“Sometimes our light goes out,
but is blown again into instant flame
by an encounter with another human being.
Each of us owes the deepest thanks
to those who have rekindled this inner light.“
–Dr. Albert Schweitzer
Dear Anam Caras,
In this time when it appears the world is going up in flames, when loneliness and isolation bring us to our knees, our natural need to tend and befriend is greater than ever. I hold you in my heart and ask that you remember your ability to see clearly and to act with lovingkindness, first towards your own precious self, and then towards all who are in pain.
What matters is our state of mind, our deliberate choice to reach out to one another in empathy and practical action.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “CHERISH What Is” IN THE SEVENTH HOUSE OF PARTNERSHIP?
“Our fates are tied. We have this strange notion on this planet that our fates are not tied. If it were not so we would not be here together. It’s that simple.” –Luisah Teish
In meditation, my Divine Intuition answers, “Remember that we are ALL ONE, no matter our differing beliefs, or the color of our skin, or the color of the (U.S.) state we live in, or our state of consciousness.”
“PARTNER with those who choose to SEE NO STRANGER!”
I have been deeply impacted by reading/studying Valarie Kaur’s
See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifestation of Revolutionary Love. Ms. Kaur, whose family has lived in America for a century, skillfully weaves together the riveting stories of her life experiences
- as an American Sikh female growing up in Clovis, California’s (majority Christian) farmland
- with the noble tenets of the Sikh faith.
- with the violence that rained down on the Sikh community after 9/11,
- with her social justice work culminating in…
the Revolutionary Love Project.
Five centuries ago, Guru Nanak, the first teacher of the Sikh faith, emerged from a three day quest to understand the violence in his Punjabi world, and declared, “I see no stranger. I see no enemy.” He devoted his life to the truth and wonder of human interconnectedness.
What is your Divine Intuition telling you these days about how Life is asking you to become its Partner?
For more reflections on partnership, you may enjoy my essay from 2018.
WATCHWORD PRACTICE
My Watchword practice this year is to explore how my Watchword, “CHERISH What Is,” is given expression in the 12 Key Life Arenas or the 12 Houses of the horoscope.
Each month, my Watchword practice asks me to explore what “CHERISH What Is” looks like in the current astrological House. On September 22, 2020, the Sun moves into the sign of Libra which has its natural home in the Seventh House.
Here are the 12 cycle dates. Here are the descriptions of the 12 Houses.
HOUSE SEVEN
The Seventh House is the Natural home of LIBRA. Libra is a cardinal air sign ruled by Venus, the symbolic principle of love and art. Goswami Kriyananda writes in The Wisdom and Way of Astrology, “Venus is the planet, they say, that gives happiness–happiness by harmonizing or balancing the emotions.”
Libra is the state of consciousness of “I Balance.” Libra is the urge to live harmoniously and unitedly. The state of Balance is still, without movement, similar to the state of being that meditation may bring with practice.
The sign of Libra is symbolized by the scales, often depicted by a blindfolded Lady Justice holding the scales of justice. Mystics understand the arms of Libra’s scales reach out to infinity, balancing the karmic oppositions that humans create.
Unlike the other 11 zodiacal signs which are organic and related to people or animals, Libra is the only sign that does not breathe. A cardinal quality is an outgoing active energy. Air signs are states of consciousness associated with intellectualization, tending to be cool and relatively unemotional.
Nothing comes to us except through another person. It’s important to understand one’s relationship to others, the Not-Self. One’s view of Self is reflected through the mirror of the other’s view. It’s important to meditate and understand that mirror held by the Not-Self is an incomplete picture of Self.
The Ahamkara, the ego-maker or the “I”-maker” brings an attachment to the identity manufactured by the ego. This leads to great confusion, causing the mind to forget the truth that we are part of Life, not apart from Life. It’s vital to understand that all one perceives as “not-me” is indeed part of “me.”
The Seventh House is the place in your soul where there is the greatest happiness or unhappiness. Perhaps happiness comes with the movement from attaching to the ego-awareness to awareness of the True Self.
The Seventh House is the Life Arena concerned with one’s…
- Not-Self
- Marriage
- Partnership
- Open Enemies (those who I consider in opposition to me.)
- Controversies, quarrels
- The General Public
See The Wisdom and Way of Astrology by Sri Goswami Kriyananda for further details. Okagesamade to Swami Pranananda for furthering my understanding of the mystical science of astrology and much, much more.
DEEPENING YOUR WATCHWORD PRACTICE
If you’d like some help with the Watchword practice, please let me know via our Contact page. I am happy to coach you so you can get comfortable. I invite you to share your experiences in the Comments section below.
- Make a SoulCollage® card for this year’s Watchword. Keep it out so you may contemplate it daily.
- This month we are in House Seven. In this new cycle, reflect and record your insights about the aspects of that Life Arena/House. For each cycle, make a new card to represent how that Watchword manifests in the corresponding new House.
- Journal about the House Seven card. See PDF here to help you dialogue with it. Step into the card and ask it to…
- Tell me about yourself. Listen carefully and take notes when you hear the answers.
- “I Am One Who…”
- Keep listening and allow for a kind of stream-of-consciousness answer.
- What do you have to give me?
- What do you want me to remember? Or, what do you want from me?
- How will I remember your message?
- (What will trigger me to remember your message? Perhaps a color, sound, fragrance, form or symbol, etc.)
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” –Interpretive Talmudic Text
“In the fleeting time we have on this earth,
what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame,
but rather, how well we have loved,
and what small part we have played
in making the lives of other people better.“
~ President Barack Obama
Peace be unto you, dear Anam Caras. May you find Harmony in becoming a partner to Life as an agent of Revolutionary Love offering your special gifts of constructive thoughts, words, and actions.
May your love and compassion become an ever greater blessing to all you encounter. May your Heart-Light be a beacon for those who are discouraged and in despair at this time.
May you walk in Beauty today and all the days of your life, dear ones. With great love and respect, from your loving Libran friend,
Dear Bae,
Thank you for your kind words. I place a high value on including diverse spiritual/religious views.
Love you! Marti
Thank you for the reminder of our oneness even with those we see as quite different from us. I appreciate how skillfully you wove the insights from many faiths and faith leaders to reveal the fabric of community.