Libra - Connecting with Our Neutral Mind

by Guru Rattana, Ph.D. - Issue #73, September 25, 2003

The Sun entered the Libra sky September 23, and will stay through October 22. Libra initiated the Autumn Equinox on the 23rd. The Autumn Equinox marks a time of harvest and the halfway mark in the seasons. We realize that maturity and wisdom are now the essential ingredients to take advantage of our efforts and to help us consolidate our gains.

New Moon September 25th

September 25th (8:09pm PST) is the New Moon in 3° Libra. The Libra New Moon encourages us to embrace a more peaceful, enlightened and loving future for ourselves and our world. The Sabian symbol for 3° Libra sets out a beautiful image, The dawn of a new day reveals everything has changed; the ever-present possibility of beginning again on a new foundation of values. The New Moon in Libra invites us to examine our priorities in terms of our deepest held values. It is an auspicious time to make new choices and to trim tab our direction, so that we are headed towards a favorable destination.

At each New Moon, we get a chance to immerse ourselves in the energies of one sign, while the Sun and Moon are in the same sign. While the Sun is in Libra and especially at the New Moon in Libra, we are given an opportunity to consciously connect with our higher mind, and to stabilize our relationship with the Divine.

At each Full Moon, we get a chance to integrate the powers of the complementary (often referred to as opposing) energies of one of the two basic polarities: either fire and air (masculine polarity) or earth and water (feminine polarity). The strength of our divine connection will be tested at the Full Moon in Aries. If we have firmly established our spiritual identity, we won't let our ego lure us back to a limited view of ourselves. Our goal at the Aries Full Moon is to remain intact, solid and stable in our connection to Spirit and our soul.

The Inherent Balance Point

The symbol of Libra is the Scales, traditionally representing balance, equality and justice. When we meditate on the balanced Scales, we feel a sense of equanimity, peace and harmony. There is also a sense of sublime perfection in being present at the exact point of balance. This state of balance and perfection is what we are always consciously or unconsciously searching for. We usually call it something else. We say we just want to be able to relax, to let go, to not worry, to let go of the struggle, and effortlessly enjoy the simple pleasures and beauty in life. These are all Libra lessons and goals.

So how do we use the Libra energy this next month to cultivate deep relaxation, inner peace, surrender? How can we live our lives in the state of higher beauty and higher love?

Libra is an air or mental sign, so we have to first find these states of being in our minds, and sure enough, Libra can lead us to the secret. The secret, which is only so until we experience it for ourselves, is entering our neutral mind. Cultivating an experience of the neutral mind is an absolute requirement for sanity and peace. Connecting with our neutral mind is the first thing I do in my personal Sadhana, and the first anchor I help my students cultivate in each class. It is a pretty simple process if we don't try to complicate it.

Two Channels in Our Mind

Our mind has two basic channels. The one we normally operate from is the rational mind. The rational mind has two functions, known as the negative mind and the positive mind. The negative mind warns us why we shouldn't do something, and the positive mind tells us the benefits of certain actions. The two engage in dialogue in an attempt to figure out the best course of action. By itself, the rational mind never reaches a complete solution. The neutral mind is the choice maker, the arbitrator, and the final judge. We can never feel certain about our decisions unless we allow the wisdom of our neutral mind to advise us. Guaranteed, the rational mind will drive us nuts without the neutral mind. In the neutral mind, we can call off our inner war. We have an escape route out of our mentally fueled dramas.

The neutral mind is a DIFFERENT CHANNEL. We know it when we open a door and enter another room in our mind. In our neutral mind there is no discussion, no dialogue, and no conflict. In the neutral channel there is only the infinity of space, the sound of silence, the darkness of the void, the light of Spirit, and the wisdom of the Universe. When we meditate in our neutral mind, we can turn our attention to the primal qualities of the Universe. We can experience the inherent qualities of neutrality, peace, non-duality, harmony, balance and serenity. Contemplation on these basic essences is how we connect with oneness. Merging our consciousness with these attributes aligns us with the Divine. This is how we discover higher beauty; this is how we have a direct experience of higher love.

The Higher Mind - The Sanctuary of Our Soul

It is so relaxing to enter this peaceful sanctuary in our minds. What a relief to have a place to go to escape the dramas of our emotions and rational mind. It is so comforting to discover the vastness of the Universe inside our own being. It is so reassuring to experience that this sanctuary is, was, and will always be a refuge we can return to and rely on. It is so sweet to realize that the source of ultimate beauty is the simplicity of the Divine that is, was, and always will be. It is so comforting to know that we don't have to do anything to create neutrality, peace, non-duality, harmony, balance and serenity. They exist as the permanent, unalterable fabric of the Universe, and the undying substance of our own being. All we have to do is relax, let go, and allow ourselves to join the cosmic party.

What a gift to have a higher perspective and vantage point from which to compute what is in our highest good. How wonderful to feel nurtured by higher love. When we really understand the significance of the gift, we are filled with humility and gratitude.

Our Primary Relationship is with the Divine

One day we realize that our ultimate relationship is with the Divine in our own being. No human relationship can substitute for the unconditional and eternal love of Spirit. Our ultimate security, peace, and comfort come from our Divine Connection. Without it, we are always insecure. In ITS absence, we will always look for satisfaction outside ourselves. Without the Source to turn to, we are always in some way codependent. With IT, a feeling of security comes naturally; inner satisfaction and contentment are spontaneous. Autonomy envelops us in peaceful and pleasurable power.

Libra teaches us that our first relationship is with the Divine. God and me, me and God are One is the basis of all our worldly relationships. Our relationship with the Divine is a touchstone that guides us, and offers us spiritual criteria for evaluating and choosing our human relationships and mates. Does this person enhance our personal experience of higher love, or does he or she detract us from this connection? Honest responses to this question can change the cast of our worldly theater overnight!

Libra Calm before the Scorpio Storm

The Universe is kind to give us a sweet dose of Libra energy, before we are engulfed in the Scorpio life, death and transformation issues. The experience of higher love offers us an unlimited supply of universal energy, to embrace the juice and the dramas of our emotions. The perceptual awareness of undying infinity offers our mind a safe lighthouse during the Scorpionic storms. The arms of oneness hold us as we handle the intensity of regeneration and rebirth. Calm in the presence that never dies, we know that we take our Divine Connection with us no matter the outcome of our human trials. One day we also realize that our connection to the Infinite is the only thing we take with us when we have completed our earthly journey.

The neutral mind is a required tool for our sanity. Our Divine Connection is the foundation of higher love and consciousness. Yet the mind is only one piece. The mind and spirit are the masculine polarity. The body and the emotions are the feminine polarity. To stay connected to the Divine, to be whole, and to manifest in physical reality, we must marry and merge the masculine and feminine polarities in our being.

This merger is facilitated by the dance of the Zodiac polarities - Fire (masculine), Earth (feminine), Air (masculine), Water (feminine.) The journey through a fire sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) is always followed by a journey through an Earth element (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn.) Time in the Air domains (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) is always complemented by a swim with the Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.)

The neutral mind is a safe haven from which to watch our world unfold, but it is not just a vantage point. Scorpio requires that we turn mental awareness into physical and emotional reality. While the Sun is in Scorpio we will need to use the neutral mind as an integrative mechanism to merge the masculine and feminine polarities into wholeness.

Transform and Transcend

One reader has asked me to clarify the difference between transform and transcend. Libra introduces us to one facet of transcendence. Libra teaches us to transcend our rational minds. Changing channels is an example of transcending. We don't try to change the rational mind, we move to another station. We shift realities by going somewhere else, unlocking a door and entering another room.

In Scorpio we immerse ourselves in transformation. By loving our emotions they calm down. Instead of annoying us, they become a source of power.

Both transcendence and transformation involve a reality shift. The first introduces a new space. The second cultivates a new experience from the same substance. Transcendence involves making new connections. Transformation involves nurturing existing energies so that we can have deeper and more pleasurable experiences.

Neptune in Libra

Another way to refine our exploration of Libra is to find out where Libra falls in our birth chart. This is the arena of life where we will need to get neutral clarity to identify our destination and course of action. This is the arena where we must cultivate inner peace and harmony to excel. Any planet in Libra will require the awareness and experience of the attributes of the neutral mind to maximize its potential.

Those born between August 3, 1943 and December 24th 1955 have Neptune in Libra. When anyone tunes into Neptune we usually experience fog. Fog fosters fantasies, illusions, spaceyness and addictive behaviors. The sign of Neptune offers us the formula for lifting the fog in that area of our life. For those of us with Neptune in Libra, we can lift the fog by opening the channel of the neutral mind, and tuning into the truth that is available in this channel through our intuition. By connecting with the permanent infinite reality, and following the guidance that is available to us, we can learn to operate from a reality that serves us, instead of confuses us. We can transcend the fate of a foggy mind and delve into the destiny of the Divine.

Prepare Now for November

Life is a process, not an event. It is the same for astrological happenings. They unfold over time. All of the information presented in this issue is shared with the intention of helping you prepare for Harmonic Concordance, November 8, and the Lunar and Solar Eclipses, November 8th and 26th. The best thing is to prepare for this quantum shift in consciousness, by being in and utilizing the energies that are presenting themselves at this time.

Kundalini Yoga Meditation - Nurture Thyself with Neutral

There are so many ideas in each issue of New Millennium Being that you can use in your spiritual practice. Someone asked me if I could recommend other things to read between issues. What I recommend is to seriously practice cultivating a new element of conscious awareness.

While the Sun is in Libra, learn to switch channels. Tune into neutral and then spend time contemplating neutral. Open the space. Be with it. Be in it. Let the space expand. Be with it. Be in it. Then do the same with the experience of peace. Do this first in your mind and then allow the experience of neutral and peace to integrate into your body. Do the same with any other quality that you experience. How about contemplating and feeling harmony, balance or sweetness? Allow yourself to be nurtured by neutrality, peace, harmony, balance and sweetness.

Then, one by one, make neutral, peace, harmony, balance and sweetness your anchors.

It is simple, but it takes time to cultivate. In fact, in one simple paragraph I have summarized the focus of my daily meditations and the lessons I offer my classes. There is always more. There is always a deeper reality to connect with. There is always a richer experience available. This is how we discover happiness and higher love inside ourselves.

Every Kundalini Yoga exercise, kryia and meditation facilitates our entry into the neutral channel. The trick is to take the time to contemplate the space in your mind after doing each exercise. Arm exercises are especially potent in facilitating a channel shift.

After tuning in, I recommend starting out with the arms out to the sides, parallel to the ground, palms up, doing breath of fire for 1-3 minutes. There are Meditation Facilitators in my Kundalini Yoga book Relax and Renew, which also powerfully create the shift. I personally love Brainwave Meditation.

And at the end of your contemplative meditation, love whatever it is you are experiencing, that makes you feel happy with all your heart.

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