Today’s Oracle takes us to the Libra weekly for July 2, 1999
Though you’ve tried many times to free yourself from a useless set of circumstances, and have thought you’ve succeeded in the past, there is no question that this time you’ll break the hold that has been gripping, even strangling you. Indeed, the real risk is releasing the forces of nature and of karma so powerfully, you have no control over the process. And this is a very important point. In a state of true freedom, what we in fact give up is control, including many aspects of control over ourselves. Perhaps this is why personal liberation is so taboo, for the only real control anyone else can have over us depends heavily on our self-control. As for whoever may think you’re under their thumb — good luck.
Note, The Oracle is a random selection from the Eric Francis horoscope archives. Each day we publish one entry from among the 10,000 in our database. It’s a little slice of horoscope history — but chosen by our Oracle program, which always speaks to the present moment. New horoscopes are published each Friday plus twice a month in Planet Waves subscriber edition and Planet Waves Light.
“The ‘message’ of these times is to release and relinquish the patterns of thought control that have been drilled in various ways and at various times.” yes! Thank you, beleclaire – good luck with it!
Let us know what you decide to do, Paola!
“even if you didn’t run off with the hottie, you can always dance!” Ha ha! Thanks Stormi dj! That’ll be my summer theme song. And thanks for the lovely totem piece.
Beleclaire – thanks for the ted Andrews tip. It was a pied woodpecker – could have done with a pair of binoculars cos it was very high up a tree – but could see its elegance and beauty even from so far away.
Was so chuffed and moved on coming here this morning and reading all of your beautiful comments and your sharing of similar experiences. Makes me feel so warm and supported.
You know – as the days pass and the emotions calm down, I realize how it is the work I’ve done in all these years that has brought me to this point – and that these retreats and my daily meditation practice are so precious. I see how easy it is to be black or white about everything, to segregate it into good and bad. One of the most wonderful things about these retreats is being immersed in lush and beautiful nature and silence, it’s a total detox from a year of city living (sure this is the same for you, Paola). Think that real freedom is being able to enjoy the things that you can get from such things, while letting go of any crap that’s pushed at you, recognsiing that it’s not yours. Strawberry – sounds like you’re doing great stuff! Thank you all ! ((())))
lizzy, when i read your first comment, this song started playing in my head (my inner DJ) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOQDsmEqVt8 – then you posted about the woodpecker and it seemed more apt.
here’s another description for woodpecker (from Animal Totems: Dictionary of Birds by StarStuffs) – even if you didn’t run off with the hottie, you can always dance! cheers love!
Woodpecker:
Teaches us how to connect with the earth and how to ground ourselves in nature, shows us Rhythm, fertility, earth’s heartbeat, increase of mental/physical activities, beat of life. Aids in our ability to find deeper meanings and hidden qualities of patterns and coincidences. Are you drumming and creating your own beat? Woodpecker will show you to accomplish this safely by awakening new mental faculties. He teaches to balance the spiritual and mental aspects with the physical world for harmony. Woodpecker shows tenacity, patience and straightforward actions to accomplish this. Listen carefully.
Lizzy – a green or pied woodpecker?
Do you know Animal Speak Ted Andrews…just wonderful for symbolic interpretation
X
Lizzy, I have had a very similar experience.
Last month I went on a yoga retreat, my 6th in the last 10 years, with my daughter, and her 3rd It was a venue new to us and run by an Englishman who seemed to have no interest in yoga, every interest in getting us all to spend extra money and a stunning misogyny. ( I thought I was back in the 80s ! ) We both had all sorts of unpleasant experiences and came home ill and damaged.
It is the 4th ‘lesson’ I have had this year. all of which have told me, in different ways, to be my own authority and claim my own power (back)
Yes Oracle I am giving up others’ control of me – from this and past lives.
The ‘message’ of these times is to release and relinquish the patterns of thought control that have been drilled in various ways and at various times.
Transiting Uranus lassoing my Moon and opposite my Mercury and Pluto’s going to square ’em soon too…phew
Hi Lizzy, Daniel and everybody,
what an interesting discussion, I saw it just now. And so timely! You know, I’ve been feeling something very similar, Lizzy, so it feels good to see that others are feeling the same thing.
For me it’s not a Buddhist retreat, but I have been going almost every year, since 2005, to a spiritual community on the mountains/country, a wonderful place where I felt very well and that helped me a lot. After the first years I realized that my dimension was a little in/out of it, I mean for example sleeping in a place nearby and going there during the day, or similar. That was quite possible, but I also realized that I felt like considered a little ‘weird’ when I asked things that for them were ‘breaking the rules’.
Still, I contemplated living there for a few months, sooner or later.
One year I met a wonderful woman from USA that then decided to live there for a while, and she incarnated exactly what I felt, and lived at a certain distance, and it was fine for her.
Now she has left.
Well, this to say that this year I was pondering if going or not, and I am swinging like a pendulum, because I like the place and the people but at the same time I feel it’s something belonging to the past – at some level.
Thank you Liz for sharing your experience.
I can’t stop asking myself lately:
When you gonna make up your mind?
When you gonna love you as much as I do?
When you gonna make up your mind?
Cuz things are gonna change so fast….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWmETxWM0h0
Lizzy: I was missing you! What an amazing realization; I’m truly happy for you 🙂
AweSOME Lizzy! 🙂
And many thanks for the book recommendation!
Thank you Daniel! Must say that I really thought of you – and you express the whole process so brilliantly and succinctly. “…but one day that path becomes alive and dynamic” – yes, it wasn’t chance that I had a very brilliant and funny room mate this time, so kept breaking the vow of silence and had such a good laugh, plus there was a really sexy guy there who couldn’t give a damn about breaking the vow of no sexual activity, who I nearly ran off into the forest with! Kept fighting these urges, and it wasn’t till I came away from the retreat that i realised that the friendship with my room mate and the flirting with this guy was an expression of joy and well being – and f*** reaching Nirvana!
Hi Lizzy, that’s truly an amazing experience and insight you had! Wow. I agree very much. As you suggest, these retreats and other intensive structured practices can and do provide a way for people to find healing, focus, and their path, but one day that path becomes alive and dynamic. In my own experience, that line or barrier was so scary because it had “samsara” and “Mara” written all over it. This fear of breaking vows or staining a relationship to one’s guru was tantamount to suicide. So many are kept down under the pretense of enlightenment and serving a 99.9% male dominated religion. There’s a wonderful book that you might enjoy. It’s called “Traveller in Space” by June Campbell.
Ps This time I saw my first ever woodpecker in the forest!
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-meaning-of-woodpecker.html
Am so touched by your words, and for sharing with me where you’re at right now, dear P. Sophia. I’ve just come back from my annual week long Buddhist meditaton retreat, where I’ve been going for the last nine years. It has been the most wonderful and deep therapy for me over the years, but this time my eyes were opened to its limitations – it’s as if I have to now go beyond that too in order to become fully myself. Daniel has often written here about how his experience as a Buddhist monk stifled his emotions and totally repressed his sexuality – but I always felt that I wasn’t touched by this, as an outsider. well for the first time I realized how controlling these retreats are on one level, and also misogynistic, I could go on forever, but will cut it short- just to say that I realized that in our adult lives we often unconsciously seek controlling, repressive situations when we think we are freeing ourselves and growing, because that’s what we know. it’s so hard to wake up, but so good when one can! It can be frightening to come into ones own power, also because we can meet opposition and disapproval that we were all too familiar with as children – but we’re not children any more, and that’s a big part of the jpurney I think. Keep on letting go, dear P Sophia, and enjoy the bright, loving spirit that you are.
Hi Lizzy!
This one really hit home for me and also something I feel i am on the edge of finally pushing out/ through too. And I hope you don’t mind I offer my thought below to share with you, as I ve noticed we have some similar relational, family dynamic astrological patterns we’ve been ‘blessed’ to let go of here.
“In a state of true freedom, what we in fact give up is control, including many aspects of control over ourselves. Perhaps this is why personal liberation is so taboo, for the only real control anyone else can have over us depends heavily on our self-control.”
This passage brought to mind one of last week’s oracles. i do not recall the exact words, but the impression was tied to belief as being based on our past thinking; use of control. Whereas, faith can only be in the present, letting go. As it said, “faith is moving through us.” This was/is a powerful liberating thought for me. Hope it helps lift you too.
Wow! This one really sums it up for me right now – amazing!
“Perhaps this is why personal liberation is so taboo, for the only real control anyone else can have over us depends heavily on our self-control”. This is so true, so wise. Today’s Oracle reflects so much where I am at right now. “Indeed, the real risk is releasing the forces of nature and of karma so powerfully, you have no control over the process”, I really hope so! Thank you so much for this.