Fight or Flight

Maybe it is a matter of merging and harmonizing—and not being/feeling/trying so hard to be separate. Maybe that’s the lesson from Lord and Lady Mouth of Mumbai! Okay, so I am being sarcastic and cynical and I shouldn’t call them that. You may want to cut me a break with that since I’ve been up until after 1 AM listening to their gyrations, door slamming and loud-mouthing! Yeah, I make myself stay up until they quiet down because IF NOT I have horrible dreams from their fighting and door slamming. Yeah, talk to the management? I have, they say call the police or slam the wall or stomp my feet and they will get the message.

It is about merging and harmonizing instead of fighting it! And them! And myself! At least I think that’s the approach. After all, what I’ve seen of India—aside from the ashram of the late Sathya Sai Baba—and PBS documentaries showing crowded streets and dog-eat-dog chaos amounts to a sum total of that and the movie, Slumdog Millionaire! Their way of life is probably 1,000 different than my own—they are obviously used to merging with others more than I am. With a population like that I’d suppose you’d have to know how –and I’d not be able to survive in India the way I’m not able to even merge or harmonize with my downstairs neighbors!

Many of us get this concept of India that everyone there is like Deepak Chopra or are meditation masters. I cannot tell you how many people from India that I’ve met who say they don’t even know how to meditate—so they’re just like Americans in that sense. I can’t lump the whole culture; that’s not fair and of course I’m blogging while sleep deprived here on top of being frustrated with the paper-thin walls here while now knowing that I’m hugely overpaying in rent for such a shoddily and cheaply constructed structure. But there it is—fact. It is what it is.

Some light here involves my soon to be married daughter who lives in suburbia in a beautiful community of condo—it’s gorgeous! In the summer time their pool is supervised and the last 10 minutes of every hour of the day they clear the kids from the pool so that adults can do lap swimming. YES!!!! She mentioned that when they buy their house in another year that they would … well, she’s going to talk it over with her soon to be husband, but she indicated that it’s possible that they could rent their condo to me!! I do miss the mountains and planned to go back – something more deeply affirmed within my since the super-mouths of Mumbia moved in below me. (If you’ve not been paying attention to my blog, they have earned that well-deserved name with me due to their 24-7 marathon dialogues interspersed with sudden fights that spring up just when you suspect they’ve finally fallen asleep throughout the wee early mornings!) They don’t leave for Monster’s Inc. (Lowes Headquarters) until around 9:30 AM but I’m up by 6 AM to welcome my granddaughter in while we wait together for the time for her school bus—her mother has a long drive to work and has to leave early.

Oh, why not put on a fan for white noise? Yeah? I hear them over the sound of the fan and if I fall asleep before they do (their fighting and loud voices beneath my bed can still be heard anyway), the result for is crazy, horrible dreams—nightmares. Bad dreams were coming every night (not typical for me AT ALL) until I woke straight up out of one and heard them fighting beneath me….duhh, no wonder! Honestly, these folks go on-and-on-and-on-and-on and never give it a rest! I’ve never heard anything like it and really if there was an award given for people who talk, bicker and fight non-stop—they’d be the clear winners!

I was feeling the FLIGHT OR FIGHT feeling in my bed while reading my spiritual book—that’s when they first moved in you see and I didn’t realize that there were new neighbors. Suddenly in the midst of my reading i feel that whole ‘fight or flight’ panic in my body. Really? where’s that coming from? I put my book down to go within to figure it out when i realize that i think i hear a voice, man’s voice. No I think, I must be imagining it. My fan is on, vibrating, making white noise. I go back to my book. Again, louder, voices…. still feeling my heart race and sort of panic feeling. What is going on here? so am I crazy? I get up to turn off the fan to find out and yeah! Its Lord and Lady Mumbi –the downstairs neighbors–going on and on yelling to each other beneath my bed!

Okay anyway, i’ve got one idea–it could help. I am going to get some inexpensive door mirrors at Wal Mart and put them mirror side down beneath my bed hoping that whatever energy comes up will be forced back down via the mirrors! I’ll let you know how it works. It won’t muffle sound but may direct energy back down so i don’t feel it in my body. In this instance of the Mumbai neighbors, the fact that I’m a sensitive, a psychic, is more a hindrance than a help.

Enough kvetching! The only thing I can do is try to harmonize instead of insisting that I maintain separation. I want to say this is MY sacred space and your voices and door slamming sounds are NOT ALLOWED—GET OUT@!! But, how realistic is that with these paper thin walls? Their voices just carry—they’re the opposite of ‘soft talkers’. I suspect one or both may be partially deaf –this I try to believe to evoke compassion for them which at 1 AM is really difficult, but I do try!

Anyway, one coping mechanism is to run the dishwasher through a few cycles; that muffles Mumbai for about an hour and a half. I put my TV onto the Buddhist channel the rest of the time in an effort to change the vibe –but really in the evenings my habit is to meditate or read; usually both. How long can I listen to the Dalai Lama’s translators or the sound of my own dishwasher before that gets old too? Well, there’s always old re-runs of Grey’s Anatomy or a Harry Potter DVD, but the point is that’s all me still trying to separate instead of merging and harmonizing.

Anyway, that’s my thought for today—it has to do with my observation that I am trying to separate myself from humanity and humanity is right underneath my feet letting me know it’s not going anywhere! Nice! And they say the universe has no sense of humor!

Part of this is not their fault! The shouting and slamming doors—yeah, I’m going to have to talk to them about that stuff that goes on after 10:00 PM; there’s no need for THAT! The other part of it is just them being them—humans! Humans’ way too close to my turf! Boy O boy do I miss the old tenant … a single guy who just played his TV … a movie every now and then. No problem; I’d go into the bedroom, turn on my fan and read my book. Sure. I’d hear him on the phone now and again but ‘what the heck’, a person has to talk once in a while. But these folks—OMG! It’s like a 24 hour phone call–!!

The weekend is upon us—and really I’d like to work more on writing my astrology class but why bang my head against the wall? It’s impossible to think straight with the motor-mouths of Mumbai going at it all day long! So, I’ll be coming up with a plan B today; maybe I can take my whole act over to my daughter’s house—she’s 5 doors down and hardly ever hears her neighbors.

Well, they don’t leave for Monster’s Inc for another 45 minutes. I’ve been totally killing time here waiting for them to leave for their jobs. I may go back to bed for a while which I really don’t like doing b but you won’t find THIS hard to believe—I’ve got a sore throat and head cold since yesterday afternoon. Yeah, figures.

See that photo of Mumbai? I nearly laughed out loud! Apparently, they’re used to living like that—and yeah, I’d never make it there OR I’d have to learn to merge and harmonize. Just look at the photo; that many people crowded together like that? They probably learned to shout to one another just to be heard over their neighbor!! They’re probably doing what is in entirely natural for them and I’m the one who has the problem!! I’m trying to see me from their point of view.

Could I be better at harmonizing and being more tolerant? Yeah, I really think I can and should try harder! Just look at that picture! I look at the birds outside my window taking turns to come to the birdfeeder… they sit on the branches waiting for some to clear out while others are there. Somehow they merge and harmonize and …. Well, some do flap their wings at the others, but still. I think that when the Mouths of Mumbai are home, I should be not home as much as possible. I should fly away like the birds to the birdfeeder. I’ve got to get better at harmonizing and merging with humanity; but I will still carry the Plan B to go back to the wilderness. I sure do miss the quiet and serenity of the mountains.

Merge, harmonize, blend and quit thinking that you are a separate ego Joy!!! You are only energy in the world like everyone and everything else. Lose your illusion of separateness and put the ego to bed, for good—merge, dissolve, blend, harmonize. Let go. Namaste Mumbi Mouth Lord and Lady, Namaste!

Excuse me now. I’m going to bed to nurse my cold and restore my health! It is 9:15 AM ; they should be soon leaving for Monster’s Inc. Please god, don’t tell me that they have the day off today!! I’m waiting to hear the door close…. waiting, waiting, waiting….. Oh, thank you jesus…9:20 AM and their door closes…they’ve gone…. AMEN.

Yeah, I’ll admit to being close to going over the edge…. but for now i’m going to grab my Kleenex and get back into bed!

Moon in Aries

What makes us emotionally comfortable and secure when the Moon is in Aries?
Aries is about initiation, beginnings. It is the first sign of the zodiac so the theme of freshness and newness is likely. This will likely be the evident emotional atmosphere when the Moon is in Aries.

Emotionally, we may feel like initiating something new. That would satisfy the Aries Moon, especially after coming off the Moon in Pisces where the emotional tendency may have been more inward, maybe even tinged with some melancholy. But as we move into Aries, our emotional bodies may be affected in such a way that we want to take charge of our mental state.

Aries (ruled by Mars) likes action–it’s a fire sign and is associated with the archetype of the warrior and is known, many times, as the “life force”. Think “Ram” and charging… fierce.

Chances are we will not be emotionally intimidated by others when the Moon is in Aries and we may even feel a tendency to “lock horns” with others. Aries can be explosive, but it is also about courage and leadership. The Aries tendency is sort of like “Move over, I’ll take charge!”

At least as it applies to the general mood, this type of response from others or from within yourself may be likely– that’s what the hungry Moon in Aries needs to feel secure and happy. It wants to take charge!
Of course, the problem is that not everyone can take charge at once; some people may move more toward the Libra side of the Libra/Aries axis as our Aries energy bumps into other people’s Mars-like energy. More on this polarity later in this post.

We may find that we (or others) demonstrate a certain level of emotional courage that may not be as strong as when the Moon is in some of the other signs. Sometimes Aries can be a bit selfish, but sometimes we need to be. And when the Moon is in Aries it will be much easier for us to step into that selfish persona if it is needed.

We may feel like being very outward and external with the Moon in Aries, whereas when the Moon was in Pisces, our tendency was to be generally more inward. With Mars-like Arian energy, we may have a tendency to tell other people exactly how we feel. Aries is also the sign of war; therefore, it would be a good time to be aware of that and if you do go to battle pick your battle well. Otherwise curbing the natural emotional volatility of this Moon may be more appropriate.

Aries rules the 1st house of personal identity and so it might trigger emotional issues in that area as well.

Leadership is another Aries archetype and you may find yourself (and/or others) demonstrating an emotional attachment to being out front, leading the pack, in any group activity. The fight or flight response may be evident as well… the Aries polarity is Libra. And Libra would (many times) rather do the fLight rather than fight. With any sign of the zodiac, it’s always good to take in both sides of the axis. Aries/Libra axis: think fight or flight.

People may be generally aloof when the Moon moves through Aries… this is because Aries does not like being attached emotionally and will do most anything (including provoking conflict) in order to maintain freedom and independence from what it feels may be a susceptible sensitive attachment.

Perspective

These little Moon weather reports, we have to remember, are general–like most other weather reports. When the weather man predicts rain, it could be raining in your city or on your block; yet, the Sun is shining less than a mile away at the very same time.

Other factors come into play and sometimes there’s a break in the clouds.
And sometimes you (or others) have personal planetary transits or progressions that are much more powerful than the Moon’s influence–in which case, there may be a tornado at a time when mild weather was predicted. Such as it is with weather!

Yet, I really like taking a look at the Moon’s influence–even if it is very fast moving and sometimes mild. Some people are more tuned into their own emotions and the emotions of others and then there are those that are completely blocked on that level.

And then there are others still who want to white light everything and ignore the emotional body completely. My “take on it” is this: why not understand it and work with it? Planetary energy does have an influence–as above, so below. Since we’re on the earth with other humans, may as well be part of it at least on the level of understanding human nature.

You will either find this information interesting and helpful or you won’t.
Like the weather, some people don’t care about it, barely notice it and just keep on moving.
That is, until a storm comes. Then they stand back and wonder what’s going on. It’s the same thing with astrology I think.

I’ve always wondered about changing emotions

It was back in the late 70’s or early 80’s that I really began to take notice of these things.
I remember that particular day of inquiry very well. I realized that nothing externally in my life had changed from one day to the next; in other words, the outer world was the same on that day as it was on the day before. Yet my mood was completely different.

My thought was, “Yesterday I felt so happy and bubbly (for no particular reason) and today I feel sad (for no particular reason). What’s up with that? What changed? And what accounts for this?”

Then I learned thoughts can create or affect emotions–what a revelation!
Change your thoughts and change your mood!
Mother never taught me that—she didn’t know it herself, and as far as I can tell she still doesn’t.

However, I struggled with the concept for a while. And then I thought it should be flipped around.

My mood creates my thoughts–no, that wasn’t quite right either.
These days I have more understanding. It involves the added awareness gleaned from the changing Moon!

It can be complicated, but I’ve long known that I came here to MASTER MY EMOTIONS or that’s one of the reasons. I don’t mind contemplating all this for that reason. Besides, I’ve got a lot of planets in Libra so I can deal with paradox without a problem.

Meanwhile, have fun with the Aries Moon and use it to initiate, lead and improve your personal identity… but be aware that other people will be on this same wave length too. Maybe you can use this knowledge to help them out a little?

That’s it for now…