I remember the last couple of mercury retrogrades as being horrible times of terrible communication, unease, and chaos. I wasn't looking forward to this current mercury retrograde which brings with it a big family move to a new town. I was bracing for the worst.
Then I read about Mercury retrograde again. How it is a time of old ideas, places, people and experiences coming back, and a time of re-evalutation, and reflection. Communication breakdowns & faulty electronics be damned, I was going to head into this retrograde armed with my intuition spiking chaga tea and a willingness to go with the flow.
My partner Steve and I just returned from a trip to Calgary. It was an amazing time. And a perfect way to celebrate the return of the sun, the big shifts we have coming soon in our lives as we move houses and towns, and to experience Mercury retrograde in all it's finest.
Steve and I met in Calgary. We met in 1993, back in the hey day of amazing British music. Many nights spent clubbing and hanging out with friends. The 90's were pretty fun! Returning to Calgary to watch my favorite band play, at an iconic Calgary venue (Olympic Plaza), meeting up with old friends was really the perfect way to fully meet Mercury retrograde head on.
I've been trying to put together a post for a while now where I address the idea of balance in our lives. As we drove to Calgary we listened to a talk by Robert Lanza about Biocentrism. I don't even know if I could even begin to explain what he is talking about. It's much like yoga philosophy in that I have an intuitive understanding, "I get it" - but I don't get it at all. There is a knowing without being able to intellectualize. My belief is that to understand this stuff, one should probably try not to intellectualize it too much. It can become a bit of a head spinner.
There were a couple of things that Lanza said that really resonated with me. The first is the idea that we are already balanced. Our natural state is balance. We can then choose to move off balance, and "go for the ride" of life. Yes!! Of course.
Think about a simple balance posture in our asana practice. Most of us are very well balanced standing on two feet, but as soon as we take one foot out of the equation - we need to work harder to stay balanced. It might cause a bit of stress or anxiety, but if we remain present and aware we can usually prevent an epic fall or injury.
Present moment awareness, the ability to experience stillness is where we will learn that we are already everything that we need to be. That our circumstances, our thoughts, our emotions are all separate from the experience of Being. Once we know this, we can approach our lives with a different mindset.
When we feel our life is out of balance, that is a good sign that we need to change something. We need to change, or accept the life situations that are causing us to feel that we are no longer balanced. Piling on more work, ignoring work that needs to be done, self criticism, blame are all tools of the mind that distract us from the stillness we are.
Sounds so simple! I'm not sure it is. But, knowing that when things are out of balance, we ultimately have the ability to change or accept it. Just like if we waiver in half moon pose. We can decide to accept the waiver and hope that it doesn't knock us over or we can come out of the pose entirely. We can go for the ride, if we choose. When we can access the core stillness that is within us - we have the ability to separate from the things that create imbalance. Then we can decide what to do.
How do we find the stillness? We all know a consistent meditation practice is the best way to experience stillness. For many, meditation is ideal. I don't sit down and meditate often. I find that a practice of returning to present moment always is my practice in finding stillness. I am mindful of when I am lost in thought, when I am distracted by things (facebook being one of the most common distractions for me), when I am acting unconciously. And I continually return. And it's a practice. A continual one. But, when I notice a tree blowing in the wind or a piece of music or art captivates me - I am still.
We spend so much time seeking something that is already within us. Notice that. Then you pick the ride you call life. Of course, things will happen that will be unchangeable and horrible. And things might be shitty for a long time. But, that does not change your core stillness. And that core stillness, consciousness, is what connects us all.
Which brings me back to Mercury retrograde. A time where we can slow down, look back, reflect and reevaluate. Where old things return.
While in Calgary, Steve and I drove past the house my parents brought me home to as a baby. We ate supper at our favorite fast food place, we stayed in a hotel only a few blocks away from an apartment we lived in together. We visited with old friends, and we got to experience watching a favorite band play. A band I've listened to for over 20 years. Music that has inspired me, and been with me through the ride of life. Some of you may have seen my tattoo - it is the first Spiritualized album cover art.
While waiting for the show to start, I took a quick walk to the toilets and while on my way there happened to spot the lead singer of the band outside the gates. I walked over and shook his hand through the fence, showed him my tattoo and had a chat, took photos. The entire experience was surreal to say the least. Very calm. Very present. There was nothing else in that moment but the meeting of two concious minds.
Robert Lanza also spoke about another idea. Events, life moments - a chance meeting like this. How can it be coincidence? Following the linear path of time back to the big bang, all the events occurring after, the meeting of my ancestors and the chain of events that led to that once chance meeting in Calgary at a music festival. In the words of Lanza, to think of a chance meeting like this as coincidence is "just absurd, it's absurd" (insert somewhat maniacal laughing in here).
I prefer to think of this meeting as something that the was created for me by the universe, to be part of my life experience, because ultimately, the universe is balanced. We manifest our lives from the stillness, from our ability to tap into intuition and trust the flow of life that meets us along the way. When we move from center, we can hold true to ourselves but also freely meet the challenges and experiences that make this life we live so phenomenal and awesome. If something isn't working, we can accept it or change it. Those are our only two choices. When we work from our natural place of balance, life becomes an incredible roller coaster. And we just go for the ride.
I've decided that Mercury retrograde is something to be embraced and looked forward to. Something we can allow to move through us. When we approach it this way, instead of fearing all the things that could go wrong - we can embrace all the amazing things that go right and take the time to reflect and grow. A time to embrace our innate balance and look for a bit of clarity on our life path.
p.s. If you are curious about Chaga tea - I can't say enough about how much this tea has enhanced my life. I've been drinking it for about a month. Chaga tea is so healthy for you, highly alkaline, and the top anti oxidant food. It contains the highest amount of melanin in any consumable plant. Melanin is used by the pineal gland to regulate our bio rhythms, our connection to the natural flow of the planet. You may notice a more intuitive sense, less need for stimulants like coffee, and an overall improvement in health. The pineal gland is considered to be the organ associated with the third eye chakra, which makes this tea extra awesome! There is a great company, Vigr, right here in Regina that sells chaga. There is a link to Vigr in the side bar of this blog.
