Turning Of The Wheel

by Chris Flisher © 2007 / www.chrisflisher.com
Volume 1 Issue 3
Astrologic

This newsletter offers insights into areas of spiritual development and conscious preparedness, using astrology and mandalas. These two closely-related modalities date back centuries and emphasize motion, evolution, and enlightenment. Click on your area of interest, below.

Feedback is essential. Let us know what works and what doesn’t. chris@chrisflisher.com

“Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

GRAPEVINE - News “Just about to loose my mind, honey, honey….”
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW – Astrology 101
SPIRIT IN ART - Mandalas

GRAPEVINE

My mandalas will be part of a “Vacant Storefront Artist’s Competition” (Art Walk, Lowell - 2007) in downtown Lowell starting on July 15 and running until October 30th. The artwork is part of a town-wide art competition in which significant prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges. My storefront will be on Shattuck Street across form the Revolving Museum. I have great plans for this space using newly-drawn mandalas and other cool things. If you are in the area of the Revolving Museum walk across the street and have a gander.
The mandala that I created with the 8th grade class of the Rogers School in Lowell in now on display. The mandala, “All Is One” is featured, along with other banners, at the Lucy Larcom Park in downtown Lowell on Merrimack Street as part of the ARTventures initiative through the Revolving Museum.
NOTE: Change of date -> I will be hosting my own radio show, called Turning Of The Wheel starting Thursday, September 13th on the Contact Talk Radio (CTR) network. The show will be educational and informative, focusing on astrology, art, and adventure. Timing is everything as I have said so many times, but in this case I literally changed the time of this show to coincide with favorable aspects in my chart. Contact Talk Radio (CTR) is a wonderful presence on the web and offers iPOD-ready archived versions of the shows in case you miss one or want to hear a specific topic. My goal is to bring intelligent guests to the show to help discuss and educate. There is a web-forum that also allows you to offer ideas, discussions and comments on shows to come or shows gone by. Click here to see the network, http://www.contacttalkradio.com. Click on the Radio link on www.chrisflisher.com for more information. The official start date is September 13th at 5:00 PM EST
My mandalas are currently on display at Moodz Spa in West Acton, MA. They are on display through the month of June into early July. As always, they are for sale.
NOTE: Change of date -> I am working with Lowell poet Walter Bacigalupo in an artist’s collaboration for the "Kerouac - Artists and Writers Project.” Walter and I are considering another piece for the display. This time we will switch roles and I will write the poetry and Walter will paint the mandala. This is still under consideration. The display will be held at the ALL Arts Gallery in Lowell commencing August 18th. The artwork currently chosen for this exhibit is a three-foot yantra mandala that incorporates male and female energy sparking in an internal triangular pattern with four keys at each point of the compass. chris@chrisflisher.com

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW:
Mercury is still retrograde and will remain so until it stations direct on July 9th. Despite its direct station, Mercury’s influence can still linger for a week or so after the retrograde, so beware and don’t let your guard down…..yet. Mercury rules areas of mechanical devices, communication-based interchanges and inter-personal dialog issues. With its transit through Cancer, Mercury’s affect is felt in the area of home or family. Cancer the ruling sign of the Moon, represents all that is familial, maternal and emotional. You may find yourself re-doing things during this transit. Transit refers to the motion of a planet through the universe.

NOTE: The term retrograde refers to the apparent backward motion of a planet when viewed from Earth. This happens when a planet makes its closest approach to Earth. In the case of Mercury, this happens three times a year for approximately three weeks each time. Since Mercury is relatively close to Earth, its affect is especially powerful. If your car breaks; your computer misbehaves; or communications become broken, it will most likely happen when Mercury goes retrograde. The evidence of Mercury’s impact is readily apparent in the recent technical difficulties endured by the Atlantis space shuttle and NASA. Computer glitches plagued the work and subsequent return of the space shuttle during this cycle. You would think NASA might schedule accordingly.

ASTROLOGY 101-I want to discuss Elements this month. This important piece of astrology determines much of the compatibility (or not) you feel with others. The “element” refers to the characteristic best represented by a sign. Each sign has an element. There are four elements and they are listed below with their corresponding signs:

Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)
Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)
Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)
Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)

I have listed the elements in the order they appear on the zodiacal wheel (Fire, Earth, Air, Water). The signs associated with each element alternate around the wheel just as the elements do. We start out at Aries and move through to earth, air and eventually water signs and then begin again with the next fire sign Leo and so on. “Like” elements invariably get along; i.e. fire + fire, air + air etc.

Generally speaking, most Gemini’s will get along with an Aquarius or a Libra, just as Virgo will have some sense of comfort with a Taurus or a Capricorn and so on. Like attracts like. The compatible elements are interspersed with incompatible elements; i.e. fire is followed by earth; air is followed by water etc. The basc rule for understanding elements is to associate their characteristics as you would in everyday life. For example: Fire and earth do not mix. Earth (dirt) literally puts out a fire, just as water will douse a flame. Air and water do not mix either. However when you skip a sign, you begin to see compatibilities emerge. Earth and water mix and fire is fed by the element of air. So it is very likely that a fiery Aries would be fueled by an airy Aquarius. A watery Scorpio would do well with an earthy Virgo.

There are no absolutes in astrology so when I mention compatibility and harmony; I refer to these in their purest states. This is simply one small piece of astrology but it helps you to understand the foundations and the inherent complexity. If you look back over your life at the people with whom you have had a natural chemistry with it is very likely that you are compatible on an element level. I am a fire sign and my two oldest friends make up the other two fire signs in the zodiac. No coincidence we get along like a house afire (pun intended).

More to come next month….. Personal readings are always available by emailing chris@chrisflisher.com. Visit www.chrisflisher.com/astrologicalreadings for Fees and Services.

SPIRIT IN ART:

LotusLovely – This month’s mandala focuses on the lotus. The lotus symbolizes the daily cycles of life. It represents the great feminine power and opens and closes with each rising and setting of the sun. The following text is excerpted from Chris’s forthcoming book, “Mandalas: Spirit In Art”

“LotusLovely” The Buddhist symbol for purity and renunciation, the Lotus represents blossoming and all activities that begin anew. Miniature Buddhist prayer flags encircle the deep purple Lotus which floats serenely in the center of this Mandala. The Lotus is a sacred symbol from ancient cultures and remains as potent today as it did thousands of years ago when it was hailed as a vibrant symbol of feminine sexuality. The Lotus opens and closes each day with the rising and setting of the sun and remains within the great cycle of daily living. Each cycle is but a small part of the larger cycles we experience as we evolve. Often this symbol is depicted in multiples of four or up to 1000 petals or more, each corresponding to a vibration central to our consciousness. Blue Lotus shimmering, floating, cleanse and purify with each new dawn. Again we begin.

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