Spiritual Renaissance Publication Fall 2000

Fires of Revolution By Leo Knighton Tallarico    We have moved through a collective birth process, begun at the Total Solar Eclipse Fixed Grand Cross of August 11, 1999, and completed during the many important aspects of May 2000. We have passed through the beginning of a new 20-year cycle with the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction of May 28, 2000. What a powerful shakeup we have all experienced!! All the important aspects during this 9-month process have been in fixed signs of the zodiac: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. The function of these signs is to hold and institute, to preserve and keep. The pressure has been enormous on people, with important planets in these signs, to let go and move on; events have rattled old ways of living. In fact, these astrological aspects, as well as the subsequent 3 eclipses in July, and their attendant crises, have taken all of us out of our comfort zones. Many since have wanted to go "back to normal", but the old and familiar does not exist anymore; we are in a new zone, and getting used to it. In time we will regain feelings of inner and outer safety, at our new level.    The transformation, that this time period has provided, is essential in moving our human earth ship out from its anchored dock, and forward into new waters. During these nine months, especially the last one, many tragedies occurred; there were drastic changes in people's home lives, careers, and relationships. Many relatives, friends, and pets have died or become severely ill. Many disasters occurred within nature, like earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and fires; and for us here in Santa Fe, disaster "hit home" with the fire in Los Alamos. There were so many personal challenges and changes in people's lives. The political landscape has also been changing. What has this all been about? Where is our human earth ship headed? . . . . .(click here to continue.)

The power of love:    A call to action by Deborah Knighton Tallarico    As a person, woman, psychotherapist, wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend I find one of my greatest tasks and challenges to bring love and compassion to myself, to my work and to those I touch in as many moments as I can. Our world so desperately needs love. It seems we have gotten so far away from the simplicity of this truth. It hurts when I look around with an open heart and really experience the ways people, governments, religions, and nations treat themselves and each other and see the poignant suffering in our world. We all need love so badly and so many of us have closed our hearts because the pain of opening it can be unbearable    Just recently while driving to Pagosa Springs and listening to an interview with John Lennon and his simple words about the importance of Love, I found myself deeply touched. Hearing his songs about love and particularly the song Imagine moved me in a way I have not been moved before. Hearing this brought home the pain and the tears of the longing I feel and so many of us feel for a world full of love, a world truly connected to God, and a world living as ONE.    I can feel how far away we are, how profoundly separated we have become from our true Self, from each other and most importantly from God. I am grateful for this hurt however because it moves me nearly every day. I know that Love is the basic fiber of our Universe and God and our world needs its healing power now. So much of our suffering is from a basic disconnection from God which is Love itself.

Very few of our churches or temples embody the power and strength of love or a true connection to the Spirit of God. Very few Christians really follow the teachings of Christ, if they did there would not be so much greed, judgment and condemning of others. If Christians were really following the teachings of Christ they would be full of the spirit of love for everyone. They wouldn't be starting religious wars, extricating people for being Gay, making people fear God. They would be bringing Love to every day, they would know that the kingdom of God is within every single person, creature, and thing on this earth. The same is true for nearly all our religions.    The 60's seem so far away now as do the deep values and innocence of Love. Our society has become so reduced to material greed and hate it's frightening. Realizing this I hear an inner call more then ever before. A deep inner call to take action. It seems we all need to go to a new level as we hear our own inner call whatever it may be. Be it bringing more love to our parenting, to our partner, to our friends, to our work, to our community, through what ever form it needs to take based on who we are deep inside.    Our world so desperately needs us to put our love and our passion into action in our world, our children need it so badly as does our earth, the animals, the poor, the criminals, the dying, and every other living creature. Our world needs so much healing, we've created this mess and we all need to take responsibility for our part in its healing.    So how do we awaken the healing power of love in our lives? First is to look deeply at our lives, to look at the harsh ways we relate with ourselves and others, to look at our judgments, our expectations and our attitudes. We need to let love move us, we need to listen to the still deep voice within our heart and let this translate into action in our daily lives and in our relationships with ourselves and all those we come in contact with. If everyone did this our world would really begin to heal. It takes great inner strength to make a stand for love because so much of the world fears it and fights against it. Very few of our institutions value love anymore so we have a lot of work to do    The truth is, we are ALL longing for compassionate understanding and love, even if it doesn't appear that way on the exterior. Love helps us feel seen and understood, it allows us to feel safe and cared for. I allows us to be true to ourselves and live a harmonious and peaceful life.    I have found that love and compassion are crucial to the healing process as well. I remember in the early 80's while in graduate school one of my professors saying, "If you don't really love your patient, then you shouldn't be working with them". This simple truth so often gets lost in the healing professions. I know that when I am compassionate and loving with my clients it is very comforting and healing for them on a very, very deep level. As they experience compassionate understanding and love from me it helps them learn to be compassionate and loving with themselves. When they can be compassionate and loving with themselves they can then be this way with others.    The most profound way of learning is through our own experience of relationship. So as each of us, in our own ways, in our own work, relationships, families and communities bring the essence of Love we are truly healing our world in a very simple yet profound way. I ask each of you to reflect on these simple truths, to reflect on love in your life with compassion, and to find the ways you can bring the Spirit of Love into action in your life and to our world.

Back to top . . . .