls, imagining the male to have an anatomically
correct appendage, and experiment with how the male and female parts might fit
together. I didn’t get it. Grown-ups must be acrobats! At least I got points
for an inquiring mind.
The same thing happened to me with karma. Once I heard that you often go
through many lifetimes with the same cast of characters, repeating similar
scenes until you complete your “business,” I had to figure out a way to wrap my
brain around something so complicated. Here’s what I came up with as a
touchstone for organizing my thoughts around karma and reincarnation.
The Great Flow Charters in the Sky and Magic Marker Music
I first got this idea before social networking and many tools we take for
granted nowadays. I envisioned that each person has a team of advisers, a karma committee, to help map out his or her next incarnation for maximum learning. This is esessentially what Betty taught us.
With my Catholic background and being raised by an Italian mama, I saw my
committee as handsome young Italian-American men in blue pinstripe suits, sort
of a white-collar version of Tony Soprano’s mob family. Only better looking.
Only angels. They didn’t make their bones; they made their wings. Bad guys gone
good, now rewarded with the important job of helping others settle their own
scores in their multiple lives.
They’re in a “peace room” of sorts, the heavenly version of a war room where
strategies are plotted before the plotted arise and are planted on earth again,
body and soul together, one more time. They have to figure out how this complex
of people will meet up and have all the experiences they need with all the
right people from their past karmic strings of events. What a job!
I envision several flip charts. On them, the well-dressed angels are drawing intricate
flow charts. Each chart stands for an individual life. Imagine the number of
charts in a room in order to dovetail all of a person’s primary encounters with
the people who are their sources of “unfinished business.” I can barely
conceive of the complexity of this. If I had come lately to these ideas, I’d
probably imagine some sort of computer program or phone app. But I’d lose
something important with a more modern image. The visual of the flow charts
makes obvious what a complex puzzle karma can be. It’s easier to grasp the idea
in the visible foreground rather than thinking about how some magic box or
program makes it happen offstage.
When my karmic connections and karmic moments happen, my mind hears the squeak
of the Magic Markers the Flow Charters use, dancing furiously on those flip
charts. I imagine the entangled strategy it took for all the planets to align
and the people nudged to get this moment to synch up.
The Mystique of Karma
Karma has a mystique like marriage. I had a great conversation with a friend
once concerning what a minefield it is to offer opinions on someone else’s
marriage, no matter how close the friendship. What Anne said is both
commonsense and profound:
Ultimately, what's between us and our husbands is part of that mysterious
alchemy that no other person can ever fully know (including us, some of the
time!)
I dare say, the same goes for karma—or maybe it goes for karma foremost,
because what marriage would not be a karmic relationship?
The resonance of karma is what pulls people together. We recognize each other
energetically. Astrologer Barbara Hand Clow believes that we retain our same
Ascendant in our birth chart lifetime after lifetime. One thing the Ascendant
or rising sign has to do with is how we look. In other words, she believes we
retain looks similar enough from one incarnation to the next to be recognized
by our karmic posse. Even though it’s a radical idea, it feels plausible to me,
especially after noticing how often I have been attracted to men with a certain
look.
Karmic connections involve strong magnetism and a sense of rediscovery. It’s
like when you haven’t seen an old friend for years, and you pick right up where
you left off. Only you don’t consciously “know” this person yet in this
lifetime, so you can’t understand why it feels that way using “normal” logic.
Details Please! Past Life Regression
I’ve had several past live regressions, a form of self-exploration that I would
recommend that you try only with a trusted practitioner by way of a personal
referral. I learned amazing things, including my role as an astrologer in
Atlantis and how much trouble it got me into. It explains why I’ve had an
approach-avoidance conflict with reclaiming that vocation in my current
lifetime.
I know that my husband, Tim, was also my husband in Atlantis. He took care of
me when I was disabled, and now I am returning the favor in helping him
navigate his health issues and disability in our current life.
“Much to
learn you still have…my old padawan. This is just
the beginning!” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
But What If You Don’t Believe in Reincarnation?
You don’t have to believe in reincarnation for this concept to work. In today’s
world, life is so fast and jam-packed with experiences, we live what’s
tantamount to numerous lifetimes in a single incarnation. Non-believers might
even be more proficient in resolving karma, thinking this lifetime is “it” and
all the time they have to work out their relationships.
Completing circles—that’s what it’s all about. Balancing the favors,
grievances, love, good and bad feelings and coming to a higher understanding of
the essence of each individual on your Great Flow Chart in the Sky, especially yourself.
And, of course, you can see a lot of your karmic story in the
ultimate cosmic flow chart of your horoscope, especially when you start
comparing yours with others' in your karmic cluster. Some types of astrology such as
evolutionary astrology focus on this aspect of birth charts and the Moon's nodes role in the past-life and karmic picture.
I don’t know what is the sound of one hand clapping, but I do love the sound of
one marker squeaking.
~~~
Photo Credit: Kids side kicking - keigo1027yasuda @ fotolia.com; Whiteboard
– Tuulijumala @ Dreamstime.com
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by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D.
