SHINING LOTUS™ METAPHYSICAL BOOKSTORE NEWSLETTER
The Original Metaphysical Bookstore, since 1972
FEBRUARY 2014
2178 South Colorado Blvd, Denver Colorado 80222
303-758-9113
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in this issue
THE BUDDHA, KARMA AND LIBERATION by Bruce Johnson
PLANETS AND POSSIBILITIES: A LOOK AT THE ASTROLOGY OF FEBRUARY by Sally Shotwell
YOU… CAN BE MUCH, MUCH MORE by Mario C. Veo
LOVE DEFINED by Drusant
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February, named after the Latin term, februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual, Februa, held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. This year the full moon in February is on the 14th, and is illustrated by the Sabian Symbol, “DAYBREAK: The luminescence of Dawn in the Eastern sky”. Below, please check out the Astrology article with more about the Sabian Symbols of February by Sally Shotwell.
2013 passed in the blink of an eye, be blessed in 2014.
Join us on Saturday, February 1 and have your photograph taken with a special camera that shows the vivid colors of the energy fields of your body. Then an expert in reading these energy fields will help you understand the meanings of the colors in your photo.
Pat and Nancy McCleary use their intuitive abilities to interpret and read one’s aura and give feedback on what each color means to that individual. Many people have experienced profound realizations about themselves from having their aura photo taken. Seeing their own aura introduces them to the idea that they are also vibrant color, light, spirit and energy.
Please Call 303-758-9113 to reserve time for your Aura photo and reading.
Karma Cash is available from December 1 through February 28
Here’s how it works. For every $10 you spend in the store (before tax), between December 1, 2010 and February 28, 2011, you’ll get a $1 discount coupon (“Karma Cash”) good for your next purchase. You can save it for something big, give it to a friend, or pass your Karma along to the next customer.
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THE BUDDHA, KARMA AND LIBERATION
by Bruce Johnson
The Law of Karma or action, as the immutable and eternal law of causation and effect, is a fundamental truth of Buddhism and the Ancient Wisdom. Buddha obtained an understanding of this law as a result of many lifetimes of study, and demonstrated this awareness through his embodiment of Dharma, the Divine Law of the Buddhist scriptures. Buddha used his knowledge of nature’s laws to free himself from the restraints of human karma and consciousness, and so can we.
We have in previous lifetimes, and are in this lifetime, constantly sending out forces that have their effects on different planes, including physical, astral, and mental levels. These effects in turn become forces of new causes in this ongoing chain. Causes work themselves out on their own planes- physical action on the physical plane, personal desires on the astral plane, thoughts on the mental levels, and so on. The effects of these previous causes can be happy or unhappy, emancipating or inhibiting, depending on the nature of the original action, or seed. Karma can be seen as the expression of perfect justice and equity in the universe.
Each soul is the initiator and recipient of their own self-made karma. We all fashion our tendencies, capacities, and character through the exercise of our free will choices over many lifetimes. Early environment, our physical bodies, family members, mental and emotional predispositions, heredity, and genetics all reflect effects of previous karmic causes we have set into motion.
We can end old restricting karmas by balancing out forces that tie us to unhappiness and suffering as a result of our violating the Law of Harmony. We can offset and modify negative karma already created, with new action of a positive quality that neutralizes and overpowers the negative forces previously generated. Selfishness and the lack of goodwill are at the root of much negative karma. We can increasingly demonstrate selfless giving as a powerful way to explode binding past karmas. This is similar to the Buddhist teaching of earning merit through service or sacrifice. We can discharge karmic debts owed to others by making restitution to those we have harmed intentionally or unintentionally, and by so doing, free ourselves.
Family Karma by Kevin J. Todeschi, and The Basic Ideas of Occult Wisdom by Anna Kennedy Winner, explore karma further.
Bruce Johnson has over 30 years of study in the fields of Ancient Wisdom and occultism. He has taught classes on a wide range of topics, from Atlantis to mediums to Zoroaster. He is also a spiritualist minister, with a background in spiritual astrology. He lives in Colorado with his wife and their cat.
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PLANETS AND POSSIBILITIES: A LOOK AT THE ASTROLOGY OF FEBRUARY
by Sally Shotwell
Daybreak: The Luminescence of Dawn in the Eastern Sky
We’ve been going through a tumultuous time in our personal and global environment and are fortunate to have uncovered information about ourselves which will serve us well on our Life Journey. The revelations our soul searching has delivered to our conscious mind now puts valuable material at our disposal. How we make use of it will determine to a great extent how successfully we create the Foundation which will ground and support us in all future endeavors.
The Sun (consciousness) in Aquarius (independence) offers us intellectual distance as we consider emotionally charged issues. We need to have room to put negative self-judgement on hold and dismiss any tendency to dwell on past failures or weakness. They aren’t relevant to the positive, constructive qualities we must embrace now. When we start to really pay attention to how we’re living our life, we’ll become aware of much in ourselves to bring forward. The key is to be present!
What attribute of ours is languishing due to lack of attention?
Where is our energy going? Is the effort productive?
Should we limit our exposure to activities based on drama and glamour?
Are we focusing on the trivial or profound?
As a reward for pondering these heady issues, we are rewarded by an inspiring Full Moon (culmination) in Leo (creativity) on February 14. The Sabian Symbol is “Daybreak: the Luminescence of Dawn in the Eastern Sky”. This image promises new opportunities if we remain committed to our course of expansion and giving ourselves permission to remain flexible. We must be open to what is yet to be revealed and engage our discernment in making choices as to what we bring into our purview. Refining our perceptions is the name of the game.
When the Sun (consciousness) enters Pisces (transcendence) on February 18, we will be able to tap into the sensitivity we need to wend our way through challenging demands which are the result of Mars (action) in Libra (justice), emotionally charging relationship issues. With effort, we can combine our observational skills with a sensitivity to the Other to establish mutual understanding. Practicing our diplomatic skills will also come in handy. Good Luck!!!
Are we having a communication breakdown and do we know the source of the problem?
Men traveling a narrow path, seeking illumination.
Communication continues to be emphasized with the February 28 New Moon (beginnings) in Pisces (imagination), presenting the image of “Men traveling a narrow path, seeking illumination”. While we navigate through the rapids of the Pluto in Capricorn (regeneration of boundaries) square Uranus in Aries (forceful revolution), we need to always remember that there is support around us and like-minded people are those who will continue to offer us succor. While we are being open minded, we must entertain different avenues of help.
Do we have relationships which offer us authentic exchanges of ideas and nurturance?
Where should be investigate opportunities to connect with stimulating people?
The more effort we place on getting in touch with ourselves the greater boons we’ll reap down the road. This is no time to fall back into a bystander role. We have an exciting future to face!
Sally Shotwell is a life-long student of esoteric spirituality with a super-natural curiosity and an undying thirst for knowledge. Her focus on studies in Astrology have spanned decades, and have included studying with Mario C. Veo, John Joseph, Mark Husson and C. A. Brooks.
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YOU… CAN BE MUCH, MUCH MORE…
by Mario C. Veo
I have always been fascinated by the concept of Self-Empowerment… and what opposes it.
It is easy enough to see people swayed by Propaganda (is ‘Coke’ really better than ‘Pepsi’… really… ?)… after all,, it is basic marketing, and simple research would tell you the answer. But, how much can you trust this ‘Research’… and Who has created it…?
Mario C. Veo
Interesting questions – is ‘Fracking’ really safe?… do GMOs impact your health?… is global warming going to change the World as we know it?… is the medicine you are taking going to kill you sooner than your disease?
Very important questions… yet I ask you: “where are you getting your answers… and, who compiled this research… and why?”
What we seldom realize is that whatever we believe in, is projected outwardly and creates the Reality all around us… do you realize how powerful you are?
Most of us don’t – we are content to sit in front of the TV, bitching and complaining about the economy/politics/health-care/the latest celebrity scandal… and never once consider that our very Thoughts – and the Energies we are putting out – is actually contributing to the very thing we dislike so much… and… the more upset we are, the more we reinforce it.
Disempowerment occurs when we become swayed by mass consciousness and its beliefs… and lose awareness of our own Gifts, Powers, and Abilities… for we are not ‘simple humans’.
Many think that Psychic Abilities are so special, without considering that we can all learn how to do it (having integrity about it is another matter), or that we are limited by the world as-it-is, without realizing that the Future is very flexible, and each of us is contributing to its outcome. So, here is the Key – as long as you meekly accept what you see around you, you will always be submissive to its influence over you. Once you learn to think outside the box (and accept that you are not ‘just a little human being’), then your life can create wonderful Changes. However, there IS a Learning Process… and this is the Expansion of your Consciousness.
This month is dedicated to making your Life better, richer, more rewarding (you’re going to need it). If you are simply interested in your Material Life (and there’s nothing wrong with that), then our Tuesday Classes will offer you some exciting choices. If you are more dedicated to your Spiritual Path (and are truly curious about Self-Empowerment, and the Awakening of Higher Consciousness), then consider joining our Saturday Group…(it’s quite a ride…!) But whatever you do, stop bitching about it (it’s really quite annoying)!!!
Mario C. Veo is a teacher of Spiritual Science and a Healing Arts Practitioner. He teaches classes and individuals on Personal Transformation and the Expansion of Consciousness. Mario is available for personal guidance and consultations on Tuesday afternoons at the Shining Lotus Bookstore.
TUESDAY CLASSES IN FEBRUARY
FENG SHUI TALISMANS FOR PROSPERITY with Mario C. Veo.
Tuesday, February 4, 2013. 7 – 8:30 pm. $20.
ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHAKRAS with Mario C. Veo.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014. 7 – 8:30 pm. $20.
FEAR… THE ONLY OBSTACLE TO SUCCESS with Mario C. Veo.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014. 7 – 8:30 pm. $20.
THE PATH OF SPIRITUAL AWAKENING… AN INSIGHT OF ITS TESTS AND WISDOM with Mario C. Veo.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014. 7 – 8:30 pm. $20.
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LOVE DEFINED
by Drusant
As I would attempt to define love, I would compare it to gravity. The aspect of love extends far out beyond our global gravitational fields but we can look at gravity as that which attracts particles toward a central core.
I would compare love to affection or more precisely, the affinity of particles in space. The very fact that we can witness the bonding of molecular solids would suggest a force field that holds these particles together. The force field wouldn’t be called gravity but gravity demonstrates the principle of attraction. This basic attraction is the pervasive and first force in the universe.
Love draws all things together. The opposite of love would be then to push away. Our innate drive to gravitate toward our own central core is that quality of love that will return us to source.
All the things that I love, all those things that I am attracted to will also be as a clue on the roadmap that will tell me more of who I truly am. I am love and you are love. All that is, is love. Love is therefore the primary force in the creation of existence. It’s the principal force behind gravity.
That which brings us joy, happiness and kindness is the mixture within the formula of life that will point us in the direction of harmony of consciousness. Love is the force of not only the visible world but also the non-physical world; the realm of thoughts and awareness.
Love is the master guardian of all motion, activity, awareness and desire. Love is the glue that holds all of existence together. Once again, love is the affinity of particles in motion.
When one feels a sense of sadness or depression, physics would say you are experiencing a time of slower particles. It’s a slowing down of consciousness; of reevaluation of what direction you may be traveling. Feeling despondent is the measure of distance you might be from your core beauty and understanding. You are then feeling farther away from love, less gravity, less connection, less affinity to the outside world.
Our present energy technology is based on reversed logic; we use explosion to create our energy rather than implosion. Explosion is to push away and that is not how nature would advise. The simple logic of “As above, so below” would tell the investigative scientist that nature uses attraction toward the center for its energy, not outward. Love brings everything together; it is the fuel of the universe.
The purity of what we call love is the strongest force field that there is—for which we can be grateful. Love doesn’t apologize any more than gravity would. Love is the gravity that brings us all together; it’s the attraction toward which we gravitate. It’s what holds the molecules together. It’s what holds together the playing field of what we call reality.
Without love nothing would hold together; it would be total randomness, and from a higher point of view, nothing is random. All motion is a projected vector.
If we come together to play a game, we have a certain degree of bonding, of coming together. It’s not unlike electrons spinning around each other. We have a force field of affinity that bonds us together. The bond is as strong as we allow and accept the attraction of particles, which is us, within the agreement of the game.
Love has become a pedestrian word, not unlike the word God. Love and God both have been given many definitions and qualities, but I find love and God to be little more than joy when I feel close to all that is. Joy is when I feel connected to you, the trees and the stars. It’s the grand affinity as experienced in the life process.
I give great thanks that we can all participate in this design of being alive within our own awareness. With a larger understanding of love, we can then play a much more grand game in the process of life, living and pleasure.
The plants are happy when the rain falls towards the earth, not away from it.
Drusant is the pen name of a long-time, faithful customer of the Shining Lotus™ Metaphysical Bookstore. A unendingly inquisitive mind that never stops asking ‘why?’ or ‘how?’, he continues to quest for esoteric, spiritual and paranormal answers in the Denver area. We are extremely grateful to him for allowing us to publish his creative writings in our newsletter and on our website. Go to www.shininglotus.com and find the search field, type “drusant” and enjoy some of his other articles.