PAN International 80
Provisional Astroshamanic News
Ezine of the Sacred
Editorial Director:
© 2008
With the upcoming entrance of the Sun in Gemini (on
The greatest human plague is the tragedy of separation, being unable to connect with others, failing to express our true feelings and understand those of others. This is biblically depicted by the story of the tower of Babel, when confusion of language occurred among people and mankind forgot how to speak from the heart. While it is painful that we are frequently unable to openly communicate with others and vice versa, it is even more painful that we seem not to understand ourselves, and connect with who we truly are. Astroshamanism, as other similar tools, originated as a way of dismantling the obstacles to true inner and outer communication, gently bursting through the barricades of separation and unveiling the original language that we all deeply share.
In this respect the third sign, Gemini, plays a major role. It operates as the keeper of the circulation of thoughts, information and all types of communication or mental activities. Whatever we experience in the physical world is the result of a communication process. Our thoughts and words cause tangible effects in the environment. There are only two types of thoughts and forms of communication. On one side there are thoughts based on separation and our split identity, on the other there are thoughts emanating from our united Self and aligned with Spirit. Each thought and word that we express contributes either to uphold separation or unity.
Communication is ongoing, no matter whether I think on my own or express my thoughts with others, I either communicate separation or unity, fear or love. Thus any moment offers the opportunity of supporting healing connections and stepping out of separation. These connections involve whomever or whatever I physically interact with, as well as whomever or whatever comes to my thoughts or emotions. In multidimensional terms there is no difference in value between a physical and a mental or emotional interaction. I am communicating at all times, and again, in any second of life, I can choose between separation and unity, fear and love.
The ego separated mind is based upon the denial of multidimensional communication, as well as upon the refusal to accept our multidimensional Self. For this purpose it employs a huge assortment of devices aimed at sidetracking human perception, causing the mind to elapse so as to ravage information coming from our true Self. Yet, as human beings, we have the capacity to watch our minds, tenaciously engaging with the healing network of life. This entails questioning the ego’s bogus anti-spam filter and the entire matrix of our conditioned mind.
Mercury, the ruler of Gemini and Virgo, is the provider of sacred communication, who presides over the quality of intellect, or understanding, which in the Christian tradition is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Through the gift of intellect (from the Latin inlus legere, “to read within”) I learn to reach the heart and mind of everything and everyone, penetrating any outer layer and unveiling the naked essence of whom and what we all truly are. This is exemplified by the tarot card of the Lovers, which is featured in this PAN, and by the climax of Pentecost, when through the gift of tongues communication in the Spirit replaces communication in ordinary languages. Gemini encompasses both the blessing of the Pentecost and the curse of the
Blessings, Franco
In the astroshamanic education area, there are several events taking place in the bridging zone between Spring and Summer, as well as in the adjacent Cancer zone. At the Findhorn Foundation, after the Blessed Way of Passion workshop, from 17 to 24 May, I and Sverre Koxvold hold Working with the Spirit of Cluny Garden, which is bound to prove yet another most luminous adventure involving the healing beauty of the Cluny Hill College environment. Then, also with Sverre, The Original Quest: An Astroshamanic Journey into Space and Time (Findhorn, 14-21 June 2008) follows. This is the most senior of all astroshamanic workshops (now in its 10th edition), a decisive turning point for most seekers on the spiritual path and an essential requisite in astroshamanic training. Read more…
From 2 to
For those in the astroshamanic network who have never attended workshops at the Findhorn Foundation I recommend doing so whenever is convenient for you. Besides providing a superb setting for astroshamanic work, this environment has countless gifts to offer and, as I perceive it, stands out as one of the seemingly closest approximation of the New Jerusalem on our planet.
Another zone which is gaining astroshamanic attention is the central Italian area of Marche and Umbria, land of major mystics and artists, where in the past two years several courses have taken place. The forthcoming summer events include Multidimensional Portal of the Senses - The Touch of the Earth in the monastery of Cupramontana (Ancona), from 28 to 29 June 2008, and the long-awaited Astroshamanic Summer Gathering, in Assisi, from 4 to 8 July 2008 (see details below). If you wish to take part to this latter workshop please book at your earliest convenience.
Opening image: The Trefoil, made up of three interlocking circles, is one of the most common symbols of the Holy Trinity. It is traditionally attributed to St. Patrick.
In the Western Christian liturgical calendar Trinity Sunday is celebrated this year on 18 May 2008, which also coincides with the Global Peace Meditation and Prayer Day, or World Shift Day, held by the World Peace Prayer Society and the Club of Budapest. Click here for details.
We warmly encourage our readers to comment on the articles in PAN. If you wish to write a comment or share your experiences related with the themes of our articles, please contact pan@astroshamanism.org.
This above encouragement is especially addressed to all current astroshamanic trainees.
We also invite all trainees, who have not done so, to join our sharing circle (FLY). For information on how to join FLY please contact letizia@astroshamanism.org
IN THIS 80th ISSUE
Take a Nap, Stop Worrying! by
The Astroshamanic Travel Column: In
7 km from
New Paradigm of Spirituality and Religion
The Lovers - Gemini: An Astroshamanic Voyage into the Tarot by Franco S.
Up With God and Saint Cone!
Signs of Fire by Letizia Mocheggiani
A Touch of Fire by Christine Dreifus
The Gaia-Field Project
The Bee-Project
The Yeast
The Original Quest
Upcoming Astroshamanic Events
Take a Nap, Stop Worrying! – Exploring the Gemini Section in the Gospel of Mark by
In the article titled “Gospel in the Stars or Stars in the Gospel?” on PAN 79 I referred to the intimate association between the Bible and astrology. I also mentioned the Gospel of Mark and its division in 12 sections, each corresponding to a zodiac sign, set in the natural order from Aries to Pisces. According to this structure, described in details by Bill Davison in The Gospel and the Zodiac, the part associated with the sign of Gemini goes from Mark 4:35 to 6:29.
This Gemini portion of the Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus saying to his disciples: “Let us go over to the other side”, which right from the start exemplifies the acknowledgment of Gemini’s dualistic nature. Then the whole group get in a boat and start a short trip by sea. Castor and Pollux, the twin constellation of Gemini, as Darlison points out, is the patron of seafarers, and ships, for example the one used by Saint Paul, were often called after them.
After a whole day of preaching and being with large crowds, when Jesus told his disciples to move on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they were probably glad because they could finally relax and have Jesus all for themselves. Then, suddenly, there was a furious storm, which the disciples tried to fight with all their fishermen skills. Yet, they had never encountered such a squall, and when the boat started to sink, they began to panic, yelling and crying. It was a scene of total chaos and disruption. And what about Jesus? What was he doing in the midst of all this? He was utterly at peace, quietly sleeping on a cushion. In total fright the disciples decided to wake him up, shouting: “Teacher, don't you care if we drown?” Jesus gently stood up, rebuked the wind and told the waves to belt up. At once everything calmed down. Then Jesus asked the open-mouthed disciples why they were making all that fuss about the storm.
When I read the above story for the first time, I was startled by the tragicomic scene of Jesus having a nap in the midst of a noisy storm, with everybody around yelling and cursing. How could someone sleep in such turmoil? And why was Jesus sleeping? This intrigued me a lot. Later I perceived his attitude as a perfect illustration of our human identity and its separation from God and our true Self.
In life we regularly get caught in a whirlpool of fears, worries and grievances, often screaming the hell out of them. While this happens our true Self lies sound asleep. Yet, once we finally decide to wake it up, this Self simply commands the chaos to “be still” and suddenly all madness vanishes like a nightmare. Then we realise that we were those sleeping on the boat, and not Jesus. And still, no matter whether I am awake or in a dream, Jesus continues to travel with me or, as A Course in Miracles says, “God goes with me wherever I go.” (ACIM, W41)
Fear, anxiety, worry and any type of suffering are always the unavoidable consequence of separation. We devise and employ many tools to deal with our problems, yet what we rarely do is to question the reality of the problems themselves, missing the opportunity to detect what is truly happening while we are absorbed in our nightmares. We need not fear the furious storm, because God is with us in all circumstances. “Deep within you is everything that is perfect, ready to radiate through you and out into the world. It will cure all sorrow and pain and fear and loss because it will heal the mind that thought these things were real, and suffered out of its allegiance to them.” (ACIM, W41:3)
Of course, most of us, do not believe this. How could we, when our true Self is obscured by thick layers of insanity and isolation, portraying the only reality we see? Well, perhaps the first step to access our inner Self is to draw its attention, to establish a direct communication and “awake” it. If the dream is the problem, there is no way I can find a cure unless I decide to call upon what is not in the dream. Instead of cursing and yelling at the characters and setting of my dreams, I can address who does not belong to the dream. As humans we are all in the same boat, and yet in this boat we can connect with Whom is at peace, resting in the boat. The question is “Where is Jesus resting in my boat?” Here it does not matter which way I choose to wake him up, whether through a tender whisper or by screaming the hell out of my lungs. What counts is to finally choose to communicate with him. Then, once I become aware of his presence, the second stage is to release my dreadful dreams, which will eventually lead to the third phase of waking up and resting in God. “In the shadow of your wings I take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by.” (Psalm 57:1)
I would like to refer now to a series of synchronicities, which are a typical Gemini feature. Synchronicities are acknowledgments of conceptual relations between two or more causally unconnected experiences. This, as I see it, is one of the most favourite ways used by the Holy Spirit to communicate and teach us lessons. I often witness synchronicities during astroshamanic seminars, sessions and in my everyday life. They are powerful healing tools for they promote reconciliation of polarities, creation of links and expansion of our mental faculties, which are also major Gemini traits.
After writing the above on Jesus calming the storm, I indulged for a while with the beautiful feeling of joining Jesus in his sleep and resting in God. Then, I took A Course in Miracles, and read the lesson of the day, which was: "I rest in God. This thought will bring to you the rest and quiet, peace and stillness, and the safety and the happiness you seek. I rest in God. This thought has power to wake the sleeping truth in you, whose vision sees beyond appearances to that same truth in everyone and everything there is.” (ACIM, W109:2)
Later, in the afternoon, I read an account of John Wesley’s crossing of the
In a few hours I received the same message from unrelated sources and in different forms. Then at the end of the day, during my night prayer, after saying the final words “The Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. Amen” I surrendered myself into the hands of God, enjoying a most peaceful and healing sleep, which was the experiential apex of the lessons I received through the day.
As I write all this, I realise that perhaps the above is not really so impressive. After all, on that day I was basically on my own, interacting only with books and movies. There are surely much more spectacular synchronicities that I, as many of us, have experienced in life. Nothing glamorous or startling occurred on that occasion. I was just by myself, merely engaged with my thoughts. And still, I acknowledge that something powerful happened on that day, which stems from the realisation that it is also what continues to happen every day, if only I am willing to accept it. And what I do intend to accept here is the constant awareness of the presence of God through the ongoing tutorial companionship of the Holy Spirit.
The Gemini section in the Gospel of Mark also contains the beheading of John the Baptist, the sending out of the Twelve, two by two, with the authority to drive out demons from sick people, and various healing events all closely related with the Gemini path of initiation. Although this portion of the Gospel is very short and fast to read, it contains abundant messages, which may require several volumes to unfold if the analytical spirit of Mercury took over. Yet, since here we are dealing with Gemini and not Virgo, I will not go into it.
Among the stories in this part of the Gospel, I like to mention that of the woman with the blood flow, in Mark 5:21-32. While Jesus is followed by a large crowd, on his way to cure a twelve-year old girl, a woman who has been subject to vaginal bleeding for twelve years desperately tries to approach him. She has tried all kinds of cure to no avail. Besides having to put off with her illness, she is condemned and ostracised by the religious laws of those times, which consider her blood flow unclean. Yet, the woman has not given up, and when she hears about Jesus, she relentlessly crawls through the crowd until she manages to touch his cloak, and as a result she is healed. What appears as rather peculiar here is the way Jesus responds once the woman touches him. “At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’” Since there is a whole crowd touching and pressing Jesus, his disciples cannot make any sense of the question. “You see the people crowding against you and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But Jesus keeps looking around to see who has done it. Then the woman, knowing what has happened to her, comes and falls at his feet and, trembling with fear, tells him the whole truth. He says to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering”
Everyone is touching Jesus, yet only that woman touches him in a special way. She uses her power to tap into Jesus, who then perceives power going out of him. Jesus is taken by surprise and doesn’t even see the woman. She takes the initiative, and it is her courage and faith that actually saves her.
Shortly after reading the above story, I found a most unexpected reference in a Roberto Benigni’s recital on Dante’s Inferno (Canto III) broadcasted by Italian television. Benigni mentioned the woman with the blood flow while he talked about passion and love in connection with the story of Paolo and Francesca. His words are most touching and intense, and I can highly recommend this piece, which you can get by clicking here, even, and perhaps especially, if you do not know Italian.
Well, that’s all for now. Take a nap. Stop worrying!
The ASTROSHAMANIC Travel Column
“There is only the voyage. If we are not in the voyage we are not anywhere.”
This newly born column in PAN is an open space for astroshamanic seekers and associates who wish to share about their sacred travel adventures on planet Earth. A sacred travel is regarded as any physical journey that offers significant shamanic and spiritual experiences. We start the column with Jerusalem, which is regarded by most religious people as the sacred city par excellence. Yet, what we wish to emphasize here is that a sacred travel does not necessarily involve visiting a traditional sacred site or holy land. A sacred travel is sanctified by God’s presence (please see the endnote [i] for a clarification about what we mean by God) and by our direct spiritual experience. This is what makes a journey truly sacred no matter when or where it takes place. Please send articles to pan@astroshamanism.org
In Jerusalem by
For quite a number of years Jerusalem had been on my list of places to visit for a variety of reasons, ranging from experiencing the biblical sites that were so familiar to me in my childhood, over wanting to expose myself with my German upbringing to the present country of Israel and its inhabitants to getting a deeper understanding of this place, so mythical and so real, which is of utmost relevance to three major world religions. I postponed my journey over and over again, always due to insecurity because of the political situation. The final impulse to go was the result of a practice during the Astroshamanic New Year's Retreat that Franco held at the Findhorn Foundation this year. We were working on Intents for the year to come and, while walking up to the Power Point at Cluny Hill College by myself, the term 'pilgrimage' came up very strongly and simultaneously the knowledge that this would mean going to Jerusalem this year. I started to do some research and a couple of weeks later I booked, compromising by joining a tour, which is by far my least favourite way of travelling.
The week I spent in Israel in April was complex, confusing, multi-layered, at times deeply disturbing and shocking, not altogether unexpected, but knowledge gained from books could prepare me only to a certain extent for the real experience, which in the outer reality one was one of extreme separation: shortly after the fall of the wall in Germany a wall twice as high being erected between Israel and the West Bank, airport-like security checks to access the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall) in the Old Town of Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rocks, a most sacred site for the Christian, the Jewish and the Muslim religion, open to Muslims only, Christian religions commemorating the same biblical event in different sites and being in territorial disputes if they have to share the same space like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity.
I remember my bewilderment upon approaching Nazareth full of naive expectations of a peaceful pastoral setting based on childhood images and Renaissance paintings to find a modern town of high-rise buildings, filling stations, supermarkets and a major down-town road leading to the Basilica of the Annunciation being called Barcley's
An enormous amount of pilgrims from all over the world fill the streets and sacred sites, most of the time far too many for me to have quiet time and space to experience these places more deeply and connect energetically. Yet I remember scenes that touched me in the midst of these crowds: a group of African Christians that, each person in his/her own way, prayed to God in front of an altar as if he were a real living presence, a Spanish group I followed down the Mount of Olives joyfully singing devotional chants and, of course, the numerous groups that unerringly find their way through the narrow, incredibly buzzing streets of the oriental bazaar in the Old Town of Jerusalem, walking the Stations of the Cross, chanting and singing, two people in front literally carrying the cross.
In spite of a very busy schedule I managed to have two deeper encounters: two men of about the same age, one a Jewish Israeli, the other a Christian Palestinian, part of the 2% minority on the West Bank, both men with a lot of pain in their personal and collective history, yet a very open heart, love for people and for God, hoping and praying for a better future for humanity - but separated by the wall, their belief-systems, religion and politics.
Jerusalem, the Holy City, the site of so many wars since ancient times carries its wounds openly and, when going through the pictures I took, my perception found its nearest expression in the mosaic of the Church of All Nations, also called the Basilica of the Agony, which depicts Jesus assuming the suffering of the world. And, as we know, after the crucifixion, comes the resurrection and the ascension to the light.
Upon coming back to Scotland I was at first a disappointed, having experienced this journey as very rich on an outer level, yet rather shallow on the inner, no magical, transformative encounters, definitely more sight-seeing than I would have chosen to do on my own, not enough time to be present and go really deep. Yet the soul has its own pace: in a Trance Dance last week I merged quite intensely with Mary, whose image I had seen in so many forms in the Basilica of the Annunciation and whose tomb I had visited, and I moved through some of the stages of the crucifixion with the final stage of redemption. Again: for the time being
Image: Dome of the Rock and
7 Km from
This is a touching Italian movie by Claudio Malaponti, which I saw while Astrid was in
The movie drew public attention for a controversial scene in which Alessandro offers Jesus a can of Coca-Cola, and, seeing Jesus accepting and drinking it, says: “What a testimonial!” Read more…
One of the most hilarious scenes in this movie is when Alessandro and Jesus, while driving through a village, see a friar hitchhiking. They stop the car and invite him in. The friar gets on the back seat, and greets them using the traditional: “The Lord be with you”. At that point Jesus turns back and smiles at him. The friar freaks out, and darts out of the car...
New Paradigm of Spirituality and Religion
MaryCatherine Burgess, Associate Chaplain at the University of Edinburgh, has just published New Paradigm of Spirituality and Religion: Contemporary Shamanic Practices in Scotland, published by Continuum, in which she illustrates a field research and case study on three shamanic practice groups in Scotland, among them astroshamanism. In her deeply fascinating book, launched at the Edinburgh Chaplaincy Centre on 30 April 2008, Burgess explores the historically difficult relationship between religion and spirituality by applying cross-cultural elements of shamanism and Daniele Hervieu-Leger’s analytical model of Religion as a Chain of Memory. Through a highly captivating and enlightening study the author uncovers a shamanic worldview that carries in its memory and practice a lineage of spirituality, not belief. This distinction sheds critical light on a new paradigm of spirituality and religion that reflects how many in Western societies currently respond to institutional religion. Her field research includes the Edinburgh Shamanic Centre with Claudia Goncalves and
As for astroshamanism, Burgess describes her experience during two
Burgess also refers to the Findhorn Foundation, its spirituality and welcoming environment.
The results of her research “show that three sets of contemporary shamanic practitioners and their communities in
Joyce Rupp, well-known American award winning author, describes Burgess’ book as a “highly informative and deeply intriguing book”, which “reveals an emerging spiritual consciousness having the power to move us toward kinship with all of life.”
The Lovers - Gemini: An Astroshamanic Voyage into the Tarot by
In our journey through the Major Arcana (started with the previous articles in PAN 78 and 79) we now reach one of the most conventionally appealing cards. At first sight the Lovers, for most folks, tend to provide a delightful feeling, which is inevitably associated with love stories. Since such themes rank number one in mundane cartomancy or fortune-telling, this trump obviously enjoys a first-class reputation. Yet, despite its romantic correlations, the card emphasises transparency, innocence and sacredness in relationships of any kind, including those having nothing to do with conventional love affairs.
The quality of a pure and sanctified relationship is particularly portrayed in the Rider Waite Tarot. Here there is a Garden of Eden setting, a trinity, where a man and a woman, unveiled, are presided and blessed by the angel Raphael (associated with Air and Mercury) standing with open wings. The Sun is shining at the zenith, while in the bottom foreground stands a mount, and at the sides, behind the man and woman, the Tree of Life with twelve fruits and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil with the snake.
In Robert Places’ Tarot of the Saints, conventional implications in relationships are apparently stressed through the Lovers’ association to Saint Valentine, the patron of lovers celebrated on 14 February. In the card the saint plays the part of the angel blessing the lovers from above. Valentine was a martyred priest in the early stages of Christianity. He was executed because he secretly married soldiers and their brides against the will of the emperor, who had ordered soldiers to remain unmarried so as not to create attachments interfering with their duties.
In more traditional decks, such as the Tarot de Marseilles, the card is called The Lover, and depicts a young man about to be hit by a Cupid’s arrow. He stands between two women: a mature dark woman dressed in a red robe, seizing his shoulder with her left hand and approaching his genitals with her right hand, and a young blond woman dressed in blue, pointing at his heart with her left hand and at her belly with her right hand. This trump exemplifies the confrontation with a choice, which on the esoteric level implies electing between ordinary and non-ordinary, darkness and light, separation and unity.
According to the hermetic tradition of the Golden Dawn and the system we employ in these articles, the Lovers is associated with Gemini. This correspondence allows the idea of lovers to move beyond its romantic or social connotations. Gemini immediately suggests a light, innocent and playful rapport between the parties involved, and a twin, brother-sister relationship, rather that a traditional couple rapport. It is brotherhood and sisterhood that the angel appears to bless as the ultimate engagement. This is also what is eventually left in a relationship, once all its outer layers have been stripped and the couple finally stands in authentic nudity. It is the discrimination between, what A Course in Miracles calls, special relationships, which are egocentric rapports based on separation and fear of God, and holy relationships, connections founded on unity, unconditional love and God.
When this card shows up in a reading, it is often an invitation to trust the heart, no matter how irrational or paradoxical it seems to be. The Lovers exhibit the opening of a gateway, gently inciting to go for it. Yet, there is deep purity at work here, which can easily be contaminated by conventional implications of the term “heart” and cause confusion. What inspires the Lovers’ heart is not a romantic, sexual or earthly orientation. It is a state of pristine transparency, a graceful and natural surrender to the will of God, through which true Love is spontaneously bound to blossom.
The Lovers emphasize a nude and blessed acknowledgment of polarities, whose purpose is their harmonisation and also, eventually, their dissolution. From an esoteric perspective the division into genders appears to be the typical feature of separated reality and of our human arbitrary configuration (HAC). Since the ego is based on the belief in separation, it projects its conviction into the world, which is experienced as a reality of dualities. Being unable, or refusing, to perceive wholeness, it confines us in a fragmented world where relationships feature as the major strategy of imprisonment. A way in which this captivity is promoted is described in an essay by Marnia Robinson (click here), which I mention to acknowledge a significant perspective, yet not necessarily one I fully feel resonance with.
When Jesus is asked which commandment in the Law is the greatest, he replies "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.” He then added a second commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” stressing that “on these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40).
As part of its initiatory challenge, the Lovers confront with the unique role each one of us has to play in the above respect. This first commandment on love for God is entwined with the second about our love of others, which is bound to the love for ourselves, as in “You shall love your neighbour as yourself." (Matthew 19:19).
The first step of the Lovers involves unconditionally loving oneself, which inescapably implies aligning with the source of unconditional love within oneself, who is the God referred to in the first commandment. By relentlessly releasing our split perception about ourselves we become more and more capable of seeing ourselves in others and walk together on a joint healing path.
The stage of loving oneself is an ongoing process, which goes together with its twin stage of loving one’s neighbour. As we proceed on the spiritual healing path, we enlarge this love of self by realising gradually and deeper as years go on, “that God really loves you with a love that has no end. You are loved and you are lovable. Whenever you try to acquire or deepen this attitude about yourself, you are cooperating with the grace of God.” At the same time love for self is increased through our deep connections with others, “by listening and trusting, by loving and (what is more difficult) allowing yourself to be loved, by being truly forgiving and (what is most difficult) seeking true personal forgiveness, by widening your circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”[iii]
As long as we are in this separated world, we are inevitably confronted with what we see or feel with our bodies, no matter whether we indulge in their use or try to deny them. In our human life, God, self and others are parts of the same setting in the expression of our Love. And here the others play a special role, because it is through them that we can find a deep understanding of who God is. “Those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” (1 John:
Many human relationships are addictive, selfish and destructive. Yet, this is what we have in this world, and the aim is to heal them no matter what they are, trusting that through the Holy Spirit “these relationships can become the holiest things on earth - the miracles that point the way to the return to Heaven.” Just as the ego employs special relationships to uphold separation, “the Holy Spirit transforms them into perfect lessons in forgiveness and in awakening from the dream. Each one is an opportunity to let perceptions be healed and errors corrected. Each one is another chance to forgive oneself by forgiving the other. And each one becomes still another invitation to the Holy Spirit and to the remembrance of God.” (ACIM, What it is?)
The Lovers, far from denying their bodies, expose them in their immaculate nudity and under the light of the Sun. They also reverse the process of the fall in Gemini. Here they are blessed by the angel, who is whom the woman looks at, turning her back to the snake, while the man confidently looks at the woman. The blessing here is on genuine and trusting relationships, which do not need necessarily to be sexual or romantic ones. True lovers unveil any secret, their nakedness is not meant to express eroticism or attract the partner. It is a sign of transparency towards both God and the other. This implies a commitment that does not automatically require being physical. As such, it may have nothing to do with what lovers or couples do in a conventional sense. Since this commitment does not receive official acknowledgment in our ordinary reality, those who experience it may feel confused or out of place. And yet it is this unlabelled bonding that has continued to inspire and generate true love throughout all the ages of our separated reality.
The Lovers illustrate a multidimensional connection, which on one hand is beyond our human understanding, while on the other is profoundly anchored in the quality of the human heart. It inevitably triggers a conflict between two parts of our nature and yet its function is to encourage them to communicate and finally join in their original wholeness. The association with Gemini emphasizes sacred communication, the profound need of the soul to get in touch with her twin, retrieving the fragmented self in the evident awareness of its immaculate original conception.
In Meditations on the Tarot, one of the most important works of esoteric Christianity, the Lovers have to do with the three vows of obedience, poverty and, most of all, chastity, as opposed to the three corresponding temptations, making a total of six, which is the number of this trump. This revisits the dawn of mankind, as it is described in Genesis, and sets the choice at the crossroads between the three vows and the three temptations.
Bearing in mind that the three temptations are simply the opposite of the vows, which lead to separation and a fragmented world, the three vows follow the patterns of the Garden of Eden. Obedience stands for unity with God, poverty implies possessing everything while not being attached to anything, and chastity is being at one with one’s companion, who is at the same time wife, friend, sister and mother. Chastity means loving with the totality of one’s being and is the expression of love in its wholeness, which is what according to the unknown author characterises the Lovers. Of course, there is much more ultra-heavy heady stuff here, yet I will not go into it, for thanks God it is Gemini!
The Lovers, as I put it more succinctly one year ago in an apparently less canonical PAN, is the trump of multidimensional lovers, of twin souls and unconditional love relationships. Here love, far from being ruled by the water realm of emotions, is associated with the airy lightness of Gemini. The card teaches that love is primarily an act of sacred communication and alignment with the web of life, it is about responding to one’s life authentic calling and to what or who we are truly passionately drawn, regardless of whether this fits with conditionings, doctrines or belief systems. It is about courageously standing by your core multidimensional nature and fully retrieving the luminous path back to wholeness.
Up with God and Saint Cone! by
The Pentecost on 11 May coincided with the feast of Saint Cono (Cono means “cone” in English) celebrated in the Sicilian town of San Cono. During the celebrations the statue of the saint is joyously carried through the streets by sturdy men, while the people cry: “Viva a
There are amazing videos on this feast available on the internet, which I particularly recommend. Please click here and here to see them. The above information on the feast is the epilogue of a short sharing on the theme of sacrifice and release, and the Ritual of the Sacred Cone, which you can read on by clicking here.
Segnali di Fuoco - Signs of Fire by Letizia Mocheggiani
A report from Letizia Mocheggiani on the One Year Course in Astroshamanic Touch at the Eremo dei Frati Bianchi in Cupramontana (Italy).
The One Year Course of Astroshamanic Touch at the Eremo of the White Friars in Cupramontana is the follow up to a previous one year course in Jesi on the Directions and Sectors. The group has grown abundantly with passion and constant work, also creating its own internet forum…. Read on…
The GaiaField Project: Linking spiritual peacemakers for large-scale global meditation and prayer events
Many people intuitively recognize the power of uniting millions of people from diverse spiritual traditions around the globe in meditation and prayer for peace. The vision of the GaiaField Project is to support the emergence of a large, resilient, multi-hub network of spiritual leaders and their constituencies who will regularly participate in and co-create large-scale global meditation and prayer vigils. Our aim is not so much to set up another new global meditation network, but to facilitate the sharing of information and resources between the many existing networks which share the goal of bringing together hundreds of thousands of people in meditation or prayer for world peace. Read more… See also the GaiaField Project website http://www.gaiafield.net/
A Touch of Fire: A Weekend in the Raining Sun by Christine Dreifus
In this article Christine Dreifus from
What is important when the fire is burning everything? All the old crusty habits go up in smoke and there’s a new start…. Read on….
The Bee-Project
The honey bees are stressed and dying in massive numbers. This is an environmental, ecological and global issue with inevitable consequences for the planet. Sandra Hughes, who was recently awarded 1st prize in the Earth Vision Writing Contest, illustrates the Bee-Project dedicated to informing about the global crisis of the honey bee population. Sandra also describes her experiences with the bees at the Findhorn Foundation in
The Yeast
A letter by Franco on the need of remembering the connection with Spirit, no matter what seems to happen in our daily life.
The stance we take towards the apparent difficulties or crisis in life are merely based on our perception. When I focus on the provisional and, yet inevitable, grievances of this separated reality, I miss the awareness of my true focus. Then, I suffer and either I succumb or choose to retrieve it again. Here the only way to retrieve it once more is to change my focus and direct it towards Spirit. Read more…
The Original Quest
This is the title of one of the most successful astroshamanic workshops, which is also the most senior astroshamanic workshop. The traditional environment for this event is Cluny Hill College and its amazing territory, where this year it will take place from 14 to
Forthcoming Astroshamanic Events
Please be aware that new events may be added with short notice. For further details or information please contact Franco info@astroshamanism.org or click here, or alternatively go to www.astroshamanism.org
To book Findhorn Foundation workshops, please contact bookings@findhorn.org or Bookings, The Park,
Findhorn, 17-24 May 2008, Working with The Spirit of Cluny Garden with Cluny Garden Master, Sverre Koxvold and Franco. Deepening trust in the guidance that comes from the nature realm.
Findhorn, 14-21 June 2008, The Original Quest: An Astroshamanic Journey into Space and Time with Franco and Sverre Koxvold (10th edition) Cluny Hill College and its territory operate here as geomantic sacred circle. A most recommended event and a breakthrough experience for many seekers on the path. Read more… and more
Cupramontana (
This workshop takes place in the mountains of Assisi, birthplace of Saint Francis. Its primary focus is the healing connection between Earth and Heaven, body and spirit, through astroshamanism, Christian shamanism and mysticism, prayer and meditation. The event is held in English and Italian. This gathering requires previous participation to an astroshamanic workshop.
Income related price: Euro 495, or Euro 465 (for participants with low income). The cost includes half-board (breakfast and dinner), accommodation in two or three-bedded rooms with bathroom and kitchen. The gathering starts at
Findhorn, 2-9 August 2008, Astroshamanic Trance Dance and Drumming with Franco. Read more…
Cupramontana (
Jesi (
Disclaimer: All information provided in PAN is presented solely for inspirational or recreational reading, and it is not meant to substitute the recipient’s direct experience and investigation. The information is also given to strategically exemplify the different features of astroshamanic cosmology and is not intended to reflect Franco’s opinion or astroshamanism in general. Franco does not necessarily endorse any of the ideas and views expressed in this literature, including his own.
PAN welcomes assistance with transcription of recent workshops in English and Italian. If you would like to help please contact pan@atroshamanism.org.
Astroshamanic Healing Sessions - How do they work and how to arrange them.
Sessions typically last 60 minutes and can be in-person or distant (over the phone). Distance sessions involve a preliminary telephone consultation, followed by a healing practice and a successive consultation aimed at examining what emerged during the practice. Each session is geared according to the issue and intent of the client. The aim is to focus on prominent issues, both from an ordinary and multidimensional perspective, releasing grievances, while uncovering authentic talents and finding empowering guidance. If the client finds it helpful, it is also possible to have additional sessions, or start a specific training programme. Fees for a distant session (60 minutes) are Euro 60 (£ 40). If you wish to arrange a distance session, please contact Franco to make an appointment at info@astroshamanism.org
Astroshamanism Book I: A Journey into the Inner Universe and Astroshamanism Book II: The Voyage Through the Zodiac feature the core teachings of astroshamanism. They are available, together with various drumming and trance dance CDs, from Franco and by mail order from the Phoenix Shop at store@findhorn.com or +44(0)1309-690954.
The Operative Training in Astroshamanism (OTA) is a certificate course in core astroshamanism which allows you to study at home as part of an ongoing interactive training. Participants will learn a wide range of techniques, exploring all aspects of their soul, individual and collective, as they are reflected in the astroshamanic cosmology of the 12 Sectors, the 4 Directions and the 3 Worlds. They will receive initiation into specific healing and ceremonial practices according to each zodiac sign, integrating shamanic experiences with information drawn from astrology and other esoteric sources. The OTA can ideally be integrated with the One Year Course in Astroshamanism and the Astroshamanic Practitioner Training. For information contact: info@astroshamanism.org
Donations for PAN and Astroshamanic Healing activities: PAN is available free to anyone who has attended astroshamanic events/sessions or simply wishes to receive it. If you find PAN useful, inspiring, appealing or perhaps even revealing, any donation (small, medium or big) would be greatly appreciated (for further details contact info@astroshamanism.org). Donations will encourage us to continue on this path. Also articles and other forms of contribution are much appreciated.
PAN on-line: You can find an abridged edition of the latest issues of PAN on-line at http://panissue.blogspot.com/. The abridged Italian edition is at http://panitalico.blogspot.com/, while the full edition is available on request. The abridged Spanish edition is at http://panhispano.blogspot.com/ and the full edition is available on request.
We are always open to contributions from our readers. If you have something to comment or share please submit it for our consideration to pan@astroshamanism.org
[i] God in PAN is always meant as Core Multidimensional Identity, Undivided Self and Unconditional Love, and does not denote identification with a specific creed or gender. What counts here is the experience of God, rather than the term we employ. Hence if the term God causes grievances, please feel free to substitute it with another word. Yet here I wish to stress that astroshamanism and any deep spiritual work, as I see it, will however confront us with all grievances we hold towards the term God with the aim of healing them.
[ii] PAN 55 and 56 feature some excerpts.
[iii] The Essential Catholic Handbook: A Summary of Beliefs, Practices and Prayers, p. 15.
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