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
Turning Of The Wheel
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will
know peace.” ~ Jimi Hendrix
- GRAPEVINE - News “Just about to loose my mind, honey, honey….”
- AS ABOVE, SO BELOW – Astrology 101
- SPIRIT IN ART - Mandalas
GRAPEVINE
- I have a wonderful storefront display on Shattuck St. in downtown Lowell, right across the street from the New England Quilt Museum and the Revolving Museum (talk about placement!). It is part of the Lowell Arts Walk which culminates in a juried panel of judges awarding prizes for the artwork. First prize is $1000.00.(fingers crossed.) Check it out if you are in the area.
- I am working on several commissions for private patrons. I have one that will soon be installed on the front porch of a house in Boxborough….how cool is that? I am also completing a triptych of mandalas for a family comprised of themes based on their birth charts. I call this Astro-mandalogy© which uses data from the birth chart as the basis for the artwork. I am always available for custom-created mandalas should anyone be interested…which, of course, you are, right?
- I have a secured date for a showing in association with The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN). My work will be on display in November/December timeframe. I’ll provide more details in forthcoming newsletters. This web link will announce details once they are available here: http://www.natickarts.org/gallery/gallery_future.php
- “Turning
Of The Wheel” radio talk show premieres on September 13th at 5
PM EST on the Contact Talk Radio network. My first guest will be
the one and only Tad Mann (http://www.atmann.net/). Tad is
a friend of mine whose work has been an enormous influence on me.
He is an astrologer, an architect, and a mandala artist. He has
published many books and is widely renowned through the astrology
community as one of the premier visionaries in contemporary
astrology. This is a rare privilege and an honor to have Tad on
the show. Please mark your calendars and call with questions that
day. Here is the link: http://www.contacttalkradio.com/hosts/chrisflisher.htm
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. I have a regular site on the Contact Talk Radio web so check there for the calendar of guests.
- 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:
Before I begin a
discussion of the First House (Astrology 101), I want to alert you to a
few significant cosmic events this month. The first and most
beneficial is the forward motion of Jupiter. On August 6th
Jupiter leaves his long retrograde cycle and starts to move
forward. Jupiter is the planet of expansion and all things
BIG. Look for significant changes in your lives. The area
of your life that Jupiter affects will vary based on your own personal
chart and the location of transiting Jupiter. Any of you who have
planets in any fire sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) or air signs
(Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) will feel the affects of Jupiter as he moves
through the sign of Sagittarius. This, of course, depends on the
specific degree.
Seek out Chris for the specifics in your chart.
Also this month Venus continues her retrograde travels begun in late July through the early degrees of Virgo and then backwards into Leo where she conjuncts (in direct contact by degree) the Moon and Saturn at 27 degrees Leo on August 13th. Saturn and Venus are not typically fond of each other simply because Saturn is all about accountability and hard work, whereas Venus represents love and pleasure. Then, when the Moon shows up at the tea party, things could get emotional. Think of the combination of responsibility, love, and emotions and you’ll see the scene begin to unfold.
Seek out Chris for the specifics in your chart.
Also this month Venus continues her retrograde travels begun in late July through the early degrees of Virgo and then backwards into Leo where she conjuncts (in direct contact by degree) the Moon and Saturn at 27 degrees Leo on August 13th. Saturn and Venus are not typically fond of each other simply because Saturn is all about accountability and hard work, whereas Venus represents love and pleasure. Then, when the Moon shows up at the tea party, things could get emotional. Think of the combination of responsibility, love, and emotions and you’ll see the scene begin to unfold.
- Astrology 101:This month I want to introduce you to the houses. The houses are where the action takes place in your chart. Think of it as the stage on which your life unfolds. Another way to think of them is as the “stage sets” in a theatrical play. Each house has a different placement within an individual’s chart. And while each house has specific characteristics, the location in your specific chart is based on the astrology of the individual. The houses begin at the ascendant and sequence counterclockwise from east to west. NOTE: I’ll discuss a new house each month in sequence.
- First house. The first house is the house of self and is reflected in the manner in which your ego is presented to the world. It is your mask as seen by others, or the persona of the person you are when you leave your home. Your bearing, demeanor, behavior, dress, and natural disposition as witnessed by those around you, are all characteristics of the first house. The first house is also associated with beginnings: motive, drive, and desire. As such, it is ruled by Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac and corresponds to Mars. Aries is all about blazing trails and beginnings, while Mars signifies drive, ambition, and motivation. Both exemplify beginning, and, hence, correspond with the first house.
People who have
significant planets in the first house will see that manifest in their
daily lives. For example, Mars in the first house indicates an
even stronger drive than typically found. Venus in the first
house represents a person who expresses love very openly. Saturn
in the first house indicates an outwardly responsible and cautious
person…and so on. When looking for these associations take the
characteristics of the planet and place them on the stage setting of
the first house and you have your characteristic.
The first house
is a cardinal position within the zodiacal landscape and is also
referred to as “angular” which takes into account the four points of
the wheel, also including 4,7 and 10th houses (more on that in later
newsletters!).
The first house cusp (the very first degree) is also called the ascendant and is determined by the exact degree on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. This is also known as the rising sign and is considered to be one of the most important positions in the astrology chart (along with the sun and moon.) The ascendant or rising sign dictates the outward personality of the individual. You could be born as a Scorpio, but if your rising sign is Leo, you will exhibit more Leo characteristics (outwardly) than Scorpio. This often confuses people especially in dating services. People think they are dating an Aries for example, but turns out the person was Scorpio rising which is a MUCH different person. If you use astrology to find a match, get the rising sign to be sure. Caveat emptor (buyer beware).
The first house cusp (the very first degree) is also called the ascendant and is determined by the exact degree on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. This is also known as the rising sign and is considered to be one of the most important positions in the astrology chart (along with the sun and moon.) The ascendant or rising sign dictates the outward personality of the individual. You could be born as a Scorpio, but if your rising sign is Leo, you will exhibit more Leo characteristics (outwardly) than Scorpio. This often confuses people especially in dating services. People think they are dating an Aries for example, but turns out the person was Scorpio rising which is a MUCH different person. If you use astrology to find a match, get the rising sign to be sure. Caveat emptor (buyer beware).
- For more in-depth discussion of astrology, contact Chris. Personal readings are always available by emailing Chris at chris@chrisflisher.com.
- Visit http://www.chrisflisher.com/astrology for Fees and Services.
SPIRIT IN ART:
“Buddha and The Bodhi
Tree” – This month’s mandala focuses on the great Buddha who sought,
and subsequently found, enlightenment while meditating under a bodhi
tree in Bohd Gaya, India. Giving in to the inevitable uncertainty
of life, he found the answer to living and eternal calm. The
following text is excerpted from Chris’s forthcoming book, “Mandalas:
Spirit In Art”
“Buddha and The Bodhi Tree”
At the center of this mandala sits the little white figure of the Buddha, pondering life and awaiting enlightenment. Do you see him beneath the Bodhi tree?
Buddha came from a life of privilege and wealth, yet it wasn’t until he left his creature comforts and witnessed life first hand that led to his own enlightenment. Life is difficult. The sooner we accept that basic concept the easier life becomes. Why does that concept liberate us? It provides freedom from expectation. With that simple word--expectation--comes the seed of perpetual disappointment. Once we expect, we set ourselves up for a preconceived notion of what life SHOULD be. But what happens when reality strikes? We are not prepared. How do we prepare? We prepare for the worst, while hoping for the best.
Boy Scout Motto:
BE PREPARED
chris@chrisflisher.com
Visit:
“Buddha and The Bodhi Tree”
At the center of this mandala sits the little white figure of the Buddha, pondering life and awaiting enlightenment. Do you see him beneath the Bodhi tree?
Buddha came from a life of privilege and wealth, yet it wasn’t until he left his creature comforts and witnessed life first hand that led to his own enlightenment. Life is difficult. The sooner we accept that basic concept the easier life becomes. Why does that concept liberate us? It provides freedom from expectation. With that simple word--expectation--comes the seed of perpetual disappointment. Once we expect, we set ourselves up for a preconceived notion of what life SHOULD be. But what happens when reality strikes? We are not prepared. How do we prepare? We prepare for the worst, while hoping for the best.
Boy Scout Motto:
BE PREPARED
chris@chrisflisher.com
Visit:
- www.chrisflisher.com
- www.chrisflisher.com/astrologicalreadings
- www.chrisflisher.com/mandalas.html
- www.chrisflisher.com/blog
