Collette O'Mahony's Blog, page 10

Celtic roots of Samhain (Halloween)

As millions of children and adults participate in the fun of Halloween on the night of October 31st, few will be aware of its ancient Celtic roots in the Samhain festival. In Celtic Ireland about 2,000 years ago, Samhain was the division of the year between the lighter half (summer) and the darker half (winter). At Samhain the division between this world and the otherworld was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to pass through.

The family’s ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. People wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves as harmful spirits and thus avoid harm. Bonfires and food played a large part in the festivities. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into a communal fire, household fires were extinguished and started again from the bonfire. Food was prepared for the living and the dead, food for the ancestors who were in no position to eat it, was ritually shared with the less well off.

Christianity incorporated the honouring of the dead into the Christian calendar with All Saints (All Hallows) on November 1st, followed by All Souls on November 2nd. The wearing of costumes and masks to ward off harmful spirits survived as Halloween costumes.

The Festival of Samhain marked the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of the new one and as such can be seen to the equivalent of New Year’s Eve. The Celts believed that night preceded day and so the festivities took place on the Eve of Samhain.

The decline in the strength of the sun at this time of year was a source of anxiety for early man and the lighting of the Winter Fires here symbolised mans attempt to assist the sun on its journey across the sky. Fire is the earthly counterpart of the sun and is a powerful and appropriate symbol to express mans helplessness in the face of the overwhelming sense of decay of nature as the winter sets in.

The idea that Samhain is a juncture between the two halves of the year saw it acquiring the unique status of being suspended in time – it did not belong to the old year nor the new. It could be said that time stood still on this night and the implications of this were immense. During this night the natural order of life was thrown into chaos and the earthly world of the living became hopelessly entangled with the world of the dead. But the world of the dead was itself a complicated place, peopled not only by the spirits of the departed, but also with a host of gods, fairies and other creatures of uncertain nature.

However, the ghosts may not have been entirely benign. They needed some sort of appeasement in the form of ritual offerings on this night. So long as the offering was forthcoming the ghosts were happy and benevolent, but if the offering was withheld another side of ghostly features were presented. Bad luck would descend on the household for the coming year. A vestige of this tradition survives in the modern Halloween custom of “trick or treat”. Children, dressed as ghosts and witches, invite the household to make a donation or face the consequences. The ‘treat’ may represent the ritual offering while the ‘trick’, nowadays a harmless prank, may have in antiquity represented the malevolent consequences of inadequately appeasing the ancestral ghost on this night.

The early Irish manuscripts are littered with references to the magical significance of Samhain. It marked the end of the fighting and hunting season for the warrior troop known as the Fianna. At Samhain they retreated into winter camp, quartering themselves on the general population until the return of Summer at Bealtaine. There remains little doubt that Samhain held a central place in the imagination of the Celts, where the festivities associated with several local gods became entangled, over the course of perhaps a thousand years, with the feast of the god of the dead. Remnants of these celebrations have come down to us in our own celebrations of Halloween.

Masculine & Feminine Energy…. Waking Up

The male and female ego are self-centered, using their opposite energy charge to fuel desires. The inner energy charge that is suppressed (the masculine energy fuelling the female ego; feminine energy fuelling the male ego) brings uneasy feeling and thoughts to the surface. Masculine and feminine energy must learn to harmonise and bring balance to the soul unit in order to dispel the dreaming state of egoic consciousness.

The inner masculine responds to the feminine’s state of consciousness. It will throw out the image required to guide the female ego to full consciousness. If the female ego resists the conditions approximated by the masculine energy, dependency on the outer physical male ensues which ultimately leads to emotional instability. This is also true of the male ego, if he resists surfacing emotions released by the inner feminine energy, he becomes dependent on the female ego, which leads to feelings of being used.

The destructive cycle playing out between masculine and feminine require a conscious commitment for equality and balance. Otherwise blame and judgement take over, forcing them into separate roles. The conceptual self, the ego, takes over… and the karmic cycle continues.

It is paramount for men and women to see beyond the roles and masks of ego. True soul pairings can help each other out of the destructive cycle of dependency. A soul partnership can work towards the freedom of suppressed energy within. A man can reflect to a woman the state of consciousness of her inner masculine. A woman reflects to a man the state of consciousness of his inner feminine energy.

The key is to see the partner as already whole, not someone to be ‘fixed’, allowing the pain that temporarily causes the rift to arise into awareness. The greatest gift we can offer to our inner energy, our partners, and humanity is our awakened self.

~Collette OMahony

October 2014

Art; Armando Alemdar Ara

Divine Atom; Masculine & Feminine (Extract from Science of the Soul)

The conscious pairing of masculine and feminine energy reveals the truth behind the universe. A true pairing reveals the Creator of the Universe.

The feminine energy, split from its twin masculine, becomes embroiled in noise and inner dialogue. This noisy self talk creates the ego through which the feminine expresses its life force. It becomes trapped in form and the egoic self takes over as a female ego. Female ego and male ego identify with their physical gender. It is only through quiet observation that the life force can enjoy physical form without being absorbed by it, and identifying with either male or female ego. Fearful emotions are a result of the unconscious ‘split’ from the twin energy. The masculine and feminine energies divide and are no longer one witnessing presence but two active egos.

To return to witnessing presence the feminine has to release any emotions that have built up. The masculine has to forego its need to think and create a memory mind. Both egos must overcome the need to act as a separate entity. Several male and female egos participating in unconscious emotive self activity create a global ego. This global ego lives through artificial intelligence such as media, internet, social networking sites, to name but a few. The global ego acts as an electromagnetic force binding all the semi-egos of male and female to its central memory mind. This memory mind is shaped by human history.

An atom containing an equal number of protons and electrons is electrically neutral. However in the case of a semi-ego, i.e. male and female, both will seek an opposite charge through the central force of global ego. The male and female ego that are a true pairing become polarized and seek completion through another positive or negative charge through the central magnetic force of global ego. The global ego, which governs collective human thought, survives through these odd pairings. If a true pairing unites it creates a void in the global ego and reduces its power supply.

The twin charge of a divine atom must reach a point where it can no longer suffer the insanity generated by unconsciousness, and seek unity for its masculine and feminine energy. The masculine energy must release the belief that ‘I am a male’ and the feminine energy has to release the belief that ‘I am a female’. Both must realise their dual aspects; they are masculine and feminine energy of one consciousness.

Once the divine atom sets the intention to unite, the Creator shall move the universe to bring the pair together, but first comes the arduous process of releasing attachment to physical form.

Universal source energy knows when a pair is ready to return to Reality. It knows the divine atom is ready when it becomes totally still. Stillness means witnessing presence and the end of self active thought. In other words the masculine and feminine pair no longer creates a male ego and female ego.

The divine atom is complete when a true pairing of masculine and feminine energy unite and realises I AM.  This is the realisation of the Divine Atom.

~ Collette OMahony

http://colletteomahony01.wordpress.com/books-2/

Art; Kindred Spirits ~ Armando Alemdar-Ara

Offline

Soul, who do you marry this morning?

Artificial intelligence

Human intelligence

Cosmic intelligence

Online, offline, skyline

Negative and positive

Scurry to attract a polarised charge

A cell for the unconscious

Male and Female

Dreaming lovers

Dead to the Truth

Typing an escape

Into a two dimensional world

Wake up sleeping soul

You are not a battery

You are a prototype

An original source

Of cosmic light

Waiting to be born

~Collette OMahony

image: Brooke Shaden

Emotional Responsibility (Extract from book ‘In Quest of Love’)

When you set your intention for emotional wellbeing, you grow out of the habit of dependency on other people for your happiness and security. This transition may take some time to assert itself until you find a clear and healthy way to express emotion. The question then asked changes from ‘what can I get out of this relationship?’ to ‘what can I bring to this relationship?’

You can choose to bring in emotional security and self worth. This ensures you will no longer crave affection, praise or attention from a partner; and become sullen and withdrawn when it is not forthcoming.

It will end the obsessive behaviour of craving a relationship to make you feel secure and complete.

Bring to a relationship the qualities that you would like to see mirrored back to you. You are the person with the power to be whole and complete unto yourself. Like attracts like; become the type of person you wish to attract.

Sometimes you can lower your expectations because you don’t believe you are worthy of a loving relationship. This false belief keeps the love you really wish to manifest out of reach.

If you aren’t sure of what type of person you would like to attract; look around you at the people you meet, see what qualities magnetise you to another person. Look deeper than outward appearance; what qualities do you find attractive in a person. Is it respect, loyalty or trustworthiness? Could it be emotional intelligence, kindness or an independent spirit?

When you see the traits you wish to attract, set your intention to bring forth those qualities in yourself. By exuding these positive traits in yourself, you attract on the outer level people who reflect it back to you.

By changing your mental framework to accommodate a broader spectrum of ideas and options, you will have a lot more opportunities, not only in your relationships, but in all aspects of your life.

Once you begin to trust in your feelings, you can use emotion to gauge how you feel about an event, a course of action or a person who comes into your life. You will no longer be dependent on mental interpretation to give you an answer. In fact egoic thinking can never give a clear answer because it constantly throws up questions rather than solutions.

Being over reliant on mental strategies can leave you indecisive and over reliant on the advice of others. As well meaning as those you seek advice from may be, they can only advise you from their frame of reference. This depends on their upbringing, influences and how they interpret information from the world around them. Unless they are truly empathic, they cannot feel your feelings. At best they can point you in the direction of your truth; at worst they can confuse you due to an unpleasant experience they may have had.

Use your own emotional guidance to show you how you feel about someone, something or any given situation. Take responsibility for your decision making. Keep your intention strong to make decisions that give the best possible outcome for you at this point in time. This helps you achieve emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence helps you to develop your intuition; the access point to Higher Self’s wisdom.

~ Collette OMahony

http://colletteomahony01.wordpress.com/books-2/

Fortitude and Longing

Fortitude meets Longing

On the road to despair

Perilous dreams narrow the path

They stumble and fall

And plead for a guide

They meet Mercy who leads them

To the boundary of hope

Longing desires a name and a face

Fortitude dreams of perfection and grace

Dreamers on a desert land

Waking to an oasis of truth

From vast planes of illusion

A mirage of uncertainty lies heavily

Upon the crown of Longing

A shadow falls like a question mark

Across the path of Fortitude

Both remember

Both forget

Longing becomes Fulfilment

Fortitude evaporates into air…

And Fulfilment breathes deeply

Exhaling Love on despair

~ Collette OMahony

Image; Salvador Dali

Fading

Can I die this death for you?

A kaleidoscope of memories

Fall to rubble in the mind

A thousand stories unwritten

Scatter words into dust

The sun rises

The sun sets

In between the self fades

Dying to remember you

Before we took shape

In breath and limb

Can you die this death for me?

And wipe the past from your eyes

The moon rises

The moon sets

In between our lives merge

In this cosmic heat

This burning love

~Collette OMahony

image: Brooke Shaden

Love clears fear (Extract from ‘In Quest of Love’)

Love clears any obstacles on its path to freedom. Any blocks that prevent you feeling love shall have to surface into consciousness. Any unconscious beliefs that oppose the new reality you are attracting shall begin to present themselves in your awareness.

Issues of self esteem and old limiting thought patterns arise so that they can be felt and cleared to make way for the new reality. Be aware of any avoidance habits that prevent you releasing fear.

Sometimes at this point it can seem that things are actually getting worse rather than getting better. It is easy to fall back into old mind patterns and allow unconscious thoughts and fears to create your reality. Instead of collapsing into the old thought patterns, use an affirmation to help you through it;

Everything is in Divine and perfect order now.

Remember that what you are currently experiencing is only temporary because life is always changing. Confusion comes about when you are moving between the old way of being and the new reality you are attracting into your life experience. Stay focused on the new reality through intention and affirmations.

When fearful thoughts arise, it is your inner guidance revealing to you any beliefs that are blocking the emergence of your new reality. It is in effect saying to you to clear away the old to make way for the new. Be completely open and watch the fears as they arise into the conscious mind. Attach no judgement, guilt or shame to them. Allow the old beliefs to dissolve just by being present to them.

http://colletteomahony01.wordpress.com/books-2/

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Positive intention (Extract from In Quest of Love)

One way to see deep rooted fears in the mind is to become aware of your reaction to those around you. Look and see what triggers cause you to feel angry or annoyed. What are the behaviour patterns in others that cause you to pull back from a person or try to avoid them completely? It is the traits we recoil from in others that hold the key to unconscious beliefs and fears.

It is also helpful to make a list of the things you like about yourself. If you are at low ebb, you may find it difficult to find anything positive about yourself. Make a list of qualities you wish to extend into the world and then set your intention to bring forth these qualities for everyone to see and enjoy.

The truth is you have all of these positive traits in you already but when you feel bad about yourself, particularly after a relationship breaks down; it can be difficult to appreciate the truly wonderful person that you are.

The need for something or someone to make you complete is at the root of suffering. You can be so fixated on getting what you think you need, you lose your connection to your Higher Self. The mental noise drags you along by setting out a list of rules and plans for your future. You get caught up in the drama of life, of what might or might not happen. Life becomes a stream of continuous questions and mind made scenarios of future probabilities.

Even when you reach a goal or receive something that you want, the mental noise soon replaces the satisfaction with the need for more; or the fear of losing what you have. The enjoyment is quickly replaced by the need for something else you think you need to be happy.

To end this destructive cycle it is very important to find a way to connect to your Higher Self. The intention to overcome this way of thinking is necessary to sever the destructive pattern caused by fear and desire.

Fear and desire are movements of the self centred ego and keep you locked into the illusory belief of being happy in the future. Like all ingrained beliefs, it takes constant practise to break its hold on the psyche. Keep repeating your intention to change and grow as a person.

http://colletteomahony01.wordpress.com/books-2/

image: Brooke Shaden

Soul to Ego

You speak loudly in my mind

As if you are who I am

With authority and ownership

That sometimes I forget

And you become me

I exhale a sleeping breath

Automatic rising and falling

Unaware of my power

That I breathe you

You scurry fearfully

At this revelation

I breathe you

I breathe you

In this moment of awareness

You cease to exist

I am not your battery

To think in circles

And behave like death

I am life

Fuel for the living

And a dream for the dead

~ Collette OMahony