The combination of Mars and Neptune for a few more days can be discouraging to say the least. It is a good idea to not be too serious. Our physical vitality is lower than usual, so do take good care of yourself. The best way to handle this energy is to practice selfless compassion. Beware of sneaky egotism by yourself or others. It will not work out well. The Moon continues in Aquarius for one more day. This supports our interest in humanitarian causes.
If you believe that enlightenment is the end of suffering, then that is your object of refuge.~Jetsunma Ahkon Norbu Lhamo
Well it may be cold and rainy but the Japanese koi in Maratika pond are up and eating algae. they are amazing. They are determined to be fat and beautiful and fertile. and I think they’re gonna make it.
I’m planning to put Mother, our Kowarimono in Mandarava pond because she’s not pure Japanese koi. She’s a mixture. And we’re coming up to breeding time. So I’m gonna try to figure out how not to mix anybody up.
I love Mother but she’s not the same as the others. The odd thing is she’s not close to anybody, and I think it’s because she’s not the same as them and they know it. They are not stupid fish. the others pair up, even if not with their own kind. they know they are good fish. Well maybe there’s something off about Mother that we don’t know. But she looks beautiful to us.
[Student], get ready! The weather should permit soon!
Human activity is literally causing civil war in ant colonies. Ozone impacts the chemical communication the ants use. The ozone erases the identification of worker ants when they return home, causing their colony mates to attack them as invaders. Researchers had thought decline in populations was due to pesticides This new study indicates that internal civil war in ant communities (once considered a model of cooperative communal life) is precipitated by human activity.
The Moon is in Aquarius which expands innovation, and social and community connections. It’s proximity to Pluto means that these are more potentially in-depth and transformative connections and emotional insights. It’s also a truth-telling time if you can identify deep habitual tendencies in yourself. The Sun in Sagittarius brings hope where there has been despair because Sagittarian is idealistic. The challenge is to ground hope in reality and achievable goals.
Suddenly the real was no longer merely a stepping stone to the possible. The real was all there was.~ Elly Bangs
The Moon is in Capricorn focusing your attention on the next steps to fulfill plans and long term goals. What will the next steps be? With both the Sun and Moon in earth signs the practical aspects of daily life and maintaining long term health are emphasized.
The Sun is conjunct Mercury for the next week. Communications are heightened and ideas flow freely. Good news comes with this aspect because effort brings good results. The stick-in-the-mud today is Moon conjunct Mars which magnifies emotional reactivity. Take a breath at such moments and think how you can bring people along with you rather than agin you.
We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.~ Mahatma Ghandi
The Moon is Void of Course between 11:59pm and 1:25pm on July 31st. That’s a heck of a long time. You may feel little progress is being made but in the small steps big steps are made. Avoid signing contracts.
Saturn conjunct Neptune offers lessons at this time for everyone. It reflects both a dissolution of old outdated structures and finding space to let the new nascent patterns to emerge. These patterns eventually form into useful structures if they are harnessed for good. At this time you need to adhere more closely to ethics and virtuous habits to ward off both self-deception and deception by others. The Moon moves into Cancer today reminding us of the importance of finding ones inner home and nurturing place.
Truth exists; only false hood is to be invented.~ Georges Braque
The Moon is Void of Course between 9.01am and 1.33pm EDST USA. Avoid major new activities especially signing contracts. Rather, focus on existing activities and finding some contemplative, reflective time.
The Moon is conjunct Saturn today requiring focus and discipline which enables you to establish new, beneficial daily habits and rituals. The Moon is also square Jupiter meaning you’re tempted to over-do things: see if you can reap the rewards of this aspect by exercising timely restraint. The Sun sextile Neptune ushers in a more creative, imaginative space that expands your sense of self showing your connection to all beings.
Nothing every goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.~Pema Chodron
This prayer to Sangye Menla was offered by Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo at the time of the Covid Virus. It is a concise yet complete practice accessible to anyone. Khenpo Tenzin Karze recites the mantra throughout the video, thus, listeners gain the blessings of Medicine Buddha through perceiving his form, the sacred mantra in both Tibetan and English, and they are able to hear the sacred mantra. This prayer can be offered to any and all who are in need of healing, physically, mentally or emotionally, or simply used as a support for meditation.
Please join us daily on Facebook at 7pm for a LIVE group practice to offer this profound blessing with the power of praying together. Dedicate the effort to your loved ones, or yourself, or any cause that inspires you. And offer your prayer for the loved ones and causes that are also in need of healing and blessings.
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CONDENSED MEDICINE BUDDHA PRACTICE
Instantly in the space in front, above, rises Medicine Buddha. He is blue in color with one face, two hands, holding a begging bowl and an arura, surrounded by all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
We are awed by his splendor and take refuge with body speech and mind.
Buddha Menla I take refuge in you in this and every life. Repeat 3 x
And then thinking with great compassion of all sentient beings:
recite:
For the sake of beings I give rise to the Bodhicitta so all may benefit. Repeat 3 x
Hold the mala, counting one bead for each recitation, and recite the mantra:
TAYATHA OM BEKADZE BEKADZE MAHA BEKADZE RADZA SAMUNGATE SWAHA
While reciting the mantra with compassion, I contemplate the extraordinary qualities of Medicine Buddha, and yearn for qualities and liberation in one life so I too may benefit beings.
The mind should be filled with wholesome yearning for sentient beings, all of them, every single one. Even animals. All beings.
After reciting at least one full mala of mantra recite:
I prostrate to Buddha Menla,
May I be reborn in his Pure Land
Able to give healing and refuge to all beings.
Then Menla and his entourage dissolve into light and pour into the crown of ones head and mixes like milk with water with one’s mind.
Recite:
May all sentient beings without exception be placed in that very state, and be healed.
The best thing to do is to make a commitment to do this practice every day. It is in the commitment and the doing that blessing comes. Along with the very sacred mantra and the blessings it holds, therein lies benefit and accomplishment.
This condensed prayer was composed by Her Eminence Jetsunma Ahkön Norbu Lhamo on March 27th, 2020 at the request of her student Thubten Samten Wangmo in order to bring benefit and healing during the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus.
With the Moon conjunct Mars today you are more reactive than usual. Patience is your ally when strong emotions are triggered. Venus is approaching Saturn bringing past relationships into the present for re-assessment. This conjunction brings the more serious side of interactions to your attention and signals a change in commitment.
Tyranny cannot defeat the power of ideas.~ Helen Keller