This month, March 2011, represents your birth. Rebirth, to be exact.

Last month you set your path for the entire year, glimpsed the heavens for a brief shining moment … and then for many it slipped away. Life happened. Old patterns came a-calling. Old fears, old hurts, old relationship dynamics, old ways of looking at Self and the universe. They all came knocking at your door, and were not at all quiet about it. Your usual way of looking at these old patterns, especially if you are a person who has been doing self work for a while and gaining self awareness, has been to wonder what on earth you were doing wrong, what you missed, what you did to cause this new-old pain. And to panic. Fears set in.

But there is nothing wrong. Old patterns often come back so you can embrace them and the gifts they once taught you. They are not something to get rid of. They are old friends. They are with you to help you, to help you learn and grow and to be there when you shift into What Comes Next and step through the doorway into what you are creating. Old patterns are your gift of remembrance, of how far you have come and of how you have a choice in how to proceed now and in every moment.

This month, then, is a month where you begin from the ground up. February took you down to the bone. The tumult of old patterns has created, for many of us, a perfect playground of empty tiredness. This, together with the chaotic energies cascading around the planet as characterized by Wisconsin, Libya, and Egypt, has made any of you soul-weary. You have nothing left. You are bare, raw, and vulnerable. All your deep inner fears are on the table where you can see them. Exposed.

It is the perfect time to build from the ground up. You have your foundation. Your bones are strong. All you have to do is to decide what you will create on top of them. What face will you show to the world? What gifts do you clothe yourself in? Who do you become that will support what it is you wish to do?

It is beginning. The world of magic you have been creating, breathing into life, is beginning to take shape this month. This is the month when some of the difficulties and uncertainties stirred up in late 2010 and early 2011 begin to fall away, leaving new shapes and new glorious designs in their place. The life you are creating begins now. You knew this, right? You knew that fruit would come of your labors, your travails, your intense questioning and down-to-the-bone anxieties. You knew, else you would not have persevered. You would not be here now, taking this in, beginning to receive the gifts you are giving yourself.

It is a glimpse of the heavens.

Feeling at peace with the life choices you are making is paramount and is one of the rewards that comes within this month, even if the feeling is only fleeting. You knew this, didn’t you? That things will continue to change, emerge and evolve? Life is not static. It does not stay in one place. No, your experiences are constantly changing as you create the next and the next and the next. The more okay you are with this state of constant flux, the more you open to the gifts you constantly are awarding yourself. Be present, then, this month with the gift you’ll receive at some point during the month of feeling at peace – truly at peace – with your life choices. Use that sensation later as a touchstone to bring you back again to center when life seems to be swirling around you uncontrollably, a maelstrom, leaving you breathless. Use the sensation that you will create for yourself as a guide, a way back to balance, to allow you the regain perspective when you most need it.

That is what the heavens are like.

Balance. Perspective. A sense of wholeness. A feeling of perfection, even for just that moment.

Can you feel this? Can you feel the potentials of this in your life? For the coming year?

Can it be that we have reached the final month of this calendar year? Now is the time that you will look back upon your accomplishments while beginning to look ahead into the coming year, wondering what it is that you will create. At the same time, you will experience the energy that December brings: Culmination and Beginnings. You will likely feel the dual energies, then, of grand endings and the completion of long-due projects, while at the same time you’ll feel the siren’s call of the Next Big Thing that awaits you. This energy translates across the board into all areas of experience: personal/spiritual, occupational, relationships, and universal.

How to deal with this seeming duality? Remember that the Solstice occurs this month, with the earth turning from dark into light or light into dark, depending on which hemisphere you live in. Both hands reach across the Solstice: endings and beginnings, each inextricably linked to the other. How can you separate where one half of the year ends and the other begins? There is a measurable moment, but blink again and the moment is gone. It is the same with your experience of moving across from one end of the creation spectrum to the other, from Culmination into Beginnings. They are each part of a grand circle of experience that you create, so look this month not for endings but for a sense of fullness that accompanies the emptiness of possibility when you look ahead into your coming year. What things are feeling complete? What frightens you about the vastness of what is Yet to Come? Recognizing that you will feel both completeness and emptiness this month – sometimes in the same moment – helps you navigate the crossing of the cycle and your own personal turning from dark into light.

Use what is going on seasonally around you now to assist you. In the Northern Hemisphere there is an inward focus as you embrace fully the season of darkness. Shine a light within and see that inside you it is replete with activity, all in preparation for the outwardness of the coming Spring. In the Southern Hemisphere you are outwardly in a season of light now, but at the same time there is knowledge that the light is fleeting and that you will be moving inward again as the light wanes. For everyone, know that this time is a bridge between your completion and your new beginnings.

This month’s energy is all about Waiting for Fruition. You have laid the groundwork for transformation and for assimilation; now is the time to move into that new space that you have created, savoring it slowly while it unwinds throughout the month. Many of you have been working consciously at becoming aware of the thinning veil that surrounds you, and it has seemed that your What Comes Next is just out of reach, hazy and indistinct. This is the time, then, that your seemingly distant future comes into sharper focus, bringing with it something tangible that you can touch, taste, see, or feel.

You realize, of course, that with the clear choice you made in September, you brought with it a sense of import for the future. This wasn’t any capricious choice; in that time you set a conscious path toward your destiny, your life path, your deep inner reason for choosing to be on the planet at this time. You may not still be completely aware of the turn you took back in September, yet it is possible that you feel already on a course of change as a result. Many people are feeling more like themselves now than at any other time in their lifetimes. This sense of rightness, of flow, will only be on the increase as you begin to unwind the bandages that cover your eyes yet from seeing the entirety of your life unfolding in front of you.

And now, while the veil is thin and the knowingness of collaborative transformation flows across the planet into beyond, it is your opportunity to think consciously about what it is you seek in this life. What your heart truly desires at its deepest level. What you have always known is true yet never dared dream might be. This is the time to move slowly into your What Comes Next, allowing it to unfold in front of you like a lover doing a slow striptease, savoring each ripening moment before the next one begins. This is the time to ask yourself, your guides, and your spiritual teachers for assistance, opening yourself to new worlds and possibilities as a result. This is the time to connect consciously and deeply with your fellow humans also on this path of deep discovery, offering your support and love as well as asking for assistance and community. This is the time to dream deeply and wildly, allowing your heart to soar to majestic heights and to look ever outward to carry you along toward your What Comes Next.

What to do with the likely impatience you are feeling to finally move into your creation? I love the phrase “think big but non-specific.” This allows you to move into the possibility of what you are creating — at least on some level — without creating attachment for a specific outcome. Easier said than done, you say? Well, yes. It’s a new way of thinking about your life, but haven’t you yet noticed that whenever you attempt to blast through the brick wall ahead into what you think of as your What Comes Next, that what you seek disappears like a gossamer soap bubble when touched? Instead, then, feel your way into your creation by bringing yourself down to the smallest moment possible – this one. To support your new way of thinking and being, try this mindfulness practice this month. It only takes a few minutes each day.

A Daily Mindfulness Practice

Center yourself and decide to remain present for exactly one minute. One minute, you say? Why, anyone can do that! Yes, and that is why I suggest it. One minute, perhaps two, is all it takes. Do this daily, or a few times a day. Decide to let go of everything around you except for one of the following for that one minute:

Breath

Sound

Sight

Then, for that minute, focus on nothing else but your breath; the sounds around you; what you see (shape, color, form, shadow). Withhold judgment as best you can about what you focus on. Simply notice what is there, for your one minute. When you are finished, thank yourself for your effort and resume your day. You will feel as if you have just breathed in clean, fresh air: rejuvenated, refreshed, and ready to move on with your day.

Now what about the Fruition that is yours this month? Let it go, like letting your personal soap bubble float freely. The less you think about what your fruition looks like, the more it will unfold naturally. If you allow it to, you will see more clearly by mid-month, and certainly by the 21^st, a pivotal date this month. On that day, you will fix in your being much of what you intend to do with this creation you have been working on these past several months, and you will see what next steps there are ahead for you. This is the time to practice mindfulness even more, then, as you reach an apex of desire and fulfillment around this date. Afterward, energies subside in intensity as you move along on the “downhill” side and begin to enjoy your creation.

What to Expect this Month

Personal

If you haven’t been sure of who you truly are yet in this lifetime, this is the perfect time to tap into what is available. Get guidance if necessary, but energies now fully support your awareness of Self vs. Others, as well as the release of old patterns and dynamics of interacting that no longer suit you or support your True Self.

Affirmation: I AM consciously connecting with my Self at the deepest level.

Relationships

While Venus is still in retrograde through the 18^th, you have the perfect opportunity to continue exploring relationships in terms of what works for you and what doesn’t. Use this time to examine your deepest heart-desires with the people in your life and to create certainty about what you wish the future to look like.

Affirmation: I AM the perfect expression of all that has come before this moment, and my relationships reflect my deepest heart’s desire.

Communities

This is not the best time for community-building, as people will be primarily focused on Self this month, but understand that the inner Self work lays a deeper groundwork for a new type of community that is building and just beginning to emerge. Satisfy yourself with time spent with others, but don’t attempt to force this into being. Like with relationships, follow your heart and come together in groups in ways that nourish you on a soul level.

Affirmation: I AM creating a new world community simply by being more of my Self.

Global politics

Because of the emphasis on the inward expression this month, politics becomes even more polarized as people continue to attempt to hold onto the familiar. Expect some nasty twists and turns this month as a result. Having compassion for the “other side”, whatever that may be, will assist you this month in assimilating these big energies.

Affirmation: I AM creating a new paradigm by doing what I believe to be right.

Earth changes

Internal change always is accompanied by external manifestation of those energies. While on the surface you are spending much time simply “waiting” while you continue to process your Self on a deep level, Gaia stirs and awakens. Expect some potentially massive and devastating results from this type of energy: earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, as well as an increase in odd phenomena like massive sink holes swallowing up buildings, and natural gas leaks or mining disasters. As things heat up on the surface, remember that a great many people are choosing to transition over the next many years. Wish them well and remain in gratitude for their passing that supports your experience.

Affirmation: I AM in deep constant connection with the energies of Mother Gaia and feel her warm embrace constantly.

Global spiritual changes

This is more subtle this month, but overall there is a shift toward a sense of peacefulness and solidarity of purpose worldwide. This will peak during the Christmas season and on into the first half of January but begins this month with a feeling of communal fellowship and harmony. Use this time to meditate deeply on the world you feel you are creating and how that can play out with the global community and all the planet’s citizens, human and non-human alike. Spend some time regarding your non-human compatriots – animal, plant, mineral – and honor them in ways that feel meaningful to you.

Affirmation: I AM an expression of the global community and maintain awareness of my importance within the overall tapestry that we together create.

Relax, breathe, and BE.

The overriding theme for the month of October is “Waiting.” Many of you feel now as if you’re in a holding pattern; not much is happening, and perhaps your life plans have been put on hold on a temporary basis. It’s not so much an uncomfortable sense of waiting but more one of relaxed anticipation, knowing that something is coming next but not knowing yet what that something is.

Stasis is defined as a state of equilibrium, a state of stability, a period of pause during which there is not a great deal of movement in any particular direction.

The energy of October, therefore, can be used as a period of rest.

While restful to some, to many of you this feeling of non-moving anticipation will be uncomfortable. If you are accustomed to making things happen by using your personal energy to create what comes next, then you could feel as if you are butting your head up against a brick wall this month. What is important to remember this month is much the same as in September — sitting and staying with a feeling reveals much about what is underneath the feeling and what your typical patterns of response are. To that end, October provides an especially rich set of opportunities for self-introspection, and getting to know you Who You Are on the deepest level possible.

If you are one who experiences this feeling of uncomfortable non-moving anticipation, you can learn to change the feeling into one of rest if you like. The feeling of rest is attained when you become less attached to doing. In addition to learning to allow yourself to sit and stay with the feelings of discomfort, this is an excellent time to practice mindfulness in many ways.

Here are some ideas to get your synapses firing and to re-pattern your brain so as to allow resting in the present moment more often: 

1. Left-brain, right-brain activities. Try brushing your teeth with the non-dominant hand. Pay attention to the sensations — physical, mental, or emotional — that arise for you. Write a letter to someone (yourself or someone you know), alternating between your dominant hand and your non-dominant hand. Again, pay attention to how this feels. Does the flow of energy (words) change depending on which hand you are using?

2. The pause that refreshes. During the course of your day, stop a few times and do nothing but pay attention, without judgment, to the sounds around you for one minute. Another time, focus solely on visual input: colors, shapes, shadow, again without judgment.

3. Body check-in. Once a day or so, stop what you are doing and focus on your body for a minute or two. Start at the top of your head and move slowly downward, scanning your body and noticing anything that you feel (examples: tension in your back, the texture of the carpet under your feet, the slight breeze of a fan), again without judgment.

What if things just seem to flow for you this month? Congratulations! But don’t worry: you are just as busy as everyone else. For those of you who feel flow and rest this month, you are still internalizing all that has transpired over the past several months since the June Equinox. You may find that while on a personal front (spiritual, occupational, physical) you feel restful, your relationships are challenged. This is in part because you are inculcating internal change, and others around you will find this challenging on many levels. This is a month of endings for many, especially in terms of relationships, and it is not especially conducive to beginning new relationships either (Venus turns retrograde on the 8th). Pay attention to the challenges that arise; they are magnified this month and observing them can shed insight on your lifelong patterns.

Other trends this month

Personal

Interestingly, this is a good time to begin a program of increased health, whether it is based on diet, exercise, or other personal practices that are focused on the body. Pay attention to your sense of inner vitality this month and explore the changes that take place for you.

Relationships

Family-of-origin relationships again come to the forefront this month as you begin to explore deep-seated patterns that have long been within you. Do not be surprised if you are again exploring issues you thought you had once laid to rest. Try not to be discouraged if you feel more of the same; what you are exploring this month is a deeper layer than in the past.

Communities

Expect some dissension among local communities this month, as people are more concerned with what is going on for them on a personal level than the community as a whole. Try not to take things personally if acquaintances seem distant or even surly. On the local political level, expect more conflict than usual as people’s opinions are coming to the surface in a less self-edited manner.

Global Politics

Change here occurs slowly, often more slowly than seems easily apparent. With all the personal introspection occurring this month, what appears on a wider basis is slower-moving and less noticeable. But overall, this month is a preparation for more apparent changes to come.

Earth Changes

Hurricanes and other wind-related events are common this month, as the surface of the planet reacts to deeper, more internal changes.

Global Spiritual Changes

Reports of UFO contacts and sightings increase this month as the “veil” between reality sets continues to thin. Seemingly opposing spiritual groups become increasingly polarized, setting the stage for eventual conflict of some sort to occur next year.

A practice for everyone

This is a good month to determine what small physical things — actual objects, routines, or practices — bring you comfort on a physical, sensual level. This could be a fragrance that brings you pleasure, a special blanket or pillow, cozy socks, or music that gives you a peaceful gentle feeling. Keep these things on hand and refer to them often this month to help you through these energies and on into the What Comes Next of your life.

This month brings a sense of making a decision. Choice. Black, or white? Here, or there? Should I stay or should I go? For many, what begins the month is the feeling that something must be done. That action is necessary in order to create the next step or enter the next phase. That everything will remain as it is unless something is done to stop the status quo or to move into what comes next.

What we feel on a personal level is much like a microcosm of what is taking place on a global level. This is frequently the case, even for those who don’t maintain conscious awareness of the overall connection of all beings. The awareness lies underneath where we can’t always touch it, yet it is there nonetheless: supporting us, creating a foundation, acting as an underground spring and giving lifeblood to all actions, thoughts, and emotions. On a global level, then, such a sense of decision is also apparent.