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January 13 through January 19, 2025

The week opens with a Cancer full Moon, as it opposes the Capricorn Sun and turns our thoughts to security and emotional stability. The Sun will spend its last week in Capricorn, encouraging us to organize, strategize, and map out a plan of action for the coming months. Let’s focus our energy on the home front under Monday’s Cancer full Moon, clearing clutter, setting up new schedules, and making a fresh start for the year. The Sun will glow in Leo on Tuesday and Wednesday, reminding us to be generous of heart and spirit, as well as encouraging us to be more loving and nurturing to ourselves. Details, details! That’s the theme from Thursday through Saturday as the Moon heightens our focus and comprehension skills, urging us to put the final touches on any projects we are ready to complete while mapping out information for the new activities we’re planning for the months ahead. The Sun will move into electric Aquarius on Sunday, inspiring us to connect with friends and loved ones, as we prepare to enter a four-week cycle of inventiveness, inspiration and surprises!

Western Tradition and Mandalas, by Jean-Louis de Biasi

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Spiritual traditions are part of the human DNA. Despite all the good arguments coming from atheism, the presence of an invisible world has been a belief shared by human beings from the time they began walking on their two legs to discover the world.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, eastern spiritualties have won a clear popularity among people eager to lift the veil on religious mysteries. For the Theosophical movement, for example, Tibet, the Himalayas, and India were places where Spiritual Masters were supposed to live. The mystical center of the world and the mysterious subterranean city called Agartha were in the Himalayas. Buddhists and Hindus perpetuated advanced techniques of meditation and the development of inner powers. Meanwhile in the Western World, monotheistic religions continued to control the minds of Westerners by imposing religious dogmas, shaping a strong hierarchy of powers descending from God, to the Pope and Cardinals (Priests), then to Kings, and then the people. Monks kept a kind of independence vis-à-vis the religious establishment. Occult groups perpetuating Hermeticism, Theurgy, Kabbalah, and the Rose Cross tried for hundreds of years to keep the ancient Western Traditions alive. Some of these occult groups are still alive, and I have the privilege to be the head of two of them, the Aurum Solis and the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose Cross. Learning Western Philosophy and esoteric traditions helped me develop the ability to recognize hidden messages left by ancient initiates.

Speaking about messages, we are often thinking about ancient books, parchments, secret codes, etc. In fact, art and architecture have been a wonderful way to pass down such an ancient heritage coming from a time before the rise of monotheistic religions. Most of this heritage is often hidden in plain sight, and it is wonderful to still be able to decipher it. The main difference between Eastern and Western traditions has been this concealment of esoteric teachings. This is also one of the reasons why Buddhism and Hinduism have become so popular. One of the most obvious subjects that links spiritual practice and art has been mandalas, the most famous of which are authentic Tibetan mandalas. As you may know, they are symbolic representations of the universe. The belief is that this beautiful artwork is not a simple drawing or sand painting, but the representation of a spiritual vision that can be seen also as the reflection of our inner world. The process of creating it in a specific way, using prayers, mantras, and visualization while mixing pigments and painting it, creates a performative artwork. This results in a real invisible power that can act as a catalyst of energies capable of modifying your state of consciousness. What I mean is that you can just look at an authentic mandala made according to the occult rules, and you will experience a complete spiritual experience. An authentic mandala is multi-dimensional. It exists in this world as a beautiful piece of art, but it should be seen also as a gate to the spiritual world, symbolically illustrated. A meditation will allow you to go from this world to another on a real shamanic journey. Of course, knowing the pronunciation of the mantras, the names of the divinities, and the secret words of power may help. However, I can assure you that just being in the presence of such a mandala is capable of modifying the energy of a place and consequently affecting your state of consciousness. It could be surprising to know that such symbolic representations of the universe are not limited to these Eastern traditions. I can give you two examples among many. The first one can be found in the tradition of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States. The Hopi and Zuni tribes have developed a specific kind of painting that has exactly the same purpose and process as the Tibetan Mandalas. In the Western world, various kinds of symbolic representations of the Universe can be found in religious buildings: ceilings, stained glass, and pavements. In The Hidden Mandala Coloring Book, that has been just published, I chose to focus on the latter. While traveling all around the Mediterranean world, I have been surprised to see a real continuity in the patterns used by the masters. From the early Roman world to the Renaissance and beyond, we can easily recognize similar interlacing. Even if the purpose was not the same, we can see such designs in the Celtic and Gallic arts.

Of course, we can find mosaic floors with human and animal representations. However, labyrinths and other interlacing constitutes a very rich symbolic language. Mathematics and geometry have been used for these creations. In the introduction of this coloring book, I talked about the symbolism of numbers and shapes. While traveling in Italy with my wife, who is a talented mosaicist, I took hundreds of photos of these ancient pavements, some of them partially destroyed. Then I recreated the original patterns, completing the missing parts. Doing that has been very rewarding. I realized even more deeply the purpose of the numbers and the interlacing. There is a real connection between our minds, our souls, and these symbolic patterns. Every time we use them, whether by drawing or coloring, our heart begins to slow down, our blood pressure decreases, and our mind reaches a state of balance and peace. Hundreds of coloring books have been published in recent years. I can assure you that coloring stars, flowers, angels, or unicorns has no effect whatsoever on your state of consciousness. Of course, someone doing that will be more relaxed only by the fact that he is focusing on an artistic activity and avoiding the usual daily stress. Using symbolic patterns that have been inherited for ancient masters is totally different. Anyone can feel the difference after a few minutes of coloring.

As I explain this process, I am looking at a few designs that are in this coloring book and I want to give you right now the opportunity to begin your inner experience. I just chose for you a representation of one of the mosaics that comes from Ravenna in Italy. The numbers are important in this pattern. To access, simply join the public Hidden Mandalas Facebook Group; once you've joined the group, you will be able to download this mandala in a PDF format. This sample is slightly different from the one you will find in the book itself, but the symbols and numbers are similar.

After downloading the mandala and printing it on heavy paper, you can prepare your coloring time and proceed. As a suggestion, I would like to give you a short ritual process you can use for this one.

Choose eight beeswax candles and natural incense. You can choose the latter in relation to the Egyptian God Thot (Djehuti), who is also called Lord of Khemenu. Place your chair facing east, along with the table you will use for coloring the mandala. Your colored pencils and pencil eraser should be ready on the table.

Stand up and declaim:

"Thot, noble Ibis, I call upon you!
Manifest your presence!
O God who loves Knoum;
O writer of the Ennead;
Great God who resides in the sacred city of Hermopolis, manifest yourself at this instant!
Hear my call!
Let your manifestation be powerful and let it make me great!
O Thot may we speak of your valiant actions and tell you with the multitude: 'Great are you
Thot and great are your acts!'"

Light the eight candles from the right (south) to the left (north).

Sit and color the mandala. I recommend coloring this specific one from the center to the exterior circle. If you do not achieve the mandala in one period, you should use the opening again, to declaim the hymn.

When your coloring process is achieved, you can proceed with the closing.

Stand up and declaim the following prayer of closing.

"O Eternal, we have known thy light supreme, which can be seen only by the spirit. We have understood thee, O Life of Life, O Thou who bring all into being. We have known in thee the eternal permanence of all nature. O God, let this hymn, this whole-hearted adoration, be an expression of our love.
We ask of thee only one favor, O Eternal One: that Thou wilt keep us constant in our Love of knowing thee, and that we will never be far from this kind of life."

Then extinguish the candles.

I would like to finish this article by an inviting you to send in your colored mandala to the Hidden Mandala Facebook group, either by scanning it or taking a photo of it. On February 1, 2017, I will open an online vote for your artistic interpretations of this Italian mandala. I will personally send a copy of my signed Hidden Mandala Coloring Book to the person who colored the mandala selected by your votes.

Once the book has been released, I invite you to continue to post your colored mandalas in the same Facebook group. We will also have the opportunity to post information about mandalas, to have discussions, to share Western Mandalas, and more.

I wish you a very good spiritual and artistic journey in this amazing world of Western Mandalas.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2016. All rights reserved.

I'm a Sagittarius born December 8, 1964. About a year ago, I experienced the beginning of a spiritual awakening. Let's just say that I'm moving past being angry, closed and depressed. Now that I feel my feelings, I'm resisting them because my physical and emotional pain is very overwhelming. On top of that, I supposedly have ADD (impulsivity and sensory overload). As I work on myself through alternative healing, I feel heavy, pushed down and exhausted. I've heard many times that I have a lot of beings attached to me, probably from the womb as I came into this life. A number of people have told me that they can help me. I'm no longer skeptical of alternative healing but don't want to believe just anybody can remove these entities that are no longer serving me. Any ideas?

Lisa

Astrea:

Well, kiddo, you and I were born on the very same date, and I have yet to know a Sag born between December 1 and 10 who didn't APPEAR to have some sort of ADD.

Is it just because we can multi-task better than most people? Are we just too darned smart for most folks to understand us? Is it the famous impatience we Fire Signs burn with that keeps us always moving and changing?

There are all sorts of explanations for the high energy and intelligence of people who share our birth date. One thing is for sure: we haven't got time for stupid people who can't understand us!

Sagittarius is one of the signs most susceptible to transferring emotional pain into physical pain, though all Fire Signs do this to some degree. Fortunately, we can learn to recognize when we're doing it and banish those problems. The next time someone upsets you to the point of a migraine, call on an Angel to take your pain away. Your angels are always around you and glad to help you, but you DO have to ask.

Getting past anger and depression can be tricky. Depending on what you chose to experience before you came into this incarnation, you may have a difficult time shedding excess negative energy. Since Sagittarians are born at the close of the Christian Year, we have all sorts of extra challenges that most people never have to face. Why? Because we are capable of facing them, dealing with them, and letting them go.

I'm sure the past five years of your life have been filled with endings, for at forty, December 8 people begin to dispense with the Great Clutter Which We Create. As we do this, we usually find our longstanding Misplaced Sense of Loyalty has to go out the window too. This includes those pack rat attachment issues we have to broken hair bands, old envelopes, and people who aren't good for us to be around.

Also, as you've been told, there are entities all around you that can influence you whether you can discern them or not. They're not ALL evil, however. Just as you don't need to be healed from every influence you experience, you don't have to get rid of every spirit in your vicinity.

The entities that are no longer serving you can be easily led away from you. Find a Libra or Aquarius who'll take them on for you; those signs love company and they probably have a lot more patience than we Sags do. These entities are yours to keep or give away, just like any other gift. Since you don't need them anymore, it's time to let them go.

As for those people who complain about your alleged ADD, tell them Astrea said - Oh wait! Look! A bunny rabbit! 🙂

*****

Susyn:

Congratulations on your spiritual awakening. The gifts that will result from this transformation are already unfolding as you begin to deal with and heal all the aspects of your life that have been holding you back.

We come into this life with past life karma when we're born, and it's also possible to have certain entities attached to us. Throughout our lives, other incidents, random spirits and negative thought patterns can also work to restrict us or tie us down.

It sounds like you're in the midst of profound healing, and are working with people you trust who can help you identify and remove much of this negative energy through various healing modalities.

When you feel ready, you may want to explore these birth entities via a psychic or past life reading. Once you identify who they are and where they came from, you'll find it much easier to detach from them or ask that they go into the light and leave you alone. You can also employ a psychic or Spiritualist to get rid of these discarnate entities.

This process may even alleviate your ADD. Though modern doctors like to blame ADD on a chemical imbalance in the brain, metaphysically speaking, this syndrome sometimes arises when people feel like their world is out of control. When people have a variety of ghosts or entities hanging around, as you do, they may feel that in order to remain safe, they must be hyper-vigilant and constantly on alert to keep these spirits from taking over their lives or influencing their thoughts and actions.

Once you clear these entities with the help of a professional, there are also things you can do on a personal level to make sure they don't return. To make sure that your environment is free of unwanted entities, you may want to perform a smudging ritual to cleanse and refresh the energy in your home.

You can purchase a smudge stick from a local metaphysical shop. Light the end of the smudge stick until it smolders and then waft the smoke through each room in your house, asking that all negative and uninvited entities vacate the premises at once.

To balance the spiritual vibrations, you can also place a few metaphysical air fresheners in each room. To create a metaphysical air freshener, pour a small amount of salt into a bowl or onto a plate. Place a natural quartz crystal upright in the center of the salt, and place on a table or shelf where it won't be disturbed.

These two rituals should help you create a balanced, spiritual atmosphere in your home as you continue to heal and grow stronger. Good luck on your journey of awakening, Lisa!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.