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If our true nature is permitted to guide our life, we grow healthy, fruitful and happy…yet 98 percent of us die before we taste the nectar of our magnificence. Abraham Maslow In Susan Cain’s rave-received book, “Quiet,” she breathes fresh air into the inborn personality style of the introvert.1 She does so from the inside out. By exposing the judgmental bias against this gentle temperament, the sizable numbers of introverts are now liberated from their hiding places and can relinquish the charade of an extroverted persona! For those solitude-seeking ones of us who are the reflective and soft-spoken introverts, in a fast-paced Western world that venerates the “Extrovert Ideal,” we are vindicated. We are released from a lop-sided value system that enthrones and honors the outgoing, showy, loud, competitive person who insists on leading the pack. We introverts are neither “maladjusted,” as astrologer Donna Cunningham put it, nor require repair for being true to our contemplative nature and the rich inner life that is immensely satisfying to us. Rather, it is the inwardly directed and cerebral ones whose legacies include a substantial share of the world’s finest science, literature, art, music, movies, and inventions. Eckhart Tolle describes the seemingly passive, outwardly unremarkable people as the “frequency holders,” whose role is as vital as the “creators, doers, and reformers.”2 Living their lives in sacred mindfulness, Tolle suggests the task of these mild-mannered, unassuming ones is “to anchor the new consciousness on the arising new earth.” To infer that a person is strictly one “pure” type or another is to miss the point of the complexity of the human personality with its variety of traits and unique familial contexts. Carl Jung, who first divided temperament into the “attitudes” of introversion and extroversion, believed each person tends to experience the world from one or other of these predominant viewpoints—an inward, subjective focus or an outer-directed emphasis. Extroverts refuel via incessant action and “people” activities, whereas the introvert thrives by being alone to think, read, imagine, and feel. One tends to talk, the other to listen. But Jung counseled, “there is no such thing as a pure extrovert or pure introvert. Such a man would be in the lunatic asylum.” Similar to the natal birth chart, which is also composed of many interacting factors that collectively create a whole individual, there are as many “kinds” of people across the personality continuum as there are distinctive astrological templates. Our natal imprint and temperament are both givens. For example, I chose to be born with the Sun in Pisces and intrinsically introverted, so this will remain the same. I get to keep what I chose! And, yet, in the same way that we age and evolve over the course of our lives, the birth chart also “progresses,” bringing in differing energies, challenges, and aptitudes during various periods of our lifetime. So, for me, when the Sun progressed from the watery impressionability of subtle Pisces into the fiery, initiating sign of go-getting Aries, there to remain for 30 years, my temperamental style naturally incorporated much more of the outer-directed, gregarious way of the extrovert. Mixing it up as part of the “in” crowd in activities like cheerleading and student government, I was a bolder, adventurous version of myself, accomplishing a lot on the outward scene! Those sorts of interests were appropriate for me at that time in my life, but I returned to my essential core as an introvert. Following our “true nature,” as psychologist Abraham Maslow notes above, is the only authentic way to create a healthy and joyful life. In a general sense, there are a number of astrological correspondences to the introverted nature—the style that favors environments that have a minimum of stimulation. A rather obvious similarity is to the elements of Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) and Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), which are the receptive, more withdrawing, reflective energies. Cancer, as one of the Cardinal signs, is associated with “outgoing-ness” but this quality is apt to be under the surface in this protective, maternal sign. Capricorn, in keeping with its “Cardinality,” is meant to express in an outward, worldlier way. These two elements comprise the (six) Feminine signs, denoting a responsive and intuitional approach, as well as symbolizing a sensitive, cautious, and indirect but deliberate manner. A rich emotional and interior life keeps their essential energy self-contained. Feminine signs are inclined to tap the Source of life by allowing and flowing—known as yin in the Taoist tradition. Representing the physical life, the Earth element prefers a continuity of effort that brings gradual, tangible gains. Earth is the sensation function in Jungian typology. The instinctive and fluid element of Water, which relates to the emotional and spiritual planes, is the most softly personal and malleable. Water is the feeling function in Jungian typology. When these two elements are highlighted in a natal chart, it can suggest a tendency toward shyness, modesty, privacy, and self-doubt. The phlegmatic and melancholic dispositions, in the realm of temperament theory, are those related to the elements of Water and Earth respectively, hence closely akin to introversion. Some of the key words that describe the distinctive qualities of the phlegmatic are: likes to be alone, reserved, shy, silent, thoughtful, slow-moving, easy-going, contemplative, often lacking in social skills, and outwardly disinterested in the opinions of others. A few of the descriptors for the melancholic nature are: not outgoing, quiet, deliberate, steady, persistent, good-hearted, loyal to the few, eschews the latest fashions, and prone to pessimism.3 Temperament, like the balance of elements, can express itself in culturally positive or negative ways, as can the extreme introvert who may be reclusive to the point of being dysfunctional. It’s not surprising that the houses (4th, 8th, and 12th) associated with the tender element of Water correspond with the reticence of introversion. These mysterious areas of the chart point to the subtle, private, hidden, withdrawn, intra-physic side of life. In fact, one of the meanings of “quiet” is “done in private”—those real and symbolic ways of tithing in secret. These houses refer particularly to the subjectivity of human experience and those secluded places and relationships that tend to be intimately enclosed and protected. Thus, the Water houses are places of greatest impressionability. These three sectors invite us to spend time in solitude and deep introspection. Here, in the silence, we encounter our true self with its intuitive guidance and inspirational messages. Life’s interconnectedness and spiritual consciousness are only accessed in the stillness of voluntary retreat and receptivity—in these houses of depth and liberation. The treasures of eternal value are found within, not in the stressed-out hustle and bustle of an over-driven, over-scheduled existence. Consequently, these Watery domains of life are not ones wherein confirmation is usually sought outwardly through energies expressed in external activities or avenues. It is interesting that Alfred Adler, in the 1920’s, was the first psychologist to describe what he called the “inferiority complex,” also known as the “IC.”4 In the circle of 360° that comprises the astrological chart, with its “twelve “house” divisions, the 4th house cusp is termed the “IC” (imum caelum) or nadir point, which is the natural house of the home- and family-loving sign of Cancer. At the bottom of the chart (or sky), corresponding with the darkness of midnight, we enter the watery domain of the 4th house that describes the most private, deepest “roots” of our being, the place of silence within where we remove all contrived, outer masks and courageously look into the mirror of our own eyes and heart, there to discover who we really are—a perfect creation of Divine heritage. Everyone shines, given the right lighting. For some, it’s a Broadway spotlight, for others, a lamplit desk. Find your lighting this year, and bask in it. Susan Cain Yet another grouping of houses, those termed “Cadent” houses (3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th), match up with the cerebral inclinations of introversion. These houses are the least expressive places in the chart in terms of public exposure and recognition, signifying the inner world of thought wherein ideas and energies of the mind are formulated and dispersed. They relate to the studious, reflective, or educational aspects of life that describe an inclination toward being less noticed and outwardly active. The quiet strength of the Cadent areas of the chart have been mistaken for weakness when viewed from the materialist or extroverted (cultural) point of view, similar to the bias against the retiring, bookish nature of the introvert. Even on the physiological level, an introvert is compelled to withdraw from highly stimulating environments, in order to avert the need to engage in small talk, for instance, and hence concentrate on more personally suitable, on-thing-at-a-time endeavors like writing. Although the larger-than-life, mega-star type of personality on the world stage would not grow out of the cadency zones, the “man of contemplation” is as necessary as the “man of action.” Sadly, studies document a preference by many parents for their extroverted children over their demure ones who are introverted.5 The planetary phenomenon of “retrograde motion” and that of the Moon’s void-of-course periods share parallels with the life journey of the introvert. At cyclical intervals, when the planets (except the Sun and Moon) appear to move backwards, we too need “to step backward ” and draw inward (rather than forward and outward) to rest, re-center, and renew, to allow ourselves some well-deserved down time, literally and symbolically. These phases imply a judicious hiatus to retreat for introspective reflection, review, and re-visioning. Meant to invoke calm fortitude, retrograde cycles and the Moon’s void periods (when the Moon makes her last major aspect before entering the next sign) represent a highly purposeful re-aligning in the natural flow and ebb of energy. In spite of that, the do, produce, achieve, progress orientation in Western culture, which in our extroverted world is frenetic for most people, promotes exhaustion through its quest for tangible results and profitable bottom lines. But life must periodically give way to the yin state of simply “being,” in what the wise Taoist Sages advised, “take no unnecessary action.” Peaceful withdrawal into the solitude of silence is strength. Ultimately, a serene body, mind, and emotions beget heavenly effects. There is a thread of truth that runs through and binds the above concepts regarding the naturally understated and simple temperament of the introvert. Teresa of Ávila often used a metaphor for Divine grace—and it was water. The mystical waters and feelings of the interior, introverted life are the only place we can touch our soul and drink of the living waters of Spirit. “You can only feed the tree of life from within,” Joel Goldsmith makes clear, “not from without.” Grace—a result of practicing the Eternal Presence—is never bestowed in the incessant activity of being over stimulated or over committed. For things of lasting quality to evolve, we must spend time in and allow for the space of silence and inward retreat. Only in quietude, when we reach the higher spheres and behold our True Self, does grace come in unforeseen moments, enfolding us in transcendent Wisdom and Peace.   Related Posts: • Self-Creation • Inner Signature • Soul Note • Energy Signal • Self-Acceptance Heals the World • Putting on Your Everyday Face • Central Pillars of Dr. Edward Bach’s Life • Oranges Only Grow On Orange Trees • Ad Infinitum Ourselves • Be True • Divine Seeds Endnotes: 1. Susan Cain. 2013. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Broadway Paperbacks. 2. Eckhart Tolle. 2006. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. A Plume Book. 3. Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum. 2005. Temperament Astrology’s Forgotten Key. The Wessex Astrologer Ltd. 4. op. cit. Susan Cain. 5. Donna Cunningham mentions these studies in the series she is currently doing on her Sky Writer blog about the privacy-seeking nature of the 12th house, with a whole collection of excellent articles. On February 5, she posted “12th House People as Introverts: the Power of Solitude.” Text © by Zane Maser, 2013. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

If you are interested in an astrological consultation and/or a specific question answered by a horary chart, please visit SunnyCat© Astrology.

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The twelve houses are, in their own way, just as important as the [zodiac] signs, indicating as they do the areas of life in which the influences of the planets and signs actually manifest in the conditions of day-to-day life. Simon Bentley, Homes in the Heavens Lying in bed this morn, dozing in that relaxed but heightened liminal space between sleeping and awakening, I saw an image—quite spontaneously. The brief moments spent in liminality are that sacred place of waiting and transition, literally a threshold, from its Latin meaning. Here, we invite important messages from the night’s dreams and/or symbols and images that arise unexpectedly to move with us into the conscious light of day. If we are blessed, we may already know the meaning of such mysteries from our psyche’s nocturnal wanderings. If not, we must attempt to unravel them. The vivid image that caught my attention, as slumber receded, was a sturdily built, European style pram, otherwise known as a baby carriage. Stepping closer, I was shocked to see a tiny baby nestled amongst the cozy, warm blankets of its buggy! And just what am I to do with a baby girl, who seems now to be quite settled within my consciousness? I don’t know a thing about caring for such a wee one, never having raised a baby myself in this lifetime. I’m going to need A LOT of help! HELP!!! Then I was aware, in such a wonderfully fluid movement, of being shown through the various, basic areas of a child’s life. Surprised by the little hand that now took mine, to be my trusty companion, we begin to slowly perambulate around a circle with its twelve distinct divisions. In a sense, it’s like a training manual. She shares that these twelve segments of life are called “houses” or “places” (as the ancient Hellenistic stargazers referred to them). Each house describes the fundamental processes that signify specific “fields” of human activity. They are based on the daily (24-hour) cycle of the Earth rotating on its axis. If we look skyward, these twelve houses symbolize huge sectors of the heavens, thus differentiating both space and time. When lowered to the level of earth, they represent the physical embodiment upon which a whole life is created. Each house can reveal not only the brilliance and greatness of gifts we’ve already earned but also what needs further development during the present incarnation. This symbolic circle depicts our natal horoscope—the circle with its twelve spokes united in the Center of Consciousness. The circle contains the full spectrum of human life in all its dramatic experiences and richness. These are the houses that the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in them. Taking care of her physical being and bodily vitality seem a good place to begin, like what do I feed a growing infant and how do I clothe her in a pleasant and appealing fashion. How do I support her sense of self or identity that will constitute her basic personality and characteristics for which she will later be known for when someone first meets her? Will her temperament be animated and self-expressive or quiet and self-contained? Helping her to gently unfold her own individuality, like a blossoming flower, seems like the best foundation for this most important First House of Self. She looks up and melts me with her smile. And, I wonder how she will someday view the world—from eyes glowing with love, I hope. With my confidence growing, I have a gut feeling I can access my inner and outer resources—and resourcefulness—as well as my natural talents to make this small one feel secure and comfortable in her physical being. Is there anything more valuable to spend my financial well-being on than her personal care and growing self-assurance, so that her sense of self-worth is lovingly intact for the good life she so richly deserves? Because I value and respect myself, I am well able to value and respect her. We have traveled the territory of the Second House of Resources and Orientation toward the Material World. This is the realm in which we decide how and where to expend our overall energetic budget on the things we value based on our values. Time passes. I bet she’s curious about our immediate surroundings; so today we’ll explore this diverse community to meet the neighbors, some relatives and cousins, and perhaps the mailperson. Bicycling to the city park will be fun, too, in order for her to get acquainted with children her own age, as there are no siblings to interact with. Their minds as busy as little bees, they’ll be chattering, giggling, and questioning each other as they swing back and forth. It will not be long before they become fast friends, sharing the diversity of their favorite books, perhaps even entering the same school as classmates. Soon, she’ll be entering the tech-savvy world of today’s kids, wherein all forms of communication and mental processes are among the concerns of the Third House of Daily Interactions. But, for now, I’m encouraging her to enjoy childhood innocence while she can, without the continual, mindless preoccupation of “texting and tweeting.” Meanwhile back within the privacy and protection of our safe haven, there is no place quite so protective as a stable home base, within which the rooted sense of parental love and family are shared. Each person is like a satellite revolving around a familial core. Here, the child can begin to discover their inner depths during times of quiet contentment while feeling deeply secure. Family traditions and ingrained, emotional patterns mold and sustain us during our upbringing, those origins passed through the generations as a thread of continuity and recreated as we move out into the waters of life. In our innermost being, “home” is the psychological and physical underpinnings around which a life is built, even to our dying breath. In this sacred child-mother moment, however, the little feminine hand in mine gives me a squeeze, because she feels she warmly belongs within the enclosed space of the Fourth House of Hearth and Clan—those who in our private life impart the strongest, indelible influence. Then on some luminous day, we’ll dash out of the house to take a break, expending some of our spontaneous energy to romp and play in the sunrays! It’s time for carefree skipping and other innocent child-like pleasures, such as imaginative games, sports, and parties. If we’re not willing to risk making our dreams come true, with all our heart’s desire, how can we find out what we most love to create? It’s okay to shine in our individual, special way and step onto center stage for some well-earned applause, growing into our true self while gaining in confidence—of what we first generate from within our selfhood and then manifest outwardly. This is the Fifth House of the Happy Hearted Child and of Innate Creativity. Later, when the young girl stretches toward adolescence, I’ll tell her, “your heart will awaken to feelings of affection, romance, and love, but that particular tomorrow is a long way off, so let’s enjoy the spontaneity of this sunlit moment now. After our wonderful burst of silliness and relaxation, we’ll return to the more basic tasks of everyday reality with its discipline, routines and rituals, responsibilities, and work (on that yet-to-come day in her vocational future). Being really conscientious and good at something, after honing our aptitudes, is its own satisfying reward! If we take care of the practical, daily business of good nutrition, habits like walking the dog or keeping our body supple through a devoted practice such as yoga, and seeing how we might support someone in need through doing a useful service, then we can create ordered patterns of life that nurture our health, mind, and spirit in positive ways over the long-term. Considered the Sixth House of Self-Improvement and Helping, this is the area of life much like an open book that reveals how to live on a day-to-day basis regarding self-care, competence, and giving-ness that improves life for others. The quality of self-refinement in our own life is the quality we are able to contribute to the community—the same boat we all share. Hurray for us, my little adventuring companion, we have now traversed the lower half of the circle, the six houses that are below the horizon (those invisible houses under the ground on which we stand). These houses are considered the “night-time” half of the circular wheel, denoting the more personal, private, subjective, and receptive sectors of our lives. This half points not only to our immediate environs but also to our inner being wherein we come to know our inward essence, as well as what potential our unique capabilities might become if we are positively focused and diligent. So, we move upward spatially and above the horizon—termed the chart’s horizontal axis, which divides it into equal upper and lower halves. The upper half of the circle includes zones seven through twelve. In these houses, life takes on a more objective and extroverted flow in terms of an orientation toward social and collective endeavors. For the most part, personal significance and fulfillment tends to come from outer achievements gained in the public, community, and spiritual arenas. Now a young woman with a good sense of self, my companion and I are well prepared to meet others in one-to-one connections and relationships of like affinity, in addition to how we interact with the general public. This is the Seventh House of Unions and Partnerships. These include all types of “essential others” who mirror back to us our positive and “shadow” aspects—how we shine and what qualities of character we may lack. The intimate companions we are naturally drawn to may function as an alter ego—the person(s) we greatly admire or whom we feel would complete us. In this house of blending, we enter into such committed relationships as with a spouse, business partner, or very close friends (including those with clients, competitors, adversaries, and even enemies), who give us the opportunity to learn the art of cooperation, compromise, and harmony. When there is deep rapport, the bond is one of respectful equality and shared love. In the idyllic partnership, we are both self-contained and intertwined—always looking out for the well-being of the other’s backside! Trekking on now to even deeper regions of the psyche and heart, my sidekick and I enter the Eighth House of Intimacy and Transcendence. In this intense domain of exchange, we encounter the subtle, inward places of life that require our ultimate faith, trust, and ability to surrender, so that we can mutually share jointly held resources. Many of these signify the most personal energies of life, such as power and manipulation, temptation, moments of upheaval and change, shared assets, legacies, and sexual union. The catalytic processes of this house require some stripping away of the old for the advent of the new—the little deaths of things, conditions, relationships, and the out-lived parts of our self we must relinquish in order to develop fully. As an arena of multi-dimensionality, this place is also connected with clairvoyance, initiation, and the Path of Discipleship. Self-empowerment and the awakening of spiritual consciousness—making the intangible tangible—are the true mastery and inheritance denoted by this powerful house of evolutionary transformation. The essence of the next sector of life—the Ninth House of Expanding Wisdom and Consciousness—encapsulates, as part of each soul’s joyful quest, a multiplicity of experiences that are intended to broaden our perspective on the universe and its Timeless Truths. Here, my young pal’s beliefs and ideals will be tested as she discovers the meaningfulness of life and its events, in part through her willingness to encounter new and unfamiliar horizons. This aspirational area of the chart relates to adventurous stretching, both mentally and physically, through advanced subjects like philosophical pursuits, law, religion, mysticism, spirituality, and faraway travels, where foreign cultures are experienced. Teaching, writing, and publishing about the wider world are a natural consequence of what lies beyond the commonplace life that has been enlarged, perhaps by also tapping into higher forces and levels of life that lie behind outer consciousness. Imbued with spiritual undertones, this sector of life was once called the “House of God,” and thus is considered sacred territory. It is linked with finding a higher purpose in this life. And so, my friend’s tour continues. Taking the happy buoyancy of the Ninth House with us, we reach the prominent top of the circle. Call it the limelight! It is the most visible Tenth House of Social Identity and Profession, considered the pinnacle or culmination of the chart. Equipped with the tutelage from our parents and family, here is where we create a public image in the external sphere of achievement and recognition. This arena is related to the life direction, professional contribution to society, to excellence, reputation, and honor, including issues of how we deal with authority internally and externally. Exemplifying one’s highest potential, it is the sector of life that revels the wherewithal to find a meaningful place within the community. This area of “destiny” symbolizes the natural inclinations in both my companion’s vocational and spiritual life and represents her service to humanity through these vehicles. This influential house is associated esoterically with the Masters and the Hierarchy—much like attaining the summit of the mountain from which she will clearly embrace her dharmic duty and calling. Thus, it is the legacy each of us bequeaths the future based on our steadfast strivings in the present to become somebody of respectful standing. Considered a very fortunate house, we step together into the Eleventh House of Friendships and Group Endeavors. In the widest context, it is the “Global Community.” This future-oriented arena of life pertains to fellowship with friends, peers, teammates, groups and organizations, and their activities. It includes the desire to belong to and network with a social community of like-minded individuals, environmental and humanitarian interests, along with far-reaching objectives. A willingness to mix and mingle in shared endeavors that better the quality of life on all levels is amongst the altruistic aims—and joys—of this collective sphere of life. Healthy, personal projects and priorities are what give my maturing young lady the momentum to become something greater than the person she is today, which, in a superb stroke of genius, also moves her into a larger realm beyond the personal sense of self. Now, through envisioning a better world, we can together bestow our unique talents as gifts to the society of which we are an intrinsic part. What we send out to uplift the common good returns to us in many forms of loving reward. The Twelfth House of Solitude and Self-Confrontation is the most introspective zone of the chart, which relates to all hidden and secret matters, those that are often met inwardly and privately. Unknown “enemies” are found here—those adversarial ones in the external world and more importantly the disowned enemies of our subconscious fears and darkness. This domain of vulnerability, where we tend to “closet” our “blind spots,” requires quiet, meditative moments of seclusion in order to apprehend the principle of diminishment of the personal ego and submission to what is infinitely larger than the earthly self. As a mystical and sacred gateway into the Inner Kingdom, this arena comprises the many unconscious ways we tend to self-sabotage ourselves. The consequences my maturing friend and I create can include weakness, dependencies, difficulties, losses, restrictions, inhibitive influences (both internally and externally derived), and extreme sacrifice. Known as a karmic area of life, suffering and confrontation with our shadow elements may ultimately lead to initiation and self-compassion, because, in the end, a spiritual purpose is gained through the lessons of limitation and dormancy often required by the twelfth house. In moments of deep anguish, self-doubt, and disintegration, the soul is cleansed and healed, gaining the experiential knowledge that sorrow and joy are two sides of the same self-transcendent coin. Thus, this house concerns spiritual intentions and the interior quest to return to Source, to inner strengths, and also unselfish service to humanity. As the final portion of the chart, it is about the endings, in one form or another, that are necessary in order to evolve and move onto the next stage of the spiritual journey, having earned a higher rung of mastery for our next lifetime. In this closing stage of the circle, my companion and I are together earning personal freedom through acts of selflessness, soul yearnings for Unity, and finally by the grace of God. The End is the Beginning The little girl and I have now traversed the entire circle of a life with its grand adventures. Our journey’s duration of 24 hours around the wheel of experience also signifies 360° from beginning to end, only to begin again on another new spiral. What if, at some point in evolution, there is no imaginary or real line that divides earth and heaven, but rather in this awakened state of being we lose all segmentation to once again realize firsthand the perfect interpenetration of all life. For now, however, we’ve passed through a brief encapsulation describing the essence of the major departments that comprise each life—a guidebook for the art of living. Accompanied by the tiny girl who was nestled in that envisioned baby carriage, her heaven-sent message is: Let us make a concerted effort to live all the aspects of human existence with a greater degree of consciousness, renewed strength, confidence, joy, and love. Perfect we are created from the Divine Heart. Perfectly we dance through our many rounds from beginning to end to beginning. Perfect we are created from the Divine Heart.   Related Posts: • Another Car Dream • Cycles Upon Cycles • Causation • Divine Seeds • Self-Creation • Greatness Within • The Cup Called Mother • For the Love of Dad • A Salute to Brothers • Memory Garden • How Would You Be Remembered? Text © by Zane Maser, 2013. Photo of child © by Chris and Zane Maser, 2013. Photo of the European pram from Wikimedia Commons. Examples of chart forms free for use accessed from the internet. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

If you are interested in an astrological consultation and/or a specific question answered by a horary chart, please visit SunnyCat© Astrology.

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The paradox of choice is we’re swimming in choices, but we have no choice. We have to choose. Whether we make a choice or renege, it’s still a choice of consequence. Chris Maser Since January began, two close friends have experienced significant losses due to loved ones passing on—one was expected, the other was sudden and staggering. Yet another friend has grown immune to the drugs that were holding his cancer in relative remission. On Friday, after several nights of freezing temperatures, our neighborhood awoke to water pouring down the streets as a main water pipe ruptured. Many of the homes surrounding ours that have basements were flooded with both water and the “black water” of sewage waste ruining everything in its wake. Neighbors rallied to help neighbors. In countries like Syria and Algeria, much of the population is exposed to war-like conditions, conflict, and the extreme circumstances of terrorism and its aftermath. Heavy snow and frigid temperatures have temporarily closed some airports across Europe. Hardships abound, on many levels. Life takes us on its ups and downs. We can choose either a reactive position that screams “no” or respond consciously to what shows up. Despite the challenging moments and periods we all undergo from time to time, there is an Inner Light of Joy that can sustain us, filling us from the inside out. Life can be a stupendous adventure to navigate with courage and boldness, while being grateful for its many twists and turns of learning. It’s not all easy or fun, but for the heart that allows the energies of life to simply move freely—and resists not—will get bumped a whole lot less! Unable to mask it, our personal outlook towards life precedes us wherever we go. As Emerson declared, our attitude can thunder so loudly we can’t hear what the person is saying! In the Teachings of Abraham, he describes it as our “vibrational proclivity,” which is our repetitive patterns of thought that become the mindless beliefs that guide us as though we are on automatic pilot. For many, their predominant vibrational signature is something that is an unconscious background noise of their existence. Their inward lack of harmony affects others as well. Even when life throws us a curve ball or a fast-thrown ball, we can always choose to lighten up! A sales clerk at our favorite grocery store is a marvelous example. Whenever I ask him how he’s doing, his jolly response is “awesome!” He goes through life in a stu-pen-dy! fashion. His buoyant energy always lifts me and makes me smile, so that I look forward to encounters with him. He’s like a joyful pitcher of water pouring his happy energies out to all who come within his energetic field. His exuberance bubbles forth in a heartening circle to brighten and cheer the world around him, which in fact is his immediate universe. In doing so, he daily enriches the Universe as a whole! The optimistic outlook he radiates is descriptive of all the synonyms of stupendous: excellent, marvelous, wonderful, remarkable, phenomenal, fabulous, fantastic, tremendous, sensational, breathtaking, wondrous, superb, brilliant, staggering, out of this world, mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, of surpassing belief. “Stupendous” comes from the Latin stupēre—”to be amazed” or “to be stunned.” Let us ask ourselves what the world would be like if we were stunned and amazed, in lighthearted joy, at the wondrous gift this life, this moment is? If someone asked you today how you are doing, what would your response be?   Related Posts: • The Fellowship Of Joy-Full-Ness • Joy • Profound Goodness • Self-Creation • Inner Signature • Divine Shaping • Empty Boat Day • Thoughts Reproduce In Like Measure • Every Moment Is A Gift • How Would You Be Remembered? • Sudden Deaths Come Calling • Sharing Heals the Heart Text © by Zane Maser, 2013. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

If you are interested in an astrological consultation and/or a specific question answered by a horary chart, please visit SunnyCat© Astrology.

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In order to find new lands, you have to lose sight of the shore for a long time. The truth is immense and it’s not anywhere else. It’s being with what is. The kingdom of heaven is within you. Taj Inayat Khan The winter’s intense cold has descended on our garden. Last week we braved chilly northeast winds to prune the apple tree in preparation for its annual reawakening as the daylight lengthens incrementally. American robins and starlings have invaded our birdbath, creating a big mess with their copious droppings, aggressively forcing our resident juncos and warblers to wait their turn in the pecking order. Not much clean water is left for the small ones. The musical, cheery songs of the robins punctuate the winter stillness, as they sense the inward call of spring. Winter’s beckoning silence invites us to listen. When we do stop our physical and mental motion long enough to actively listen, the little, outer self gradually quiets its incessant yammering. Thoughts slow. The Self can then step from its patient, background vigilance to lift us into a higher, more serene, centered space. True listening is as an act of allowance wherein dynamic emptiness arises as we open the inner ears and the mind in the heart. It is like bringing all the jangled parts of our selves back into a state of equilibrium and harmony. We are whole, if only for a few seconds. We rest. We enter the grid of listening. Presence is here. Master souls and saints are masters of listening. Most of us have found a suitable way in our daily rhythm to allow for breaks of meditative silence. Joel Goldsmith describes one such practical, effective method of communion in his many books on The Infinite Way teachings. To refocus our mind, he suggests beginning the period of meditation by “remaining in the Word,” which means to read and reflect on an inspiring passage from the world’s spiritual literature or any of the Sacred Scriptures. This means of cultivating mindfulness is an effective way to link with our true essence and the gates of creativeness that are thus opened. As we read and contemplate such illumined words of Realization, our mind becomes peaceful and more emptied of outward concerns. We ponder Godly statements like, “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” Psalm 118:24 is a idyllic choice: “This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Or, a statement of Truth, such as “God is a presence and infinite. There is no other presence or power. In God’s presence, nothing else can exist. God is health, supply, my place of dwelling, my sufficiency in all things.” Here’s a powerful one that facilitates this process of calming the mind: “My conscious oneness with God constitutes my oneness with all spiritual being and idea.”1 Even thoughts begin to recede in these moments of utter stillness, what Eckhart Tolle calls “heightened awareness, aliveness,” of internal expansiveness. We have done our part. The rest is the prerogative of Spirit. The actual experience of a God-moment becomes possible as we enter that place of absolute listening. The potential for such a Heavenly Contact exists all around us—all the time. It is always all around us—already present—for the ones who actively listen. In this place, we realize that God is “on the field” with us, as Joel puts it. It is an act beyond our conscious control, because it is the prerogative of Grace, coming when It wills. Here, we are ready to take down specific words of guidance, the notes of a symphony, the chapters of a manuscript, the details of an invention, a scientific formula that has eluded us until now, or the image of the harmonious interplay of colors as inspiration for an upcoming painting. Grace has favored us, because we are empty of self. It is when the statement in the mind becomes a feeling in the heart that we know that we have hold of the hand of God and the hand of God has hold of us. Joel Goldsmith The beautiful part is that, as you and I are raised up into such a blissful state, we raise up all others. Through the self-disciplined commitment to access the larger Grid of Listening, there are other tranquil minds already meditating in the divine network, waiting to be filled by Spirit. Thus, their every effort augments our every effort. Above all, we never have to do it by our self. Its blessings permit us to loosen up and let go, taking no thought for our body or life or work other than to surrender. We begin to notice gentle changes occurring in our life, such that guidance, protection, assistance, and resources come at the right moment, via the right person, in the manner perfect for us. It’s as if we are getting a personalized note from the Source of Life, addressed to our distinctive vibrational signature and requirements. The prerequisite to the art of listening is dedication and devotion until it becomes a quality that is ceaselessly being as stored as part of our soul Treasure. Time spent in the silence of our spiritual center further aids whole-brain functioning, because it brings into operation the “right mind,” which is associated with vulnerability, compassion, openness, the present moment, and the larger picture of interconnectedness. Listening is like remembering to get bathed hourly, daily in a Light-filled shower. And God gives us superb reminders of Its Being, such as the Sun. The people of ancient cultures viewed the Sun’s trustworthy passage across the sky as the sign and symbol of Divine Presence, ever vigilant, watching over us under shimmering blue skies or dark cloudy ones. The magic is simple: be here now to listen. So, here’s a meditative question to leave you with: How much of the time are you present enough to listen fully to the person who is speaking to you? If you’re not really focused in the present a good deal of the time but rather divided between two or more things clamoring for your mind’s attention, could this be an indicator of how present you are to your own self and the inner messages of guidance that are undoubtedly there? Do you even listen to your own stream of thoughts? If you’re not available to hear yourself, how you can you hear another? If one of the primary sources of stress stems from uncertainty, wouldn’t it be worth the sustained effort to develop a meditative practice in order to listen to your inner wisdom, which reveals more enlightened choices for you? Susan Sarandon shared that what makes a great actress or actor is their trained ability to listen deeply to the other person speaking to them in a scene. On screen, it is this conscious art of listening that is so captivating and transformative! Live with ease and grace. Live listen-fully.   The better we understand the choices we have been making, either consciously or unconsciously, the more say we will have in the world we create. Neurocircuitry may be neurocircuitry, but we don’t have to run on automatic. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neuroscientist   Related Posts: • A Visual Celebration of Winter • Growing Light: Imbolc (one of the annual, sacred Festivals of Light) • Silence Is Power • The Real Space • Inner Signature • Soul Note • Coming to Life • In Emptiness Is Spiritual Fulfillment • Self-Emptying Meditation • Free Association: Peace • Slow Down! • Are You Getting Your Vitamin D? Endnote: 1. Joel S. Goldsmith. 2006. Living the Infinite Way. Acropolis Books. Text © by Zane Maser, 2013. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

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I am standing on a mound close to a wide, meandering river. Its channel flows through gentle, elongated S-curves. This place is serene and beautiful. The spirit of Divine Presence resides here, as It does in all places. Holy ground is here, where I stand—as it is everywhere else. There are other people here, too, walking closer by the river. As I watch them, I feel something amazing! What speaks to me is their complete, internal harmony. I sense no strain, stress, agitation, contraction, or fear whatsoever in any of them. In body, thought, and emotion, theirs is an absolute ease, relaxation, tranquility, expansion, and joyful radiance. There is nothing missing in this sublime state of consciousness—no lack whatever. They mirror the trust of the river in its grace-filled existence. Take a few moments to breath quietly and “take in” the essence of being with the river. See it with your inner eyes. The restful movement of the water can be heard within your inner ears. The fragrance of this place brings its own peaceful vibration, one that can nourish, regenerate, and renew you right down to the cellular level—each cell with its own center of divine intelligence and knowing that all is well. Take into your being the river of endless supply. It is the Source of Life, the energy of unimpeded flow and allowance. I am beside the river now. As soon as I am alone, I glance furtively from side to side, making certain the coast is clear. Hiding my water bottle as best as I can, I bend down quickly to fill it with the sparkling water, intending to stash some just in case I require it in an unexpected moment. Who knows when I may be far from the river when the need arises for a sustaining drink? I wouldn’t want to be without. Some nagging fear motivates me to hoard the water should I be far from the source. The realization of what the other people walking by the river already know has yet to permeate my consciousness fully at the deepest level of the heart. My worried act of water storage belies my faith, so I haven’t yet truly gotten what the others get in understanding. The river’s provision is constant, consistent, limitless, eternal—no matter how far we journey from the external river. The quality and quantity of the spiritual river is never diminished, no matter how may people drink from it time after time after time. Our relationship with this River of Supply is omnipresent, everlasting, and indivisible. Only we can separate ourselves erroneously from it, but the River still underlies all existence. During dreamtime, a few nights back, I experienced firsthand this very river and the indescribable consciousness of the people living there. I entered the peace not of the often-impoverished mentality of this world, but the peace of our full spiritual fruitage. The River exists. We can embody this divine consciousness the moment we fully allow it to take us into Its loving embrace.   Related Posts: • It’s Already Present • Empty Boat Day • The Masers’ Mantra • The Fellowship Of Joy-Full-Ness • Connection • Generous Spirit • Gratitude Consciousness • The Divine Broadcast • The Tree That Shares Text © by Zane Maser, 2013. First river photo © by Chris Maser, 2013. The other two river photos from Wikimedia Commons; the last of these is attributed to Dorothy Carse. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

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“Anything Can Help” a sign held by a homeless man On our bike trip to the grocery store, we zoomed into the parking lot, dodging all the busy traffic as the town swells once again with college students who are trickling back for their winter term. A slender man we often see was standing at the entrance of this hectic thoroughfare holding a sign: “Anything Can Help.” This man appears to be homeless. He wears the same clothes day after day. He seems to subsist on the aluminum cans and glass bottles of the copious amounts of beer drunk by some of the university population. During the times of school, it’s a feast of 5¢ bottles and cans. During college breaks, like Christmas, it’s a time of greater famine, though some of our resident population routinely put their bottles and cans by the curbside for the circle of homeless men who continually scout the streets looking for a meal—5¢ at a time. Community is what we can do to help one another. On another day, at a different moment in time, my circumstances could just as easily cast me into the street, scratching for nickels. This homeless person could be me. He IS me. I AM him. You are both of us. We never know, from one moment to the next, how life can turn on a dime, and our situation morphs into something we couldn’t even imagine, such as the sudden death of our partner, or a fire that consumes every shred of our current identity and possessions, or the horrific aftermath of a Hurricane Sandy. The life we knew is no more. Neale Donald Walsch, the internationally renowned author and speaker, is a prime example of the ever-present grace that surrounds each of us. His story turned tragic, in the early 1990’s, when all that he owned was lost in a fire, his marriage dissolved, and he suffered a broken neck in a car accident.1 Angry, discouraged, unemployed, broke, and alone, he headed south to Ashland, Oregon, where he took up residence in his tiny tent in a campground, living on what he rummaged from dumpsters and the nickels he earned from collecting cans and bottles. At that moment, his heart was in utter hopelessness and as far into the valley of the shadow of death as he could imagine. But his spirit rallied gradually when he found work as a radio talk show host, a field he had worked in before his life was shattered. No longer homeless or despondent, Neale’s life transformed when he began his famous “dialogues” with God while sitting on his sofa. In 1995, the first of his popular Conversations with God was published. It was an international bestseller, remaining on the New York Times Bestseller List for 135 weeks. From rags to riches, he became a highly sought after lecturer and teacher, respected and loved worldwide. He has now published a staggering 28 books, six of which have also made the Times list, as well as his books being translated into 37 languages!7 Neale IS me. I AM him. You are both of us. Every second of hope, help, and compassionate understanding we give one another lifts the whole world. Every experience we have is purposeful. It’s an evolutionary journey—one choice, one step at a time. Had Neale not found himself in the pit of absolute desolation and darkness, the world would never have received his great gifts and legacy of conversing with God. In the valley, he found the mountain top. That too could be me. That too could be you.   Related Posts: • Charity Enacted • The World is in our Neighborhood • “Souper” Bowl of Caring 2012 • A Symbol of Hope • Compassion On the Day of Love • Loving Adoptions • A Wall Of Love • Resilience • How Would You Be Remembered? • Appearances Endnote: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neale_Donald_Walsch 2. ibid. Text © by Zane Maser, 2013. Photo from Wikimedia Commons. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

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Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh Life’s lessons often come in very small packages. Little adjustments can make a significant difference. Change doesn’t always have to be huge. An incremental shift can sometimes open a vast space. Oftentimes, it’s the small give-and takes between individuals that can pay the most satisfying dividends to relationship wealth. And when one person is willing to budge even an inch or two, the relationship dynamic is forever changed. More often than not, the other person then eases into their own voluntary counter shifts that double the beneficial alterations. This is how national and global peace arises—one change of heart at a time. When an avalanche of snow crashes down a mountainside, it occurs because the snow has moved a millimeter day by day, until the cumulative momentum crests over the top. Tiny movements rearrange the landscape at some point. My husband recently had a gold crown put on one of his upper back molars. The “new” tooth was fine at first. But for some incomprehensible reason, the tooth became more and more sensitive to chewing food on it. As the tooth’s reactivity heightened, cold items became a painful moment! The tooth was simply not “settling in” properly. Back to the dentist’s chair he went! An x-ray revealed all was well with the tooth itself. A few gentle bites on a plastic stick detected a tiny high spot—the culprit. Once the dentist pinpointed the exact, aggravating place on the new crown, it was a quick and very small adjustment of smoothing to make to the tooth perfect for a return to comfortable chewing. Infinitesimal fine-tuning can bring miraculous results! Think of some of the many ways in your own experience when a very small alteration made a large difference in the outcome. When your computer screen is not at the proper angle or distance or height, your shoulders and arms get overly tense and tight. You might not even realize it until you end up with a splitting headache. The next day it dawns on you to try a slightly different position, distance, or angle, which is just the ideal alteration for stress-less enjoyment at your computer. It’s amazing! Adding a pinch or two of additional salt or spice to a steaming pot of soup can lead to a more delicious conclusion with happy tummies that say ‘yum, yum.’ Take a moment now to recollect the times in your life when a minute adjustment resulted in a valuable coarse correction. These noteworthy moments often go sadly unnoticed when we are unaware that small can be monumental. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Teresa   Related Posts: • Tiny and Large Remembrances • One Small Nudge affects the Whole World • Words Matter • A Psycho-Spiritual Principle • Until The Last One… • Angelic Intervention • Causation • Sacred Manner • Slow Down! Text © by Zane Maser, 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

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A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Loving father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds and the wisdom of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.   Related Posts for Christmas: • Winter Solstice (the Winter Solstice is one of the annual, spiritual     Festivals of Light) • Spiritual Lighting at the Solstice • The Inner Scrooge • Soften the Heart • Families in Spirit • Dove of Peace • Season of Divine Mother • In Remembrance Of Our Beautiful Zoe Poem © by Robert Louis Stevenson. Wikimedia Commons, The Peace Tower at Christmas, Ottawa, Canada. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

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As a true aficionado, I love to watch a good Christmas movie. I’m always excited when we turn the corner on Thanksgiving, get out our festive decorations, and begin to watch what we consider to be the best of the many Christmas movies available. I have a number of favorites among the classics! For me, these holiday movies highlight, in the clearest way, the archetypal themes that convey the worst and best aspects of human nature, of our puny and magnificent attempts at navigating this three-dimensional world. On a spiritual level, the central theme gravitates around how we have closed our hearts to others and to life, for whatever reason(s), and how we can choose again—in this present moment—to reach out, re-connect, and love once more. Here’s my distilled list of the themes that are personified in such poignant ways in Christmas movies: • If we resist the normal changes that occur in our life, many of them simply a natural evolution to the next stage, we suffocate our life energy and get dreadfully stuck. • When our psyche fixates on survival modes that over-ride our sense of self-esteem and confidence, the result is an orientation that is entirely self-focused in a me, me, my approach to life. The little, egoic-driven self then attempts to control everything and everyone. • Loathing and despising others, criticizing and berating them signifies those disassociated parts of our self we loathe and thus project onto another. If we attempt to sling it out of our self, we have the deluded idea it is in fact gone. • Every major life scenario we find ourselves in has been created by us as an equal partner. We had some hand in it, even if unconsciously. So, in reality, there are no victims. • In the karmic, self-chosen scheme of things, these are the lessons we have chosen this time in order to make additional strides toward mastering some specific soul learning. • If there are any relationship links that are broken and/or dysfunctional in your life, take a baby step, if that is all you can handle at first, to re-connect with those you care about most. This brave willingness can literally renew your heart in ways you can’t even imagine. • As we open our heart in softness and understanding to really see the person before us, in their circumstances and opportunities for growth, we realize it could as easily be us. • The poor and outcast are me and you. How would I want to be treated if I were in a misfortunate state? Would you want to be the recipient of your self? • We all mess up at times, so compassion for our fellow travelers is a heart-healthy choice. • We all deserve a second chance from the falls we have taken that skinned our noses and knees or from unwise choices we made in a less mature phase. We all need extra support at these junctures of painful suffering in our lives. • When we help another, we help our self. We are uplifted in grace by reaching out in sensitive understanding, assistance, and empathy for the boulder-strewn path of another. All judgment ceases to exist. All that remains is love. • Forgiveness and reconciliation are what bring healing, redemption, and a return to wholeness. • Joy is of the heart, not from any external thing or outer riches, though they too can enrich our lives when kept in true perspective. • Riches reside in relationship wealth with our family (which includes our animal kids), friends, neighbors, and colleagues. • If we don’t care about and for one another, what’s the point of living and of life? • Every life-form or person is important. The humble sparrow is as significant in the eyes of the Divine as the mightiest king, scholar, or celebrity. • The remarkable can be hidden in the unremarkable, but you have to be awake to notice it. • The greatest acts are the most unobtrusive, simple, and humble. We forget our self in remembering another. • Generosity of spirit is our natural state. Miserliness is a contraction of the being brought about by the deepest, unhealed wounds of our heart, which are often implanted during those first tender years of our life. • The child in us is innocent, complete, and already perfect. Unconditional acceptance and love are the ideal diet through which to nurture a child. • Our original goodness is present within every day of the year. The jolly spirit of Christmas is an inner state. • How we choose to live 364 days of the year reveals itself on December 25th (or the equivalent of your holy day of the year). Is it some form of a frozen, “humbug” hell or a kindly heaven of mutual positive regard? • Courtesy and kindness don’t cost a penny, but they pay big dividends. We get what we put out into life. It all returns in corresponding ways. Innate goodness brings its own kind. Forgiveness of anothers’ human foibles makes our own foibles forgivable. • If you give to your capacity, whether 10 cents or $100 or more, it will return multiplied exponentially. • Do what you can every day. You never know how short your time may be. Put nothing off that may make a huge difference for another. There is only now. • On December 26th (or your holy-day equivalent), will you be satisfied with the person you were the day before? How might you begin anew to give and love more in the small ways that could turn out to be a lifesaver for another person or situation? As a kindly recapitulation of the waning year, Christmas and the days toward the New Year are like a self-accountability ledger to mete out tender understanding of whether we have lived our heart-felt dreams, brought them into reality, or let them drift by foolishly. Have you lived authentically as the person you truly are in the timeless center of your being? If not, what are you waiting for? For me, 2013 feels like a time of greater opening and clarity—my personal word or theme for the coming year, so I plan to embrace the moment! What single word or theme will you chose as we transition into a New Golden Year?   Related Posts for Christmas: • Making a Dream List • Saving Precious Energy • Awakening Your Dreams For 2012 • Winter Solstice (the Winter Solstice is one of the annual, spiritual     Festivals of Light) • Spiritual Lighting at the Solstice • The Inner Scrooge • Soften the Heart • Kitten’s First Christmas • Families in Spirit • Dove of Peace • Season of Divine Mother • In Remembrance Of Our Beautiful Zoe Text © by Zane Maser, 2012. Photos © by Chris and Zane Maser, 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

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Merciful compassion and love are the most important gifts of all. All of us have had things and events happen in our lives that were so painful we drew inwards temporarily to protect ourselves and heal. Perhaps we became more reserved and distant, inaccessible emotionally, while we nursed our wounds and grew sturdy enough to once again engage life fully. We begin to venture forth, having grown because of our intense suffering—our version of the dark night of the soul. A supportive person, spouse, or network of family and friends give us the necessary nurturance and love to feel okay once more so that we risk opening our hearts. They have mirrored our worthiness and resilience to ride through the emotional storm—most often some form of significant loss—into the calm waters under the blue sky of hope. For whatever reason, others become the emotional casualties of life. They are so shattered they are unable to reconstruct the pieces of a functional life, provided they even had one to begin with. So many, as infants and children, don’t even have the nurturance that creates a sense of certainty and safety, let alone self-esteem! Such wounds are normally invisible, because few people have an obvious emotional deformity that gives us a clue to their interior struggles and incapacities. Incomprehensible traumas, like physical abuse, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and some forms of mental illness are but a few of the ways a person’s brokenness can be masked. How often are the moments when we are quick to judge an outward appearance prior to knowing any of the facts about a person or their life situation? In keeping with the festive season of religious celebrations around the globe, the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is a prime example of an outwardly loathsome person in his tight-fisted stinginess, greed, and cold-heartedness. He was a man so remote from the heart of life—the innocence of his own heart—that his miserliness had taken every ounce of lightness and joy out of his being. He was all but dead to life, castigating and despising his fellow humans. Charles Dickens described the archetypal Scrooge as “… a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!” Year by year, link by link, Scrooge forges his own hellish chains of imprisonment in this life and what he has to meet after death when he journeys through his purgatory with the Ghost of the Future. All outward oppression is but the shadow and effect of the real opposition within, such that inner freedom brings outward freedom. James Allen, British philosopher During Scrooge’s wrenching night of self-confrontation, traveling to his past, present, and future with the Three Ghosts appointed for these tasks, he realizes the inviolable spark of his spirit that had remained hidden but intact despite his shriveled, skinflint attitude. He revisits the loveless imprint of his childhood, where he was a discarded, damaged, lonely, sad boy whose father treated him as though he were a non-existent orphan. Scrooge received love only from his sister, so his own ability to be generous and loving remained dormant. He had treated himself with the same parsimonious withholding as others had treated him. He became the worst version of himself. In what turns out to be an opening into grace, he discovers that the terrible miseries we create for our self, such as money grubbing, are the survival patterns and defenses we erect. So often, however, there is a different person trapped inside fighting to get out. At the crossroads of starting anew, he makes the choice to release himself from the slavery of his chains of fear to live again and make amends. The essence of the true Scrooge is his childlike joy and kind generosity, surfacing naturally the very moment he liberates himself from the contracted distortion of who he’d become. Transformation is as instantaneous as the realization that we’ve perpetrated the emotional oppression on our self. Overnight, Scrooge made the transition from being a heart-empty hoarder to a heart-filled sharer, from taking all he could to giving with openhanded warmth of spirit. His life of drudgery became a spree of enthusiastic interest in the welfare of others. His radical evolution became an inspirational message that choice and change happen right now: it’s never too late to free our self from the inner, hardcore scrooge who simply needs a breath of fresh air in the sunlight of self-acceptance. Love is the gift we must give to our self first. All you can take with you is all that you’ve given. Peter Bailey, father of George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life Scroogish-ness comes in many forms and subtle guises. Is there some hidden facet of you that harbors an inner Scrooge bound in chains of fear? Can you gently approach this wounded part of you and then begin to feel deep compassion for the suffering undergone? How can you welcome back this disowned segment(s) into the loving wholeness of you? Remember, time is short, as the Ghost of the Present warned Scrooge. What will you chose? Your own Ghost of the Future asks you to consider what you want to see as your future and the legacy that will outlive you? What is the authentic vision from your heart? Related Posts: • Profound Goodness (about David Cooperfield, another of Charles      Dicken’s famous characters) • The Hunchback in Each of Us • Appearances • Fostering What? Part 2 • Shrouded in “A Dark Night” • The River of Grief • Approach and Avoidance • Pain Body Attack! • Self-Acceptance Heals the World • Resilience • How Would You Be Remembered? Text © by Zane Maser, 2012. Cartoon of George C. Scott as Scrooge © Robert Doucette. The other drawing of Scrooge by John Leech, 1843, from Wikimedia Commons. All rights reserved worldwide. My editorial guru and technological wizard is Chris Maser, my delightful husband.

If you are interested in an astrological consultation and/or a specific question answered by a horary chart, please visit SunnyCat© Astrology.

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