Authentic Spirituality Is Revolutionary

It Unleashes Our Core Beauty

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AWAKENING TO BEAUTY AND LOVE

A renowned spiritual teacher I know said, “Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. It's the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true."

Another renowned spiritual teacher said, “Authentic spirituality is revolutionary. It does not legitimize the world, it breaks the world. It does not console the world, it shatters it. And it does not render the self content, it renders it undone.”

I don’t agree with either of these sour, surly, macho, dehumanizing rants.

In my hypothesis, authentic spirituality is revolutionary because it unleashes the inherent beauty of our High Deep Soul and enables our High Deep Soul to more clearly see the sublime and ecstatic masterpiece of creation. It fully opens us to viscerally perceive and celebrate the beauty and love that are the heart of reality.

Here’s the “authentic spirituality” I aspire to cultivate: It heals and inspires and liberates us and the world. It nourishes our High Deep Soul, empowering us to become founts of blessing for everyone and everything we encounter.

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I don't mean to imply that awakening and enlightenment are purely easy and painless and only-and-always-sweet. Of course they’re not.

But putting the emphasis on the destruction and suffering, claiming that the process of embodying one's true nature is primarily a terrifying and disorienting event, is stupid and erroneous—and in my view, a central theme of the way toxic patriarchy works.

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When I experience the interconnectedness of all things and behold the world on a molecular level, I rejoice. Life is a glorious miracle. My little self is united with the One Self and I am a participant in the Blissful Divine Play of Creation. Love is my Law, and I am blessed with the yearning to be practically compassionate.

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What will your Glorious Story be as you increasingly access and cultivate authentic spirituality?

How can you exert your free will to create adventures that bring out the best in you, even as you find graceful ways to offer your gifts to the world?

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The quote above has been attributed to both Margaret Atwood and Dr. Who

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LEAVING BEHIND THE STORY HATERS

Here’s more advice from the sour, surly, macho spiritual teacher I quoted at the beginning of the newsletter. He says:

"To see, perceive, and experience life without any story, so that the bottom falls out of the center, is actually the greatest act of compassion you can do for yourself or others because then you are 'self-less.'

"Self-less is actually a literal thing,” this teacher continues, “to be without a center, without a story. Self-less is being without a self."

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Here’s my response to that counsel: I completely disagree with it.

In my view, our selves are in fact marvelous creations that are among the universe's most magnificent creations. Our stories are at the heart of why we are alive here on Earth, and they provide the Divine One with sublime joy.

Our stories are not distractions from something "more spiritual" and "higher" and "more profound." They express the essence of the Creator’s creative glee. They are the central throb of the universe's reason for being.

My little self and little stories partake of the magnificent blissful play of the Big Self and Big Stories To perpetrate the dogma that this is an inferior truth is not interesting or real to me.

In fact, the entire universe is an Alive, Sentient Self who creates marvelous ongoing stories, fresh in every new moment.

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Now of course I understand that not ALL of our stories are true, empowering, and real. Some of our stories do indeed weaken us. Some are rooted in delusions about who we really are and what life is about. And it’s crucial that we identity those debilitating stories and shed them, dissolve them, abandon them.

But just because some of our stories distract us from our soul’s mission doesn’t imply that all our stories are inherently problematic. In a similar way, we might observe that some of our romantic and sexual experiences have been awful and hurtful, but that doesn’t mean all romance and sex are to be disowned and interpreted as harmful.

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Here are two key themes in the work of author Clarissa Pinkola Estés:

1. The right kinds of stories can heal the distressed parts of our psyches.

2. What seems to be purely a wound may also be a breakthrough that offers you initiation into a more meaningful destiny.

Again, I will add that not all stories are healing and not all wounds are initiations. But when you are in a vivid phase of growth, you can attract the right kinds of stories that will heal your wounds by reframing them as an initiation.

Go find those stories!.

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I often refer to the One Intelligence as SHE and HER, although of course She is pangender.

She loves most of all to play, to create and enjoy ever-new dramas. To be most completely united with this Divine Wow, we aspire to be like Her.

The Divine One who IS and also CREATES the universe is an artist, a dramatist, a storyteller.

Spinning tales is Her wheelhouse.

The generation and dissolution of forms comprise Her palette.

The myths and legends and narratives that flow from Her are tricky, poignant, playful, erotic, harrowing, funny, mysterious, and unable to be dogmatized.

As we grow in our ability to be united with and to participate with Her in Her creative work, we give Her joy and become more able to feel Her visceral presence in every detail of life.

By doing this, we become more and more Her co-creators.

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Listen to my spoken word song, The Universe Is Made of Stories:

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

For the Week of May 8

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Classical ballet dancers often seek to convey the illusion of weightlessness through highly stylized movements. Innovative Taurus choreographer Martha Graham had a different aim, emphasizing groundedness. Emotional depth and rooted physicality were crucial to her art of movement. "The body never lies" is a motto attributed to her, along with "Don't be nice, be real." I recommend you make those themes your guides for now, Taurus. Ask your body to reveal truths unavailable to your rational mind. Value raw honesty and unembellished authenticity over mere decorum.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini photographer Margaret Bourke-White (1904–1971) was a trailblazer. She was the first American woman war photojournalist, the first professional photographer permitted into the Soviet Union, and among the first to photograph a Nazi concentration camp. She was consistently at the right place at the right time to record key historical moments. She’s your role model in the coming months. You, too, will have a knack for being in the right place and time to experience weighty turning points. Be vigilant for such opportunities. Be alert and ready to gracefully pounce.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Each negative word in a news headline increases click-through rates," writes Joan Westenberg. "Negative political posts on social media get twice the engagement. The system rewards pessimism." She wants to be clear: "Doomsayers aren't necessarily wrong. Many concerns are valid. But they've built an attention economy that profits from perpetual panic. It's a challenge to distinguish between actionable information and algorithmic amplification, genuine concern and manufactured outrage." Westenberg’s excellent points are true for all of us. But it's especially important that you Cancerians take measures to protect yourself now. For the sake of your mental and physical health, you need extra high doses of optimism, hope, and compassion. Seek out tales of triumph, liberation, pleasure, and ingenuity far more than tales of affliction, mayhem, and corruption.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Bees are smart. The robust and lightweight honeycombs they create for their homes are designed with high efficiency, maximizing storage space while using the least amount of resources. Let's make the bees' genius your inspirational role model for the coming weeks, Leo. It will be a favorable time to optimize your own routines and systems. Where can you reduce unnecessary effort and create more efficiency? Whether it’s refining your schedule, streamlining a project, or organizing your workspace, small adjustments will yield pleasing rewards.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1971, Virgo poet Kay Ryan began teaching English at a small community college. Though she wrote steadily, working hard to improve her craft and publish books, she never promoted herself. For years, she was virtually unknown. Finally, in 2008, she flamed into prominence. In quick succession, she served as the US Poet Laureate, won a Pulitzer Prize, and received a $500,000 “genius grant” as a MacArthur Fellow. Why am I telling you about her long toil before getting her rightful honors? Because I believe that if you are ever going to receive the acclaim, recognition, appreciation, and full respect you deserve, it will happen in the coming months.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran author Diane Ackerman combines an elegant poetic sensibility and a deft skill at scientific observation. She is lyrical and precise, imaginative and logical, inventive and factual. I would love for you to be inspired by her example in the coming weeks. Your greatest success and pleasure will arise as you blend creativity with pragmatism. You will make good decisions as you focus on both the big picture and the intimate details. PS: If you immerse yourself in the natural world and seek out sensory-rich experiences, I bet you will inspire a smart solution to an achy dilemma.

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ARE YOU THE HERO OF YOUR OWN LIFE?

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." So begins Charles Dickens' novel David Copperfield.

I'd like to inspire you to create stories of your own that begin with similar words.

If you'd enjoy getting more assistance from me, tune into your EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the state of your destiny.

Go to

https://RealAstrology.com

Register and/or log in through the main page.

The cost is $7 per sign. (Discounts available for bulk purchases.)

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio-born Sabina Spielrein (1885–1942) was one of the earliest woman psychoanalysts. In the 21^st century, she is increasingly recognized as a great thinker who got marginalized because of her feminist approach to psychology. Several of her big contributions were Scorpionic to the core: She observed how breakdown can lead to breakthrough, how most transformations require the death of an old form, and how dissolution often serves creation. These will be useful themes for you to ruminate about in the coming weeks. For best results, be your deep, true, Scorpio self.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In the middle of his art career, Sagittarian painter Paul Klee (1879–1940) was drafted into the German army as a soldier in World War I. Rather than fighting on the front lines, he managed to get a job painting camouflage on military airplanes. This enabled him to conduct artistic explorations and experiments. The metal hulls became his canvases. I am predicting a comparable opportunity disguised as an obstacle for you, Sagittarius. Just as the apparent constraint on Klee actually advanced his artistic development, you will discover luck in unexpected places.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): "To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else," wrote poet Emily Dickinson. I often feel that truth. As much as I would love to devote 70+ hours a week to creative writing and making music, I am continually diverted by the endless surprises of the daily rhythm. One of these weeks, maybe I’ll be brave enough to simply give myself unconditionally to ordinary life’s startling flow and forget about trying to accomplish anything great. If you have ever felt a similar pull, Capricorn, the coming days will be prime time to indulge. There will be no karmic cost incurred.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): David Bowie was a brilliant musical composer and performer. His artistry extended to how he crafted his persona. He was constantly revising and reshaping his identity, his appearance, and his style. The Ziggy Stardust character he portrayed on stage, for example, had little in common with his later phase as the Thin White Duke. “I’ve always collected personalities,” he quipped. If you have ever felt an inclination to experiment with your image and identity, Aquarius, the coming weeks will be an excellent time. Shape-shifting could be fun and productive. Transforming your outer style may generate interesting inner growth. What would be interesting ways to play with your self-expression?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The Voynich manuscript is a famous text written in an unfamiliar script filled with bizarre illustrations. Carbon-dated to the early 15^th century, it has resisted all attempts at deciphering its content. Even Artificial Intelligence has not penetrated its meaning. I propose we make this enigmatic document an iconic metaphor for your life in the coming weeks. It will symbolize the power you can generate by celebrating and honoring mystery. It will affirm the fact that you don’t necessarily require logical explanations, but can instead appreciate the beauty of the unknown. Your natural comfort with ambiguity will be a potent asset, enabling you to work effectively with situations others find too uncertain.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Just for now, you might benefit from moderating your intensity. I am pleased to see how much good stuff you have generated lately, but it may be time to scale back a bit. At least consider the possibility of pursuing modest, sustainable production rather than daring to indulge in spectacular bursts of energy. In conclusion, dear Aries, the coming days will be a favorable time for finding the sweet spot between driving ambition and practical self-care. Your natural radiance won’t have to burn at maximum brightness to be effective.
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