Give and Take

The full moon doesn't hit until tomorrow morning, but it looked full even as of last night and the energy from it was incredibly powerful.

Maybe it is because we actually have two full moons this month, which is a rarity; one on the 2nd and one on the 31st. You can certainly wager that the month of May will be bountiful in introspection, changes of emotional tide and tapping into your own feminine energy and diva/goddess-like prowess.

Last night while driving, the moon seemed to be following me, and the clouds were passing by it so rapidly I had to stop and stare. It is believed that when you stop and stare at the moon, you have been called to. She has something to tell you.

And as I watched, I saw not one moon, but two in my vision. You know, as though I'd been on a heavy binge or something? Two moons. They didn't go away either and I knew the second I got home that I was supposed to sit down and have a chat.

Two moons. Two moons. Two moons. ... I kept getting it in my head over and over.

Lit two candles, one on either side of the altar, and as I closed my eyes, saw the two lights beaming like separate rays that meet at my eyes, forming one. Like rivers that become an ocean. And then I started my scribbling...

Two moons like two rivers within you that combine to make the great ocean. One is life giving and the other is life taking. You have these two rivers seriously confused.

Hmm. "Well, that's something," I thought, and after a brief moment of meditation found, the words rang truer than I would like to admit.

I know myself very well (come on, I'm pretty "in touch" with me) and I know what I believe is true for me, but all too often I allow other's points of view, other's voices, to become my own. I try opinions on like t-shirts and I apply certain traits to myself because I believe they will make me more dynamic.

So my giving river... is giving the power of who I am to other people.

My taking river... is taking ideas and traits that do not belong to me.

So the old switcheroo here would be to have my giving river give love and tolerance while the taking river takes inspiration, but never tattoos the soul.

And see, this is why I rarely post here anymore. Because I feel like I'm talking in riddles. I'm not trying to be cryptic, but anyone who is really in touch with that "other side" and has conversations with it regularly understands that to put those experiences into words is nearly impossible. The quote, "It's like dancing about architecture," comes to mind. And the deeper into your spiritual study you go, the harder it gets to really explain some of the things you learn.

But! Like Shirley MacLaine, I'm still here. I'm still giving it a go. For the moment. So anyone benefiting from it, please speak up. (See comment section below.)

I hope that anyone who has been through a similar discovery, meditating on what they are giving and taking from people around them or the world in general, understand what I mean when I talk about these two moons, two rivers, two pieces (there, a sane word) of our spiritual beings.

You know, "two" is something we have a lot of -- hands, arms, feet, legs, eyes. Kabbalists believe (yes, let's do bring this back to Kabbalah, shall we?) that our physical bodies are a reflection of their map, The Tree of Life. Our bodies tell us a lot about who we are and why we are here. Everything -- and I mean, everything! -- to a Kabbalist is symbolism, leading us to a greater truth. Yes, even our freaking bodies!

For instance, hardcore Kabbalists will be familiar with The 32 Paths of Wisdom. These paths, according to the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation), come into physical manifestation via our nervous system, which contains 32 nerves. Let me explain.

The 32 Paths of Wisdom lead to ultimate enlightenment and Kabbalists believe that we use our brain to achieve that state of mind. So, it is no coincidence that we have 32 nerves that lead to the brain. They reflect each other, these 32 Paths of Wisdom that were given to Abraham from God and transcribed in the Sefer Yetzirah over 4,000 years ago -- which was before we even knew we had 32 nerves!

This reflection goes even deeper when you think about the actions that the heart performs. The heart is what provides for the brain and the nervous system. The heart is the engine that runs that nervous system which links our mind to our bodies. The Sefer Yetzirah calls the heart "king of the soul" and describes a mystical experience as a "running of the heart."

So, what this is telling us...

Physically: For the 32 nerves to travel to the brain, the heart needs to be running.

Metaphysically: To travel those 32 paths to enlightenment, we must tap into the soul.

And what I'm telling you is... reflection, symbolism, it is all around us and Kabbalists believe our bodies to be reflections of the spiritual world.

There is a great deal of duality in our bodies. Our bodies were built for receiving and giving. We breathe in, we breathe out. We take seed, we give birth. We eat food, we... and so on and so forth.

So these two rivers are definitely in our spiritual beings. One is for taking. One is for giving.

My question of the day is: Are you giving and taking the right things?

Are you giving authority over who you are?

Have you allowed other's pessimistic points of view to taint your idea of what is possible to achieve?

For me, the answer was a resounding yes and I believe now is the time for healing at this first full moon of the month.


JASON'S OTHER SITES:
JasonCurious.com
JasonSechrest.com
DV8Entertainment.com

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Have questions? Need advice? Want to share? EMAIL Jason at jason@jasonsechrest.com