Excerpt from a newsletter that I sent out on Saturday...
Saturday has arrived! For many, this means the weekend. Saturday is named after the planet Saturn (Saturn's-day), or Lord Shani as we call him.
In fact, all of the days of the week are named after planets (Monday = Moon's-day) (Tuesday = Týr's-day aka Mars; in Spanish, Martes) (Wednesday = Mercury; again, in Spanish, Miercoles or "Woden's-day" aka the Norse God Odin) (Friday or Freya's-day or "Viernes" aka Venus) (Sun-day) etc.
Mythology is based off of astrology, and these "subjects" weave their way into elements of everyday life (if we are paying attention!)
Our ancient people saw everything as sacred; everything was a reflection of the Divine. It was common to acknowledge god and goddesses as ruling different aspects of daily life. Why did they do this? Because no one had any "real" clue about how things came to be in the first place and this was their best "guess".
However, centuries or millennia later, after emerging from our pre-historic cave-dwelling pagan past and becoming more "civilized", we now claim that atoms and molecules are the building blocks of reality, only to be dumbfounded when the laws or principles of physics as we know them break down anyways beyond a certain point.
The quantum nature of reality reveals to us a soup of primordial goo from which everything arises and subsides. Particles dancing into and out of existence perpetually.
Some scientists are still stumped at the fact that, (in their mind) consciousness has apparently emerged from the material world
Other scientists, ones of perhaps a more "mystical" disposition, are instead acknowledging metaphysical truths expounded by the ancient wisdom traditions of the East and other Indigenous cultures. These "truths" run in opposition to the Newtonian Laws that have largely driven our culture for the past four to five hundred years (the main truth in opposition which suggests that Consciousness created matter, and not the other way around).
Our pagan past forgotten, we have lost touch with the magick and mystery of this Universe and instead measure stars in terms of light years as opposed to astrological archetypes and Zodiac symbols. Gods & goddesses have fallen and become observable or measurable laws of nature. The god of the storms is no longer as important to us as the days in which we prayed to he/she/it for good weather so that we could survive the winter. We now have an app on our phone which tells us to stay inside or put on a coat, preventing us from going outside to observe the clouds or feel the wind.
As humans began to measure and analyze, the left-side of the brain that is driven by production caused us to lose touch with the mysterious right-brain which could be counted on for nothing of "production value". We've become lost in busy-ness and productivity. Our once-natural ability to listen to the Natural world and extract Her many hidden-in-plain-sight secrets has been deadened.
Reviving ancient cultural values is not the least bit barbaric, although it may appear so to the commoner. There may be many superior ways that have been lost or obscured to us in a culture & society so driven by hedonistic and self-centered dominance. These "superior ways" center around a Universe that is alive, where consciousness is fundamental, where gods and goddesses play in the realm of mortals and there is an equal balance between the sacred and the profane.
This mere shift in perspective allows the Natural world around us to become alive with signs, symbology, and a language that has been all-but forgotten.
Some of us are "awakening" to this, meaning we are simply noticing that the machine of the world that we've been a part of is going in a very, very dangerous direction. People are squabbling over ideas that mean nothing, tribalism is at an all-time high, and higher moral values are replaced by dogma, prejudice & nationalism.
What has become of our Golden Age?
In the Vedic sciences -- the ancient wisdom science of the Indian and Asian traditions -- the seers have calculated that we are in a time of what is called the "Kali Yuga". This "yuga" or era has been predicted to be a time of a mass global awakening preceded by incredible darkness, ignorance, and despair. They "saw" (a "seer" is one who "sees") that life would lose its original magic and luster as human society became infatuated with the material world so much so that they lost sight of the true spiritual quest of life. This era is the last in a cycle of four "yugas", or phases of human life.
As we know from the basic Hermetic principle "as above so below" this idea of four phases of life applies to directly within and to ourselves.
We have already lived in our very own Golden Age!
As children, the magick and mystery of life was not only obvious but it was our very reality. "A place where gods and goddesses interacted with mere mortals". This spiritual dimension was slowly conditioned out of us as we entered the adolescent phase, grew through our teens, and became adults. As we lost our innocence so too did we lose this connection to the incredible and indescribable beauty of... well, everything. Play has been replaced by stress, worry, deadlines, and "getting things done."
As many adults may attest, life is now a monotonous blend of gray; a rinse-and-repeat predictable walk-through of the patterns of every-day living.
What has become of our Golden Age? Are we at the precipice of a "mass awakening preceded by intense despair and ignorance"?
As above, so below.
The more the world appears completely f*'d up, the more our incentive rises to wake the f*** up ourselves and begin to question our apparently "intelligent" ways and seek new possibilities.
This "return to ancestral patterns" is no longer a descent into barbarism -- rather, it is a legitimate and sincere search for a replacement to the dysfunctional ways of modern living.
In one's quest, one may discover that there is indeed functionality to acknowledging the lunar cycles, the days of the week, and even *gasp* , see that there may be something to this silly idea that gods and goddesses are "ruling each day of the week".
That Saturn's-day is a day to honor Lord Shani. But ... wtf does that even mean?
Well.. why would this day be marked as the Sabbath in some traditions?
What benefit would this idea of a "Sabbath" have on the average human who is in go-go-go, must create, must produce, must do do do...? To be able to stop, pause, listen, take stock, observe, and prepare for the next cycle of creation?
Each week. Cyclical. Are we repeating, or are we creating?
Are we choosing new paths, paving new roads, or are we in our rut? Have we closed our eyes to the mystical principles of life, lost our belief in magic, and playing out our lives as mere mortals with a limited lifespan?
The Gods and Goddesses want to play. Just like the GI Joes and the Barbie dolls when we were kids. Our imagination (or lack thereof) is what changes the shape of reality. Our literal biology depends on our perception of life. The brain THRIVES on Divinity -- just try it out and see for yourself!
Seeking the Divine does not just mean mere believing, reading books, and pretending. It means experiencing. Becoming. A direct and straightforward path (this is what is actually meant by Tantra, by the way). There is no priest involved in this communion -- no middleman between you and God. Yoga is the communion.
The connection is there. We've never lost our connection to the Source (that would be impossible). Enlivening this connection is up to you.
Happy Saturday, folks. May you enjoy a beautiful and ritually-oriented day designed to bring you the most abundant blessings, wisdom, and grace for your path ahead.
I send all my love from a sunny day here in the mountains of Costa Rica.
With joy & gratitude,
Grant Ifflander