©2016 Lynn M. Keefer
Taurus New Moon Mandala
May 6, 2016
The Way Home
As mentioned in the post from last cycle, the year of “enough is enough” is behind us and we are now perhaps learning how to navigate the new terrain. And so, the real work begins in earnest. Having made choices from last year’s “enough is enough,” or having changes thrust upon us either through the decisions of others or through life as it naturally unfolds, we begin the work of navigating in this new life… a life without __________. (You fill in the blank.) I guess that’s why this cycle has been particularly difficult to synthesize and put down on paper. Where to begin? What to say? How to say it? This has been very slow to come together. For me personally, the toolbox I began building earlier in the year becomes more and more a necessity…meditation, EFT, gratitude journal, etc. I feel as though I am on a learning curve that will impact me for the rest of my life. And no surprise…this mandala is filled with learning curves! At least that’s how I see them! When I am face to face with the challenges that surface, what will I choose?
The old ways that no longer serve, that no longer work or are literally no more
Or, though it be challenging and unfamiliar…
The new, life-giving path before me?
The Mandala
I thought it would be fun to show you how I analyze a new mandala that I did not draw. Before I sit down to color them, I take note of what is in the mandala. What shapes and numbers are represented in the mandala? I don’t think about the colors yet, I just grab a marker and go at it…seeing where the lines lead and what their intersections create. Once I have a sense of what is there, I allow the shapes and the numbers to “talk to me.”
Not easily seen here due to all the intersections, but at the very center of this mandala is a very tiny light…a tiny 5-pointed star with an even smaller 5-pointed star within it. Very complex is this tiny light…as if, like an acorn or tiny seed, it contains the blueprint… everything we need to move forward in this new life…to grow, develop and mature. For me, these five pointed stars are all about manifesting in a positive, life-giving, light-filled way. At the very center of the smallest star is a circle divided by ten which is echoed throughout the mandala, dividing the entire circle then, by ten.
Ten:
“Number ten symbolizes the completion of a cycle.
It is the number of heaven and the world and universal creation.
Ten is the very first number that needs a separate part. (1+0)
Number ten was the holiest of numbers according to the Pythagoreans. They took their oaths by number ten.
The first letter in the Greek word “deca” (ten) is formed like a triangle.
Pythagoreans used their sacred symbol of the tetraktys when swearing an oath.
It was common to use pebbles. The pebbles were arranged in a perfect triangle: 1+2+3+4=1-, called the tetraktys. (like current day bowling pins)
The Greek word for pebbles, kalkuli, is the source of our word “calculate.””
~ http://mysticalnumbers.com/number-10/
It is no surprise, then, that we find at least one triangle in this mandala…. either with a hole, like a donut, to reveal the center…or two triangles… one within another. For me this has always felt like a single triangle…almost like a triangular magnifying glass… to see as God sees, then. With point up, this is a masculine Triangle. For more on triangles see: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/triangle-meaning.html Particularly interesting and appropriate for this posting are the questions Avia poses:
- What does it feel like to be in-between?
- How can I find strength through the sacred trinity?
- Are the sum of my parts working together towards unified glory?
- If I had to assign philosophical meanings to each side of a triangle, what would they be?
- How can I utilize this philosophical triangle to propel me into an existence on a higher level?
- What kind of structure do I have in place that secures my spiritual evolution?
Great questions, indeed! Lots to ponder here.
I LOVE the “learning curves” in this mandala…first seeming to go in one direction and then changing course…”Not that way… but, THIS way!” it seems to say! These looping “buds of new beginnings” move between the inner and outer circles. Twenty looping “buds” in total, all connected:
“The number twenty is a universal number that encompasses all the energies of the planets and the cosmos. Fundamentally, it is a period of completion in which you must acquire patience and wait…. If you choose the light, you will bide your time and engage in deep thought and analysis in order to make a balanced decision and an informed choice. Developing the gift of patience helps you to handle stress and anxiety whist you wait.”
~ https://richardjoldale.com/2015/05/19/the-symbolic-meaning-of-the-number-20/
Think about the “spiritual toolbox” needed to navigate our way forward. This “20” tells me that this is a time to ponder, question, think through and not rush in. This then symbolizes a Pause Button…that sacred moment between thought and DOing! That sacred time that invites us to take a step back and rethink our actions… to take the time to invite the new rather than rushing into the knee-jerk, old-way of doing or being.
Of similar shape to the turning points or “buds” in the learning curves are five additional petals that create the inverted, or upside down central flower. These lines also create the tiny central star. Like the star, it is a symbol of manifestation for me. This one however, is flipped or upside down. Referring to the 20 above…the light and the dark, then, are represented. Some would say this flower represents evil… I would say it represents temptation and the things of the world. It reminds me of the necessity of that Pause Button. Interesting that eye is drawn to the flower. You have to really work to see the light within.
The lines of the learning curves also create the larger five-petal flower which seems to be anchored in the triangle and is an extension of the light within. Anchored in God/Higher Power, everything is made right. I colored this to resemble a favorite iris that grows in my neighbor’s yard. One of my springtime favorites.
Finally at the exterior we find 6 8-petaled flowers. As I walk everyday I look for what is new in nature. I colored these the same as my favorite new flowers. They always make me smile.
Eight calls to the Cosmic Christ – tremendous, yet, gentle power – and six? Six brings us home.
The Month
Upon returning from my daughter’s college orientation at the end of the cycle I had the great fortune to watch The Martian. It was a movie I wanted to see in the theatre but never made it there. If you’re going through a challenging time and could use some inspiration, I HIGHLY recommend it! The entire movie moves toward this final monologue:
“This is space. It does not cooperate. At some point everything is going to go south on you…everything is going to go south and you’re going to say, “This is it. This is how I end.” Now you can either accept that or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math…you solve one problem. Then you solve the next one and then the next. Solve enough problems you get to come home.”
– Mark Watney, The Martian
That is exactly how I feel about life right now. And, I see it in the lives of those around me as well. This is life…it does not cooperate. At some point everything is going to go south… And, we don’t have to worry about the problems. They will find us and in many cases already have as we begin navigating this new terrain. The question is: What will we do when they surface? As for me, will I fold and go back to old self-destructive habits? Or will I have the presence of mind to push that pause button and gather the needed information and strength to forge on to the new? Am I grounded enough? Am I eating well enough, sleeping enough, meditating every day…doing all the things necessary to take care of myself? Am I regularly connecting with like-minded, positive people? Do I give myself in service to those who are less fortunate? Am I surrendering enough? Am I humble enough? Am I willing to move forward? It is most certainly a process and, thus far, I have had the presence of mind most of the time. Recent emotionally charged events remind me that I am a work in progress and that I have work to do. I will never be perfect…and that truly is not the goal. Peace and contentment no matter what’s going on around me… that’s what I’m aiming for.
“Transformation has little to do with intelligence, willpower, or perfection.
It has everything to do with honest humility, willingness and surrender..
~Richard Rohr
Honest humility, willingness and surrender… sounds like the way home.
Wishing you every grace and blessings as we navigate the new!
Love, Hugs and Blessings,
Lynn xoxxx
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