New moon, new beginning
Highly auspicious time
What can we bring to the altar?
What is there to give up?
Good time to let go something really sleazy
(food indulgences, mind weaknesses
inconsiderations and presumptions
any sense of entitlement,
and all put-downs, including self put-downs)
Ah, good food for God
New moon and here's the offering
God doesn't want your good things, say the sages
Give God your petty, not pretty things
And shazam ~ Transformation!
I listened to Swami Satchidananda on YouTube
[Thanks to Sraddha, the one with active belief]
He was saying -- do actions for everyone
Without expecting anything back
Without looking to get the fruits
Not even a thank you
Okay, yes, accept fruits if they come to you
But don't be looking for them
Otherwise, you lose
The joy of having given something
The month of Shevat is the January-February time
A cluster of symbols: Aquarius, the water-bearer,
The angelic quality of GabriEl, also the Tribe of Asher
Bringer of the dharma, the fountain of eternal youth
The power name: Hey Yohd Vahv Hey
[Not pronounced, visualized]
As for Asher – abundance, wisdom and wealth of royalty -- Genesis 49
The majestic kingdom of the divine presence; we call this Asher
Bring an Offering Mystics say every new moon can be a mini-Day of Atonement, Attunement, At-one-ment. But to get the blessing of a clean slate, of a clear mind, of a new beginning blessed with auspiciousness and fulfillment, one must come before the altar (in one's heart) with a genuine offering.
Scripture details several types of acceptable offerings before the divine: thanks-giving offerings, peace offerings, fire offering (tapas, the burning of self–discipline and suffering offered up), free will offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings and wave offerings (waving light and incense before the altar; waving tree branches under the heavens).
To walk away with an empowering blessing that's lasting, one must be willing to dig deep and find some old sleazy habit of mind that's been running it's tape loop for some time now; take full responsibility for that -- which is copping to it (without adding any self put-down); and bring that as an offering. Yes, the sages say God doesn't want your good stuff; bring God your not nice stuff.
Does God really want your sleazy stuff?
I personally don't think God "wants" anything. However that transcendent consciousness seems to interact with our less illumined selves according to certain recognizable and dependable laws of the universe. Somehow, by being "willing" to look at our own junk and cop to it 100% and offer it up – lo, it turns inside out. That's when we say, God has accepted our offering and we've been given a blessing.
By uncovering one of our foolish attitudes from the past (the sleazy stuff); seeing it for what it is and taking responsibility for it (not blaming Mom or Dad, or the government or the culture we're in, or our gender. or our race or our religion), that itself is a genuine act of honesty and power. And that itself brings a blessing. (Yes, God wants your sleazy stuff.)
And when we get a blessing, we feel good; we feel high -- for a day or so usually; then it often slides back into the trees again ...
Unless ...
we're willing to "be" that blessing out in the world. To walk the talk, to stand up and be counted -- no matter what it may look like to others, no matter what we may look like.
That is, it takes courage to go uncover some sleazy stuff from the past, cop to it and offer it up. And it takes courage to receive the blessing deeply and walk the talk of the blessing, "to be that" in the world on-goingly. Then it's not just a two day high; it's a lifetime high.
By uncovering one of our foolish attitudes from the past (the sleazy stuff); seeing it for what it is and taking responsibility for it (not blaming Mom or Dad, or the government or the culture we're in, or our gender. or our race or our religion), that itself is a genuine act of honesty and power. And that itself brings a blessing. (Yes, God wants your sleazy stuff.)
And when we get a blessing, we feel good; we feel high -- for a day or so usually; then it often slides back into the trees again ...
Unless ...
we're willing to "be" that blessing out in the world. To walk the talk, to stand up and be counted -- no matter what it may look like to others, no matter what we may look like.
That is, it takes courage to go uncover some sleazy stuff from the past, cop to it and offer it up. And it takes courage to receive the blessing deeply and walk the talk of the blessing, "to be that" in the world on-goingly. Then it's not just a two day high; it's a lifetime high.
