LOKAH SAMASTAH SUKHINO BHAVANTU is a traditional Sanskrit Prayer that is specifically recommended by many spiritual teachers at this time to help balance our world.

This is my original version of the traditional Sanskrit prayer. I wanted to make it upbeat to inspire joy and light -heartedness. The current Saturn in Sagittarius represents,among other things, the lesson of experiencing joy and optimism as a means of spiritual renewal. I feel this song version reflects that energy, that opens us up to new possibilities of healing and wholeness. It also is a vehicle for us to pray for everyone on this planet , as we are all in this together. The general translation of the mantra is: Lokah- realm of existence/ Samastah – all the beings living there/ Sukhino Bhav- in divine union , harmony ( ie in state of peace and joy)/ Antu -so be it ! .

now available  on CD Baby as a download:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lisathiel6

and check out my ‘hear now’ page :

lisathiel.hearnow.com

For the next year or so we will be experiencing the blessings of Jupiter ( good fortune, prosperity , expansion) in the sign of Virgo , a practical mental mutable earth sign. This gives us the opportunity not only to experience those influences but to learn from them and hopefully incorporate what we have learned into ourselves as an ongoing part of our  being.

For many people the sign of Virgo means criticism , nit picking ,over analyzing and emotional detachment and so it is often not a very popular sign. But the positive gifts of Virgo are many fold: The ability to organize, think and communicate logically and clearly, to be precise, pragmatic and to have finely tuned discernment,  to name just a few.

So we have an opportunity to experience the gift of Virgo, as Jupiter represents blessings and gifts that teach and heal us. One of the first  blessings of this transit is that Virgo is of particular benefit now with the  ongoing Neptune in Pisces aspect ,as Virgo is the opposite sign from Pisces and offers  balance to those expanded, ethereal and  often nebulous energies  of that water  sign.

Virgo rules the conscious rational mind and Pisces the instinctive intuition  and these two in harmony create a whole consciousness, left and right brain. With the current long term Neptune in Pisces , many people are struggling to keep their normal focus at times , especially during the random Neptune transits  that occur  that amplify that energy. So as Neptune is opening up peoples psyches with all the outpouring of  energies and emotions that that involves, Virgo now comes along with its metaphorical broom and tidies up the mess.  As we become older it becomes clearer, as we learn through experience, that order leads to freedom more than chaos.  But to maintain order takes discipline which doesnt come naturally to all signs. For many people just the word discipline makes them uncomfortable because it  suggests restriction of  freedom on some level . However we all know what is like to deal with the effects of chaos in our live and how it can actually curtail our freedom.  But if in the course of clearing , ordering  and focusing our energy we can gain more freedom and peace of mind, discipline then becomes an ally that supports us and actually creates greater happiness instead of lessening it.

Such is the lesson of Virgo , the joy of orderliness that generates clarity, clarity that generates calm , calmness that generates well being and peace.

In the wheel of the year, Virgo corresponds to the harvest time where they traditionally separated the wheat from the chaff, that is,  what is nourishing and beneficial from what is useless and needs to be thrown away. On an intellectual and psychic level Virgo can help us evaluate our inner energies  and patterns to determine what is  really necessary for our ultimate well being and what is impeding wholeness , positive growth and self realization..To that end having some kind of energetic clearing or purification ritual on a daily basis can be very useful,in addition to mental and emotional processing inspired by Virgo.

So the next year is a cycle  of  healing introspection, to look deeply into what needs to stay and what needs to go in our psyches. To create order by filtering out  old unwanted habits  or thought patterns that lead us nowhere, and releasing them to make way for new revitalized positive  energy to take its place . This coupled with the upcoming Saturn in Sagittarius 3 year cycle will be more than ever about finding your personal truth ( which may lay under the pile of accumulated  out- moded beliefs!) Virgo  also teaches us about being “whole unto oneself”, personal autonomy and self reliance which  is another gift of the discovery of our true essential self.

Its also about getting real , as the Pisces influence can be full of fantasy and self deception , which Virgo can whip into shape in short order. As an earth sign Virgo can ground the etheric Piscean energy so it can be utilized in a practical life affirming way.

Tuning into this transit can enable us to make use of these gifts and who knows after it is over you may be just a little more Virgo after it is all said and done.

My first encounter with the desert hares was through a window , where I could see them very close up as they  came to drink from a tree well every day  .
I was amazed by the vivid  orange red color of the eyes, the length of the ears and the long limbs ,their silvery coats with black tipped ears and tails, and soon began to  realize  this  was a very different animal than the little cottontails I was used to seeing .

Then one day in  an open field I saw a group running over the plains, and they were not hopping or scampering but leaping and  bounding like deer, like antelope.
Years later when  a family of Hares  moved into the area near my home and I was able to see them continuously and experience their unique presence, their movements , habits , their spirits.
A believer in medicine animals , I felt they were symbolic of the creative life force, of renewal and hope for new beginnings.
Later I learned they are also associated with the underworld/afterlife as guardians and wayshowers in many cultures. One of their many interesting qualities is that they are said to gaze at the moon , sometimes in large groups.
They are  revered in Native American, Celtic, Nordic , Japanese, Chinese, Mayan and Egyptian traditions, among others.
Aside from the well known fertility aspect  , they are travelers, messengers between the worlds, teachers of silence , patience, invisibility, swiftness, agility, grace, and the pure joy of being.

In fact the Hare  hieroglyph on my Egyptian Hares image is WN which  means the essence of life.
I spent this summer doing watercolor & pastel paintings of my vision of the Sacred Hare  which has brought me a lot of joy,
and I hope that  these images capture that feeling  for others to experience .
Ive just  posted two of the best ones so far on my Imagekind site
in my ‘visions of spirit in nature’ gallery:

http://www.visionaryartoflisathiel.imagekind.com/

Terry Pratchett, who recently passed away, was one of my favorite authors. He was one of the few who could make me laugh out loud when I was reading, to the point I had to put the book down for a minute just to laugh.( in addition to the numerous  small chuckles and low level laughing which only required me to stop reading for a few seconds) I loved his absurd satirical humor, as well as his deep wisdom and understanding about Life and Death, and amidst  the humor I learned a great deal about everything from reading his books.

I loved his characters, especially the witches, who were portrayed as healers, the midwives, the seers, the counselors whose job it was to tend to the needs of those around them. He made fun of those who thought the most important thing was how big your pointy hat was, how much occult jewelry you wore or the splendor of your star studded velvet robes. He said the true craft wasnt sensational or showy but a real ,vital and ultimately humble occupation. Not that his characters were saints, far from it. They were were full of human faults, egos and ridiculous idiosyncrasy, but that made them all the more loveable and authentic.

I loved Hat Full of Sky, The Wee Free Men and Wintersmith ,in particular , the latter of which has some of the most hilarious Witch characters I ve ever encountered.  Most recently I just read  I Shall Wear Midnight, which was a beautiful and amazing conclusion to the Tiffany series, co authored by his wife, Lyn.

Terry’s brilliant humor and insight made his books healing tools in of themselves , for you felt were a better person for having read them,and for experiencing his unique (wacky) world view. I would heartily recommend them to anyone who (thinks they have)  lost the ability to laugh .

He was knighted in honor of his work and became” Sir Terry”, and Im so glad that  he received this recognition during his lifetime. I would say  that we are going to miss him but I know his spirit lives on through his remarkable words captured in time.