(September 2009) Hi Several people have asked if I am still doing readings since my last blog post, and the last event listed on my site, are now old. Yes, I do readings all the time. I just have not felt directed to offer any teachings over the last year, and its been quite a while since I felt like writing something on my blog. I am still alive and well, and always available for anyone who feels drawn to the orientation I express on the website. (http://stevewolfson.com) Thank you for your interest, Steve
I wrote this originally as a comment on a post on another blog, but felt I wanted to share it with those of you who read my thoughts. The first italicized words are a quote from the original blog post, and the second from a comment to that post made by a younger reader.
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I hope the young folks will forgive us geezers for thinking of all the Kennedy boys today. They were a huge part of our lives.
They were more than a huge part of our lives – they were a symbol, and in reality more symbolic than actual, of a time when optimism and idealism were alive and strong, an era that is long over. This country has spent forty years trying to rewrite history, that the actual nature of the Kennedy’s, and the sixties – never existed.
Imagine! “Public servants” going into office to…. Serve the Public. To paraphrase a recent Attorney General, the idea today “renders quaint”.
I was too young to live through the lens of you older folks or my parents and see the Kennedy’s for all their youthful vigor, but I’ve always felt envious of having politicians you could be proud of.
The true shame is the possibility of having that experience has been taken away from all the generations that followed. The real tragedy is that a generation that had so much potential to transform the nature of life on the planet in ways that would have benefited all instead succeeded in pretty much trashing it, having finally decided, rather than “Make Love, not War”, to “Make Money, THROUGH War”.
Perhaps in a different time and under different circumstances Obama would be effective. I don’t see it happening now. The main thing he is showing me is our system is so far gone it is beyond the possibility of reform. Its a near miracle we got an Obama in the first place, and he is unable or unwilling to advocate for the necessary reforms. History teaches us what inevitably comes next, after a while, and it is not pretty.
Its also important to remember that the Kennedys were very much hated by segments of the public in the sixties – the same segments that have evolved into the modern GOP. After all, two of them were assassinated. These are the segments that have been attempting to rewrite the history (and legacy) of the 60’s ever since.
On April 23 2008 I was again Kristin Fontana's guest on her Guiding Stars internet radio show, a weekly Evolutionary Astrology show on www.healthylife.net, Wednesdays at 10 AM.
Here is the recording of the show. Its about 45 minutes long. On this show we are discussing the effects of growth, and how t0 flow and change with life events. In the last minute of the show Kristin gives me 30 seconds to explain to listeners how they can change their thought patterns in the present moment.
Click the arrow button to start the player. If you are using Internet Explorer, you may have to click it twice. To rewind or fast forward, drag the slider on the player bar.
On Oct 10th 2007 I was the guest on internet radio show Guiding Stars, a weekly Evolutionary Astrology radio show on www.healthylife.net, Wednesdays at 10 AM, hosted by my friend and colleague Kristin Fontana.
It's taken a while but I'm finally posting the audio of that show here. It's 42 minutes long. On this show I discuss the EA concepts of relationship types - the sorts of people and dynamics we find ourselves in relationships with. And how we can learn to have more functional relationships, and to be more functional in them.
Click the arrow button to start the player. If you are using Internet Explorer, you may have to click it twice. To rewind or fast forward, drag the slider on the player bar.
An introduction to Evolutionary Astrology and the archetypes of the 12 signs.
Evolutionary Astrology (EA) is a metaphysical system based in Natural Law – that which is naturally observable. It uses astrology as a symbolic language to describe the natural processes of life, forward movement of endless cycles of birth, growth, and decay; leading to rebirth in the next cycle.
EA views the human Soul as the root cause of a human birth. To EA, the planet Pluto in the birth chart symbolizes the Soul’s growth intentions for the current life. "Why am I here?" and "What are my life lessons?" are the core EA questions.
EA helps crack baked-on layers of conditioning that have created a conscious sense of self-identity that is not truly who I am. Growth is the process of peeling back those layers – leading to an open heart, where the innermost Soul can be revealed. This process is not always fun, but it is always real. It leads to increasing Authenticity – the progressive discovery of one’s true voice, and one’s intended life directions. This journey does not stop until the last breath, and no one is too old or too young
We start the classes by discussing the metaphysical principles that are the foundation of EA. The rest will be in-depth discussion of the 12 astrological archetypes (signs). In my experience, a deep understanding of the 12 archetypes is the key that unlocks about three-quarters of astrology.
(Example: Gemini is known as "dual natured" and "indecisive and wishy-washy". But WHY? From an EA perspective, Gemini correlates with the human need to gather information, to use the mind to classify physical reality, so we can feel we have a handle on it. When looked at in this way, we begin to see why Gemini at times must behave indecisively. Thus we become more accepting of how we and others are “wired”).
The classes will be 2 hour sessions, once each Tuesday, for six consecutive weeks, 6 to 8 PM, in Ashland Oregon. The first class was Tuesday Feb 19th. You are welcome to attend even if you missed some of the classes. The classes are being recorded, and CD's will be available. If you are interested in attending some of the classes, please contact me and I will send you necessary details. Cost is $10 - $15 sliding scale, per class.
The classes are accessible to astrology newcomers, and will also hold the interest of more knowledgeable students.
My style is informal and tends towards the right brain - intuitive. We will discuss more concept than details to memorize. As time permits we will work with charts, to ground what we discuss. Example: What does Venus in Cancer in the 10th house look like? (hint: combination of Libra and Cancer and Capricorn…) What changes if we move Venus to the 5th house, or place it in Scorpio? If we complete our sign-work in time, in the last class we will integrate it all through some chart interpretation. I live in Ashland, where I do astrological life readings, in person and by phone. I also teach and give talks on Evolutionary Astrology, which has profoundly deepened my life. I was a presenter at the last two national Evolutionary Astrology conferences, in 2004 and 2006.
You can read more about EA and my work on my website, http://stevewolfson.com. You can phone me at 201-0825 or email me at steve@stevewolfson.com Feel free to ask questions about the class. Thank you, Steve
A friend shared this with me the other day (thank you, friend). It speaks so deeply to what I am looking at in my life. I finally realized I would like to share it.
All things arise, Suffer change, And pass away.
This is their nature.
When you know this, Nothing perturbs you, Nothing hurts you.
You become still.
It is easy.
-Ashtavakra Gita 11:1 From "The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita," by Thomas Byrom, 1990.
I received this quote in today's inbox which to me says quite a lot, the essence of what I've been feeling for some years now. It's from the Mother, from her book "The Sunlit Path". For those who don't know, she was associated with Sri Aurobindo, a wise, illumined person from India who lived in the first half of the 20th century. The Call To Adventure
We are in a very special situation, extremely special, without precedent. We are now witnessing the birth of a new world; it is very young, very weak -- not in its essence but in its outer manifestation -- not yet recognised, not even felt, denied by the majority. But it is here. It is here, making an effort to grow, absolutely *sure* of the result. But the road to it is a completely new road which has never before been traced out -- nobody has gone there, nobody has done that! It is a beginning, a *universal beginning*. So it is an absolutely unexpected and unpredicatable adventure.
There are people who love adventure. It is these I call, and I tell them this: "I invite you to the great adventure."
It is not a question of repeating spiritually what others have done before us, for our adventure begins beyond that. It is a question of a new creation, entirely new, with all the unforeseen events, the risks, the hazards it entails -- a *real adventure*, whose goal is certain victory, but the road to which is unknown and must be traced out step by step in the unexplored. Something that has never been in this present universe and that will *never* be again in the same way. If that interests you... well, let us embark. What will happen to you tomorrow -- I have no idea.
One must put aside all that has been foreseen, all that has been devised, all that has been constructed, and then set off walking into the unknown. And -- come what may! There. [...]
This courage, this heroism ... why not use it to fight against one's own difficulties, one's own imperfections, one's own obscurities? Why not heroically face the furnace of inner purification so that it does not become necessary to pass once more through one of those terrible, gigantic destructions which plunge the entire civilisation into darkness?
This is the problem before us. It is for each one to solve it in his own way.
"Pluto and the Nodes - Life Purpose and Direction"
Kristin Fontana, an EA astrologer and friend, is the host of Guiding Stars, a weekly Evolutionary Astrology radio show on www.healthylife.net, Wednesdays at 10 AM.
I was Kristin's guest on her May 9th, 2007 show. My topic was the meaning of Pluto and the Moon's Nodes in the birthchart. I also got into my background, what led me to doing EA work, and talked about my approach to EA and working with clients.
Here you can listen to a 40 minute edited version of the show: "Pluto and the Nodes - Life Purpose and Direction"
Click the arrow button to start the player. If you are using Internet Explorer, you may have to click it twice. To rewind or fast forward, drag the slider on the player bar.
What follows is my edited version of an old fable. Life has been teaching me for some years now to live in this fashion.
There once was an old Chinese farmer. One day the old farmer's only horse broke out of the corral and ran away. The farmer's neighbors, all hearing of the horse running away, came to the farmer's house to view the corral. As they stood there, the neighbors all said, "Oh what bad luck!" The old Chinese farmer replied, "We shall see."
About a week later the horse returned, bringing with it a whole herd of wild horses, which the old farmer and his son quickly corralled. The neighbors, hearing of the corralling of the horses, came to see for themselves. As they stood there looking at the corral filled with horses, the neighbors said, "Oh what good luck!" The farmer replied, "We shall see."
A couple of weeks later, the old farmer's son's leg was badly broken when he was thrown from a horse he was trying to break. A few days later the broken leg became infected and the son became delirious with fever. The neighbors, all hearing of the incident, came to see the son. As they stood there, the neighbors said, "Oh what bad luck!" The farmer replied, "We shall see."
At that same time in China, there was a war going on between two rival warlords. The warlord of the old farmer's village was involved in this war. In need of more soldiers, he sent one of his captains to the village to conscript young men to fight in the war. When the captain came to take the farmer's son he found a young man with a broken leg who was delirious with fever. Knowing there was no way the son could fight, the captain left him there. A few days later, the son's fever broke. The neighbors, hearing of the son's not being taken to fight in the war and of his return to good health, all came to see him. As they stood there, each one said, "Oh what good luck!" The farmer replied, "We shall see." I gradually realized it had always been my investment in desired or undesired outcomes that was the source of a lot of the pain I experienced. Life started showing me the natural way to live is to stay centered in this moment. When I found myself off center, I began asking myself "OK, what is wrong in this moment?" Not in an hour or a week or when the rent will be due or the new tranny needs to be be paid for, but right now, this moment, what is wrong? I started noticed that, 95% of the time, my answer was "Nothing".Then I started noticing that almost all of the worst case scenarios I’d feared might occur generally never happened. And then I noticed that the expectations I placed on what would be to me future wonderful outcomes also rarely unfolded in the ways I’d hoped they would. Gradually I learned to stop having so many expectations and demands on Life. Now I set intention, sort of like placing an order. Then I let it go, learning to be OK with whatever happens. If what I ordered is out of stock, so to speak, I learn to be fine with that. I started seeing I only experience disappointment when I hold expectations. The more accepting and appreciative of whatever Life brings I am, the less disappointment I experience.
Gradually I started observing that, in the long run, EVERYTHING that occurred proved in the end to have been for my overall best interest, even things I initially experienced as unpleasant or unwanted. All of them taught me things that moved me further along towards realizing my deepest desires, which are about understanding. Gradually I experienced, knew from within, that Life is on my side, no matter how much it may at certain moments feel otherwise. I saw that I am never being punished, I am always only being given what is necessary to fulfill, over the long haul, my own deepest hopes and aspirations. Which simply can not be fulfilled while I am the way I presently am, simply because the container (the way I view myself) is not yet large enough to hold the truths which would quench my thirst. Thus the container (my sense of who I am) is continually being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d so I CAN receive the answers, the insights and gifts I seek, which Life would be delighted to fulfill for me, to have them "added unto me", if only I could be open wide enough to receive them! (And it is LITERALLY being "added unto me", for it changes who I see myself as, makes me see myself in a larger way – thus "added unto me".) That I saw is what this while sometimes uncomfortable process is all about – preparing me to be wide open enough to receive the very things I most deeply seek, yet resist.
Sure, it is best to not juice up negative expectation, like "if I think about what could go wrong I am just feeding that possible reality.” Yes, that is true. However, I found that going neurotic in such ways every time I found myself with a negative expectation, is just as self-defeating as thinking negative thoughts. The most important thing of all I have learned is, for me anyway, the core change necessary is to learn to be kind to myself, no matter WHAT is going on, no matter how many of my limits and "flaws" are in my face in this moment. The most significant issue to me is how I treat myself when I find I have "slipped" from being aligned to my highest intentions.
I experience those moments as possibly the most potent moments of all for growth potential. For only when my old familiar stuff is in my face, have I the total opportunity to make a different choice. To be kind where previously I have been brutal, ten thousand times. In those moments, more powerful than any other moment, I have an incredible opportunity to make a different choice, a new choice. And in making a new choice enough times, gradually those old hardened thought habits soften and are naturally replaced with others more aligned to where I am NOW.
And so it goes. Like the old Chinese farmer, I strive to face every blow with "We shall see", and every joy with "We shall see". I am the witness, the observer, while at the same time participating in the play. Yet I am also attuned to a deeper play, one that knows that all of this was going on long before "I" was born, and will remain going on long after "I" am gone. From THAT perspective, nothing can ever be wrong.
I tend to see my life as a sculpture or work of art in progress, a continuous state of becoming. Will I ever really feel "done", like I have FINALLY achieved all I wanted, there is no more, and now I can retire to Florida for the rest of my happy little days? I don't envision I will EVER feel "done. I expect to be growing and changing and tweaking and sharing until my last breath. That's my intention anyway.
Astrology has taught me that all of the phases of a life are natural and necessary and inevitable, from early youth to the final passage in old age. That we can't hang on to any one phase, and that no one phase is any better than any other. Each has its natural time to thrive and its natural time to fade away, so that the next phase can be born to replace it, ready or not, willing or not. Learning to feel these and observe them; there is natural poetry and meter to it all. A flow of natural creativity, the same impulse as the comings and goings of the seasons, and the gardens the warmer ones bring forth. That we are totally a part of this.
The Demanding Artist (aka "me"...) is never completely satisfied with his creation, so far anyway. Always tweaking this, adjusting that, reworking some other part. As my insights deepen, as I realize that TODAY i would have done this part differently, I proceed to rework it. As my capacity to empathize (meaning to listen deeply to another) grows; as I grow. - Life as art.
That which I express in an outer way, whether or not the world considers it art - could be as simple as washing dishes more consciously, or observing the changes in a Spring leaf between two days ago and now. This is all the flow of creativity, Life as Art.
My outer expressions merely reflect my shifting inner realities - are my attempts to give form to them, to what is continuously growing and shifting. Why do I feel I must express this? I don't even know. The desire to express lives in a deep place within and simply at times demands action and expression - some of which the world may label as Creative.
I hope the young folks will forgive us geezers for thinking of all the Kennedy boys today. They were a huge part of our lives.
They were more than a huge part of our lives – they were a symbol, and in reality more symbolic than actual, of a time when optimism and idealism were alive and strong, an era that is long over. This country has spent forty years trying to rewrite history, that the actual nature of the Kennedy’s, and the sixties – never existed.
Imagine! “Public servants” going into office to…. Serve the Public. To paraphrase a recent Attorney General, the idea today “renders quaint”.
I was too young to live through the lens of you older folks or my parents and see the Kennedy’s for all their youthful vigor, but I’ve always felt envious of having politicians you could be proud of.
The true shame is the possibility of having that experience has been taken away from all the generations that followed. The real tragedy is that a generation that had so much potential to transform the nature of life on the planet in ways that would have benefited all instead succeeded in pretty much trashing it, having finally decided, rather than “Make Love, not War”, to “Make Money, THROUGH War”.
Perhaps in a different time and under different circumstances Obama would be effective. I don’t see it happening now. The main thing he is showing me is our system is so far gone it is beyond the possibility of reform. Its a near miracle we got an Obama in the first place, and he is unable or unwilling to advocate for the necessary reforms. History teaches us what inevitably comes next, after a while, and it is not pretty.
Its also important to remember that the Kennedys were very much hated by segments of the public in the sixties – the same segments that have evolved into the modern GOP. After all, two of them were assassinated. These are the segments that have been attempting to rewrite the history (and legacy) of the 60’s ever since.