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Astrology Notes: Astrology, Healing and the Evolution of Consciousness
Chopping Wood, Carrying Water…
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by Martin Lass |
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Life is a continuous journey of awakening and healing. The final step of each trial, tribulation, and episode in our life is the acknowledgment of love. Then we move on to the next issue. The process never finishes; it is ongoing and eternal. The paths in our lives are innumerable; along each path, we have various moments of awakening and understanding, and we have greater or lesser degrees of revelations and healing.
At moments when a penny drops, so to speak, and we sit for a moment in a greater understanding or in an acknowledgement of healing, we sit in a moment of choice. We sit in a moment where there is a relative degree of clarity and certainty, if only about a single issue in our lives. At these moments, we are tempted to make sweeping decisions and all-or-nothing judgments about the situations involved in the new understanding. In short, in the revelationary thrill of the moment, we may make rash decisions concerning the directions of our lives-decisions that leave behind things that do not seem relevant or appropriate any more.
Further down the new path, though, we may begin to wonder why our lives have not changed for the better. Alternatively, we find ourselves in a situation blocked by a lack of resources-no money, relationships falling away, career flagging, work prospects drying up, or something similar. These things can certainly cause a loss of inspiration and life force. We find ourselves up against a brick wall, wondering why the Universe is not supporting our newfound understanding and subsequent new direction. Have you been in this situation? I certainly have.
Our first reaction might be to shake our fist at the Universe for not supporting us. This is often followed by feelings of depression, inadequacy, and low self-worth. We may then even begin to doubt the truth of our previous revelations and understandings. This, in turn, sets us on another journey, and so our learning and lessons go on.
Let's sit for a moment, look at this whole scenario, and see if we can come up with an answer to the dilemma. To this end, let me share some personal experiences…
In my mid-twenties, I had reached a high point in my career as a popular violinist. I was playing many prestigious shows for many important occasions, I had several very successful albums on the market, and I was commanding very high fees. In short, I was, to the outside view, on top of the world.
However, I simultaneously felt that my inner life was languishing. I felt I needed to find myself-to know a more 'true' part of me that I felt had been neglected or forgotten. This took me on a spiritual path, and, consequently, I joined a spiritual school. After a short time in this school, I had a huge awakening. I realized that 1) most of my life had been spent trying to please other people and that 2) because of this, my life was not my own. I felt that my career and success had been created, managed, and maintained by others around me-parents, spouse, managers, agents, audiences, and so on.
Certainly, there was truth in this. It was an important revelation, no doubt. However, in the 'spiritual' heat of the moment, I decided to gradually start phasing out "Martin Lass - Pop Violinist" in favor of a more serious and 'spiritual' Martin Lass. In short, I pulled the plug on that part of my life, because I felt that it did not fit in with the 'new me'.
So, what happened? My career started dying, my income began falling, my public appeal faded, and my market diminished. When we do not love something, it dies or disappears from our lives. When we do not love a part of ourselves, it, too, begins to die. It is paramount to a kind of partial suicide.
In the meantime, I was building my astrology career-another of my passions. There are benefits and blessings to every event, circumstance, and situation in our lives, no matter how difficult things might seem, and no matter whether these things are self-inflicted or not. So, my astrology and healing career was gradually replacing my music career. The astrology journey for me was also a healing journey. Along the way, I met Chiron, the planet of Healing. Chiron's message, although it took me a long time to hear it clearly, was:
Love all parts of yourself. There is no part of you that is unworthy of love, from the darkest to the lightest. No aspect of your life is superfluous; all parts of you and all parts of your life are serving you and others toward your highest possible spiritual purpose. Healing is the journey of connecting all the parts and loving them equally. All the parts of you are one; all the parts of you are love…
As we have said, anything we do not love dies or disappears from our lives. "Martin Lass - Pop Violinist" was dying and disappearing. Assured, though, "Martin Lass - Astrologer and Healer" was growing.
The crunch came a few years later. I found myself up against a brick wall again. My astrology business was stagnant, and I was losing my inspiration for it. Financially, I was worse off than ever, and, during this time, I lost everything.
In this painful space, I tried to re-invent "Martin Lass - Violinist," but this time in the new age world: music designed for healing, meditation, and relaxation. I wanted to write 'deep' music, as opposed to the popular/light/entertaining music I had previously played. This new music was received well in very small circles, but again I came up against the same brick wall: stagnation, loss of inspiration, and material adversity.
Concurrently, my relationships were in crisis; my marriage was in danger, and my social circles were becoming more limited and, paradoxically, more co-dependent.
What was going on? I could not figure out why it was that, if I had acted according to a true revelation-an inspiration from a supposedly higher state of consciousness-my life was falling apart around me. I put the questions out there into the Universe. It was not long before my next teacher showed up.
On this next stage of my journey, with the combined help of my new teacher, Chiron, and the other planets, I realized that, in my efforts to become 'more spiritual' and to 'find myself', I had effectively cut off a part of myself and was trying to run away from it. That part was "Martin Lass-Pop Violinist"-the part that gave me the very tools by which I could express my greatest Gift. It was my interface between Spirit and the outside world. In cutting off this part, I had cut off my main lifeline to the world. Life is a two-way street. If I cannot give, I cannot receive. If I stop the flow of Spirit through me, I stop the flow of Spirit into me. This explained the current state of my life, the inner and the outer.
In this chapter of my healing journey, I learned again to love "Martin Lass - Pop Violinist" and to reintegrate this part of me. Consequently, things looked up-my bankbook began to look better, my relationships were healed, my marriage was saved, and my career was on the rise again. Inner wholeness leads to outer abundance and fulfillment. As we heal, our lives increasingly reflect the magnificence and beauty of the gift of Spirit that lies within each one of us.
You would think that would have been the end of the story… but no. I am as thick as the next person sometimes, and it takes just as long for the penny to drop. Recently, I found myself in a similar plight to the aforementioned ones. Leading up to this time, I was again blessed with new understandings and revelations about my life and myself. And again, in the (spiritual) heat of the moment, I decided to abandon various aspects of my life in favor of this supposedly enlightened vision. In short, I decided to abandon playing covers-other people's music-in favor of dedicating all my energy to writing and performing my own original music. I was so sure that this was my future (and complete) path, that I also decided to stop doing all astrology, all healing work for others, all orchestral and musical 'session' work, and all writing of articles, poetry, and books.
Can you guess what happened? Again, after a short time, I found myself in financial straits, with work drying up, and with my inspiration flagging. Again, I was shaking my fists at the Universe saying, "Why, if I have agreed to dedicate my life to my primary inspiration and love in life-writing and playing my original music-are you not supporting me by giving me the means to carry out that purpose?"
With the benefit of hindsight and the gift of friends and teachers on similar paths, I looked back at the previous year and asked myself, "What parts of me have I left behind this time? What parts of me have I stopped appreciating, acknowledging, embracing, and loving?" The answer? All the parts of me that were giving me the resources to be able to carry out my primary purpose of writing and performing my original music. All the parts of me that were giving me 1) inspiration, 2) healing, 3) lessons & understanding, 4) relationship satisfaction and networking, 5) financial resources, 6) broader view of existence, 7) mental stimulation and challenges, 8) personal worth of helping others, 9) outlet for Spirit in ways that music alone cannot fully provide, and so on.
The Universe had given me all the resources necessary to carry out my primary purpose in life, but I threw them away in favor of pursuing a single-pronged vision, not realizing that all the parts I was throwing away were the very things that my primary purpose is evolving out of. I threw the baby out with the water. Again, I had cut myself into parts: the parts that I embraced and loved and the parts that I rejected and did not love.
It was not that the vision I had been given was wrong. It was just that I had been trying to jump ahead of myself by becoming elated and infatuated with this vision. My self-righteousness told me that I did not need these other aspects of my life-that I could go straight to the pinnacle without climbing the mountain… as if the pinnacle could exist without the base of the mountain!
Life is a great teacher. Again, I was brought to my knees. I had distorted the truth of my vision and needed to go back, pick up the pieces, and learn to love the whole picture rather than just the parts. So, with the tools I had been given-processes for finding unconditional love-I back-stepped, dissolved my illusions and judgments against each of these disowned/rejected aspects of my life and myself, and learned to love them again.
I realize now, as planet Chiron has been trying to teach me for years, that every part of my life serves me. I realize that the perfection of my life needs no fixing or changing. I realize that there is truly a guiding hand showing me the way toward unconditional love. The secret is to include, not exclude, all that I am. The big picture is already there. I just need to uncover it and embrace it. The more I embrace and love all that I am-all that my life is-the more my outer life reflects my love.
When we get 'successful', we have a tendency to forget the basics that got us where we are. By forgetting the basics, we undermine the foundations of what we are trying to build. Life then forces us, by our subsequent failures, to take stock and get back to basics. This applies to every area of life, from business to relationships to spiritual pursuits.
When we are blessed with a revelation, new understanding, or vision, we tend to abandon where we are and go off in search of a 'better' life. In truth, there is no better life than the one we are currently living. We have everything we need, right here and now-all the resources, all the support, all the opportunities. The more we see this, embrace it, and celebrate it, the more gratitude and fulfillment we experience in our lives. Not only this, but our gratitude and fulfillment are perfectly reflected in our external affairs. It's the difference between a life at odds with Spirit or a life aligned with Spirit.
Whatever we do not love in ourselves and in our lives runs our lives. The more we love ourselves just as we are and the more we love our lives just as they are, the more freedom we experience to express and manifest the gift of Spirit that lies within us.
There is an old Zen saying:
"Before enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water."
I don't know about you, but I'm going back to chopping wood…
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Continue to Excerpt from "Mirror, Mirror, Body and Mind"
(Book Two of the series, "Musings of a Rogue Comet - Chiron, Planet of Healing")
By Martin Lass © 2002
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Martin Lass,
Astrologer
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Martin Lass
Professional Practising and Research Astrologer
Research Member of AFA (American Federation of Astrologers)
Member of ISAR (International Society for Astrological Research)
Certified practitioner of "The Collapse Process"(TM) of Dr. John Demartini (The Concourse of Wisdom School of Philosophy and Healing, Houston TX).
Martin Lass specializes in Chiron Astrology--the astrology of Healing--as well as actively researching the origins of astrology and astrology's wider metaphysical connections to every possible area of human endeavor and expression.
He writes for various trade journals, has authored numerous books (see below) and presents lectures/seminars/workshops worldwide on a variety of topics from astrology to healing to the connections between mythology, physics and metaphysics, to name a few.
Author of the three-volume book series, "Musings of a Rogue Comet - Chiron, Planet of Healing" and of "Love Makes the Worlds Go Around - The Living Planets Speak"
See:
www.martinlass.
com/chbk123.htm
Author of spiritually-based fiction and poetry
Professional musician (violinist), composer and entertainer
Book designer for Print-on-Demand (POD) printing process (primarily for self-publishers - e-books and trade paperbacks)
websites:
www.martinlass.
com/astrohome.htm
(astrology and healing site)
www.martinlass.
com
(music site)
www.galactic
publications.
com
(PDF book design site)
email:
MartinLass7@aol.com
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