73: TO DARE IS TO DO.....
Mon 3rd June at 11.01 - Mooning Monthly Edition 73 dribbles towards its goals.....
Aye aye Mooners.
We welcome the new moon in Gemini next Monday morning around our well earned, mid morning coffee/fag/loo break, with early summer in full swing and on the wing. The dawn chorus currently being performed in the back gardens south of Staines is a stunning oratorio not to be missed. One naturally has to be an early riser to witness the sing-song, dawn breaking just after 4am. At that hour, there is a calm in the air (human consciousness slumbers still, prior to resuming its frenetic chatter) and one can connect, unimpeded, with the gentle omniscience of nature as its presence is cordially announced to daylight by our delightful feathered friends.
Most of the great wisdom traditions recommend an early start to the day, with prayer or meditation before dawn. There is method in the practice, taking advantage of the deep stillness before the daily habitual mindsets kick in, to set the tone for one's day by communing with the wider essence of existence from which we are never separate. By consciously cementing that inherent connection in the mind before engaging with the busy, individuated aspects of the self in the day ahead, one's thoughts are constructively anchored in the foundation of Unity, allowing greater understanding and peace to permeate all subsequent thought.
The recognition that this time of the morning provides an easier opportunity to access our eternal, joyful nature because noise from collective human consciousness is subdued, might hint at the distracting power of thought. Thought is the very essence of everything we experience. Let's not beat about the flowering mulberrry bush here Mooners - we are mistaken if we believe our thoughts (and their attendant feelings) are a true reflection of what is happening in the world. There is a subtle but distinct difference between what is actually happening (the dawn chorus, for example) and our experience of it via thought (..."ohh the bird song is so melodious and pretty.....I wish Poppy was here to witness it with me......maybe I could record and post it on Instagram.......what is Poppy up to these days?"....) Instead of witnessing the glory of what is happening around and within us, we habitually end up distracted by our thoughts on the matter at hand, often resulting in sensations of disappointment that can pervade further experiences.
The world unfolds and we experience it through the filters of our conditioning: the layers of habitual responses and behaviour formed over the years of our upbringing to adulthood. This conditioning is the culmination of all the thoughts we have entertained about ourselves and others throughout our lives, is entirely unique and evolves into the personality that we come to believe to be ourselves.
There is a social and cultural context to the conditioning but it is nonetheless the fabricated filter through which life passes to manifest as our experience. The filter does not exist when we are infants but builds cumulatively as we learn about the consequences of our actions through childhood, adolescence and beyond. What we witness repeatedly becomes an ingrained pattern of thought that manifests in our idea of self, or who we think we are - commonly known as the ego.
As children, if we repeatedly encounter behaviour from others that suggests we are not worthy of the good things in life, we come to believe that the good things in life are not for us. If the "I'm not worthy" mantra resounds under all experience as our primary personal filter, it inevitably colours the whole affair. Through continual, negative thought processes we can police ourselves into a shoebox of narrow possibility that we believe we can never leave. Life becomes more about what we can't do than what we can. Without careful attention our shoe box can become a 'comfort zone' which, by repetition, becomes ever more stringently defined and restricting. Many adults will not allow themselves to operate outside of the mental, emotional and physical restrictions that they impose upon themselves.
If we think something negative about ourselves often enough, be it "I'm not Worthy", "I never have enough" or "I'm really unlucky", these will become the primary belief filters through which our experience manifests, invariably preventing us from feeling like we're worthy or can get what we want in life. As the negative mantras appear to be born out by our experiences (surprise, surprise) the whole cycle perpetuates itself into a victim "poor me" mentality where our glass is constantly perceived as half empty rather than half full. With a well maintained negative mindset our experience, regardless of circumstance, can be a pretty relentless, miserable affair.
On the upside, the same dynamic can be applied to positive thought in order to encourage and perpetuate a positive experience of life. I have, rather glibly, bandied the word 'mantra' around this text but mantras are a powerful tool, enlisted by most wisdom traditions, to 'train' the mind and body into a desirable disposition.
Without careful management, the mind can be a pretty capricious team mate in the great game of life, liable to go off on mazey, unconstructive dribbles away from goal. A repeated mantra, defined as a phrase, word or formula chanted or sung as an aid to meditation, programmes the mind in the direction you want it to travel, hopefully towards goal, perhaps even to score....(a fatuous metaphor allowing us to apologetically chant 'Come on you Spurs' before their big night in Madrid 01.06.19 - 'To Dare is to Do' dear Mooners).
In some Hindu and Buddhist teachings, a devotee is given their personal mantra during initiation into a tradition. Used in a disciplined fashion, this mantra is an aid to meditation, accessing the collective consciousness of an entire spiritual tradition in support of the devotee's own positive intents. A positively charged mantra keeps the mind on track, as it were, so selection of the appropriate thought form and wording are essential.
Under this capricious, Gemini New Moon, it's going to be really useful to develop awareness of the unconscious mantras through which we experience our lives. Gemini is renowned for being flighty, a would-be Jack of all trades but master of none. Amongst its qualities, Gemini tends to be quick thinking/reacting (impulsive); flexible; sweet talking but often selfishly motivated. Under this Gemini New Moon we must therefore be prepared for the possibility of autobiographical mixed messages as we typically flit from one thought and activity to another. We may conclusively resolve to do one thing in one minute, only to find our fickle selves doing completely the opposite five minutes later.
Such erratic behaviour doesn't help harness the influence of the moon in the merry manifesting practice we like to call Mooning. New Moons are provident times to plant seeds of intention so that they can germinate and grow under the energising light of the waxing moon. If, under this Gemini Moon, we can't keep still long enough in mind or body to clarify what it is we want to manifest, then the opportunity could be said to have been lost. The truth is, what will actually manifest are the unruly, arbitrary mantras that are subliminally dictating the terms of our life experience without our conscious engagement. With increased awareness of these unpredictable inner messages we can systematically devise strategies to replace them with thoughts, words and actions more beneficial to ourselves and all that we encounter.
The suggestion under this quicksilver Gemini New Moon is therefore to be careful what we wish for. A subconscious desire to see oneself as a victim of circumstance will, in all probability, lead to that reality. Increased awareness of the messages we are transmitting can be found through calm assessment of the experiences we are drawing to ourselves. If those experiences are not to our liking, it is incumbent upon ourselves to change our internal dialogue until the message we embody is in alignment with the outcomes we wish to manifest.
It seems trite but to have everything you want in life you only have to say, "I have everything I want in life", and believe it. To have a happy life one only has to be happy. How? Say, "I am happy, I am happy, I am happy," one thousand times over and laugh at the ridiculous joy that immediately ensues. If we say something often enough we eventually believe it. This is the nature of mind. It is a neutral resource, a mutable energetic pool, that will creatively mould its expression to the slightest prompt, positive or negative.
As we begin to see our mental constructions in their true light we can actively choose to focus them at specific goals - our intentions - rather than diminish their power through carelessness. By choosing and repeating an appropriate, positively charged message to preface the rest of our daily experience, we change our perspective of that experience. In very real terms we change our world for the better.
Here are a few phrases we might choose to employ but you can equally well create your own:
- I create my own reality
- I am grateful
- I am worthy of good things happening in my life
- I am powerful and determine my own present and future
- I love, I love, I love
- I am well organised, efficient and focused
- I am kind to myself
- I welcome all forms of positivity into my life
- I am whole, healthy and strong
- I radiate happiness and love
- I do not judge myself or others
- I love myself and enjoy time alone
- Thank you, thank you, thank you
Here's a fledgling plan for this Gemini New Moon:
- Choose to get up early or at dawn for a day or two during the next couple of weeks.
- Find a quiet place to sit, possibly somewhere you can hear the dawn chorus.
- Select an appropriate phrase to repeat silently or out loud as long as feels appropriate or comfortable.
- Observe the immediate sensations in the mind and body as the phrase builds and resonates
- Once finished, observe the sensations as one goes about one's daily business.
- Observe how the day unfolds and one's reactions to what is happening.
- If there are positive outcomes why not resolve to wake a little earlier each day to allow time in your morning routines for a mantra meditation.
NOTE: The above plan might sound a little dry and formal. We here at Mooning HQ firmly believe in the practical use of mantras sung in the shower - suitably wet and informal - as we moon our way into the day. Trust yourself to create your own moments, circumstances and mantras to encourage your thoughts in the direction you want them to go.
Getting to the ancient root of it all, mantra, at its core, is the basis of all religious traditions, scriptures, and prayers. According to the Hindu teacher Dr. David Frawley, when carefully chosen and regularly utilised, mantras "have the ability to help alter your subconscious impulses, habits, and afflictions." In effect Mantras are another, bonafide form of Mooning and, when spoken or chanted, broadcast a potent, positively charged message that is heard by the rest of existence (our wider Self). If we do not undermine this message by transmitting contradictory doubt or negativity in our thoughts, words or actions, we provide a clear narrative that existence will willingly assist in realising.
Under this Gemini New Moon let's not mix our messages. Let's keep focused on the thoughts we intend to manifest for the benefit of All.
Audere est Facere dear Mooners 'Til next time
