HeartMath and Coherence: the Science of Syncing up

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Meditation5 Comments

I’ve been using a special tool sometimes when I meditate. It’s a device that measures your Heart Rate Variability. It’s a biofeedback tool. I just think that it’s a very useful tool. Since I’ve been using it, I’ve managed to increase my coherence, achieving up to 89% high coherence during my meditation. You will understand the measurement algorithm better once you read about it and experience it, but it is not necessary to understand it in order to benefit. Heart Math

Here is the gist of it. The brain and the heart are in two-way communication via the nervous system. Studies show that emotions determine heart rhythms. The electromagnetic field generated by the heart changes based on the rhythm pattern of the heart. Regulating stress and transforming it is based on modifying your behavior by modifying your perceptions. What heart rate variability measures is the differences from beat-to-beat in the heart rate. Research has demonstrated that a calmer person exhibits more variability in the HRV wave form, and that certain pathologies correlate with low HRV. Higher coherence indicates synchronization within the autonomic nervous system, since heart rate and rhythm are mostly under the control of the autonomic nervous system. Research also indicates that a person can train and improve there coherence through a biofeedback tool, developed by HeartMath, a tool that measures HRV.

“A number of studies have shown that HRV is an important indicator of both physiological resiliency and behavioral flexibility, reflecting an individual’s capacity to adapt effectively to stress and environmental demands. It has become apparent that while a large degree of instability is detrimental to efficient physiological functioning, too little variation can also be pathological. An optimal level of variability within an organism’s key regulatory systems is critical to the inherent flexibility and adaptability that epitomize healthy function.

The normal variability in heart rate is due to the synergistic action of the two branches of the ANS, which act in concert with mechanical, hormonal and other physiological mechanisms to maintain cardiovascular system parameters in their optimal ranges and to permit appropriate reactions to changing external or internal conditions. Many people are surprised to learn that the heart actually sends more information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart via the ANS, and that the rhythmic patterns produced by the heart directly affect the brain’s ability to process information, including decision-making, problem-solving and creativity.” (Source, n.d.)

Also, if you are interested in this device, or learning about, I encourage you to review the following book:

Childre, D. & Rozman, D. (2005). Transforming Stress: The HeartMath solution for relieving worry, fatigure, and tension.Oakland, CA:New Harbinger Publication, Inc.

The Sound of Crickets, Hafiz, and the Moon

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Creative Writing, Creatrix11 Comments

Lately, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting a most lovely cricket. For me, the presence of a cricket (inside my house) and right next to me on the couch, is usually a sign. Yes, this has happened to me before, but not exactly in the same way. I have no idea how he got inside, but I did coax him out. I want him to live!

The night he was singing the loudest, I was writing, and I needed the support. I was reaching within myself for my inner voice, feeling for it, digging deep, and really just trying to use words evenly. Crickets are special. This cricket may even be my ancestor.

In China, people have been known to keep crickets as pets.

ImageWatercolor by Qi Baishi (1864–1957)

This morning I awoke at 4:30am.  My body/mind/spirit wants to move deeper into my spiritual practice. I received the message that this is what I am going to be doing now. I’ve been nudged. Now it’s up to me to “go with it.” By 5:00am, I decided to go for a walk, and it was a little bit on the chilly side. Yes, I live in sunny California, so when it’s dark – I get sensitive to the cold.

I turned to head back home, and there it was: the brilliant, large, glowing moon. I felt like I could walk to it… and maybe even hug it.

Full moon photo via Lee Capps. http://earthsky.org/space/video-the-moon-illusion
Full moon photo via Lee Capps. http://earthsky.org/space/video-the-moon-illusion

 

Also, this morning, I opened a box of special books that were in storage (I was looking for the Secret of the Golden Flower), and I found this poem by Hafiz, that I’d like to share with you:

I Took It as a Sign

Someone sent a band to my house,

And it started playing

At five in the morning.

I took this as a sign

God wanted me to sing!

Then the moon joined in

And a few of the tenor-voiced stars,

And the earth offered its lovely belly

As a drum.

Before I knew it,

I realized

All human beings could be happy

If they just had a few music lessons

From a Sweet Old Maestro

Like Hafiz

Should we be gossiping? Or, should we be getting to work? Full Moon in Virgo 3/16

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Astrology, Virgo11 Comments

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Hello Everybody!

I’m looking at the chart for Sunday, March 16, 2014, full moon in Virgo at 10:08 am, PDT. This lunation falls at exactly 26.02 Pisces/Virgo. Therefore, the Sabian symbol for the full moon is Virgo 27. If it were 26.00 degrees it would be interpreted as the Virgo 26. However, since it has the 2 minutes, it’s interpreted as 27. Make sense? If there are minutes (02) after the degree (26), it gets interpreted as the following degree number (27). If there aren’t minutes (00) after the degree (26) it would get interpreted as the degree number (26).

Aristocratic elderly ladies drinking afternoon tea in a wealthy home. (Virgo 27) (Moon)

A harvest moon illuminates the sky. (Pisces 27) (Sun)

My interpretation for this Full Moon is to ask yourself the question: Should we be gossiping? Or, should we be getting to work?

What has come and gone at this point is “water under the bridge.” Looking at the Uranus square Pluto square Jupiter aspect, shows us that we’re still dealing with major themes around business (Capricorn) and family (Cancer).  We should not let this distract us. This is a VIRGO full moon. Virgo is going to get to work on whatever subject needs it. Virgo is the analytical mind in service to the spirit, universal consciousness- the ONE-represented by Pisces.

Chiron and Neptune are very well-matched right now, holding hands in conjunction, and they are asking us to release these wounds and give them up. It’s done. What’s done is done.

This full moon is making harmonious aspects with retrograde Saturn (Capricorn ruled). Both the Sun and Moon in this full moon (Sun opposite Moon) are in good cahoots. Look at the frame work you’ve lain down already; look at the ancestors who have come before you. It’s time to just keep working and be dutiful.  That‘s what the energy and astrology supports.

Meanwhile, Neptune conjunction conjunct Chiron has been reaching out to Mars/North Node conjunction, courage and forward momentum is the call to BALANCE of Libra. ALL of the retrograde planets are “getting” you to re-do things, but I think it’s also saying: you made your plans, you can observe *while* you enact them. If you should stumble or fail, this is helpful information for your continuation. I believe that the universe is also saying, YOU over there! YOU keep up the GOOD WORK!

Credit: Stunning artwork is by Dilarosa

Article written by Ka Malana ©2014

Mars Sacred Geometry: The Pattern and the Process

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Astrology, MarsLeave a comment

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(image: http://strangesounds.org/2014/01/sacred-geometry-the-planets-dance-to-the-music-of-the-cosmos.html)

Astrology defined by prominent astrologer Marc Edmund Jones is “the science of all beginnings.” (qtd. in Rudhyar, 1972)

In an astrological chart, Mars shows us about the way a person initiates. But, if we stop there in our understanding, we may miss the full Mars ‘Cycle.’  After all, astrology is very much about the study of initiation, and understanding the cycles is key to the process of understanding what initiation even means. So, we need context.

With astrology, we are always asking when is it a good time for ____________?

If you’ve ever jumped on a merry-go-round at a playground when you were a child, you’d probably have found that you spent some time at the perimeter, tracking the movements of the wheel for a moment, to get a good indication for the speed of the wheel, before deciding on the precise moment to take your leap. You wanted to find that precise moment when you could be most certain that you’d clear handle-bars or another person, and land safely on your target.

You needed to see the full cycle of the wheel in order to recognize its pattern of movement. Then, you could derive the speed of the wheel, and therefore your own mechanics of speed and timing, in order to achieve the success of getting on the ride uninjured while it’s moving. Our ability to recognize patterns is essential on a day-to-day basis; we need pattern recognition to analyze and understand our environments, even just to handle our own body mechanics!

According to Stephen Few, consultant and instructor at the University of California at Berkeley, “our visual sense is highly tuned to spot patterns, and this natural ability can be trained to achieve even greater levels of acuity.” That is, we are recognizing patterns all the time at work, and in the world around us.  Most of the time we unconsciously understand and organize the data we receive from everyday interactions, to draw conclusions. This, According to Few, is something that everyone can improve upon.

improvements result primarily from learning which of the many possible patterns in data are meaningful to your work and then also learning—through practice—to spot these patterns quickly, even in a dense forest of visual noise. As with all skills, practice in pattern recognition is required to move from average ability to true expertise. (Few, n.d. Perceptual Edge)

Now, the only way that I know of to improve pattern recognition is through observation. Sometimes we need tools, such as computer software, to help us do this. We definitely need the expertise of those who have come before us to contribute to the knowledge database of information regarding what has been observed.  A lot of research has been done in many cases, and we need not reinvent the wheel.

While in some contexts, Astrology is still very much an art, made up of rich symbolism and analogy. It takes a gifted visionary to be able to delineate information intuitively. It also, like Rudhyar writes, takes science, because science is a process for discovery.

The future is the bright light in our hearts

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn About Me, Creative Writing, CreatrixLeave a comment

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Today is a special day. It’s March 4th. I’m not going to write about astrology right now, but about the sentence, “March forth.” Sure, there’s something astrological about that, but I just want to talk about the energy surrounding it. On March 4th, today, is a very special opportunity to keep moving forward to the dream, the vision. Inside our hearts is the key to everything–our faith–is paramount.  Today, I encourage you to find that unshakeable strength you had the moment you were born. Find that inspiration where all other inspirations come from. Find that place inside your heart that knows, silently. That knows. This is ‘how’ to March 4th. Once you’ve found it, honor it. Love it deeply. It is your precious heart.

 

sculpture by Paige Bradley http://paigebradley.com/

Neptune – Poseidon – Sea SpIRIT’s KinGDoM

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Astrology, Neptune2 Comments

 

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We’ve got a New Moon rising on the dark horizon. She’s busy going inward. And, as she slinks into the darkness, she is actually helping us ALL clear the canvas and paint the picture of what we Spiritually need to “see” in our lives. On top of that, Mercury is going direct, and right back into Pisces. Who could ask for more…. Pisces?  🙂 (smiley face)

“Men (and Women) Seeking Illumination” — Sabian Symbol for Pisces 11

With all the Pisces energy I’ve got in my natal chart, coupled with the current Piscean trends… I’ve been swimming a lot. Not to mention that his current Piscean New Moon is conjunct Neptune!  My natal chart has Sun trine Neptune in Sagittarius on my 10/11th house cusp. Neptune, in this lifetime, will be transitting my 1st house for 27 years! And, much of it, will be in the sign of Pisces. Yes, my Placidus 1st house/7th house is huge, and Neptune slow and nebulous… ( which is why I must use ellipses)

I’ve been working on more projects than I want to mention–and I totally love them!!!

In all this inspiring energy… I must take a breath, because I have an exam to prepare for… and because, I just like to *breathe.*  Now more than ever, I’m very aware of how perfect everything already is… and the Virogic experience of slicing and dicing only serves to prove that all is exactly as it should be–

Neptune is the higher octave of Venus.  I don’t need to polish my post today. I love it already. Today, I get to just *show up* and be here with you all, sharing in that beautiful, all-encompassing energy and expansiveness that is Pisces.  The Virgo/Pisces axis is about busting illusions, and learning to feel deeply loved in the imperfect/perfect version of ourselves that we are–

Blessed be, YOU ALL…. ❤   My Orchid wanted to say “Hi.” Remember, feel the beauty inside you!

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Nodal axis moved from Sco-Tau to N.Node in Libra and S. Node in Aries

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Aries and Libra, Astrology, Nodes of the Moon, Scorpio and Taurus3 Comments

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In honor of this switching of the tides, I thought I’d write a little something about it. According to my trusty ephemeris, the nodes changed into Aries/Libra on February 20, 2014.  While some of the new energies and themes may seem to have really changed the tone of our surrounding relationship themes, the new Libra/Aries nodal positions will be in effect up to October of 2015.

The nodal positions in our birth chart show our soul’s past and future trajectories. While this may sound like fate/destiny, it’s really only so in the sense that we are working with archetypes. There’s so much room for movement and interpretation in this expression of the archetype—such as is with astrology.

What the changing nodal positions indicate is theme for all relationships and outcomes. In essence, the nodes express the focal point for the One’s evolution, and therefore consciousness taken as a whole.

Libra/Aries changes the tone quite a bit from Scorpio/Taurus. Perhaps we’ve taken things as far as they can go “on our own.” We’ve may have even triumphed with the energy of individuality and with Uranus currently sitting in Aries, there’s been a lot of electricity and inspiration in self-motivation—but it’s also been a lot more erratic. Where’s the balancing point? What’s the unifying piece, the “key-stone” in togetherness?

This is what it means to have the North nodal position in the sign of Libra.  It means that we are working on making things more pleasant for ourselves and for those around us. We are more interested in developing social graces and tactfulness. The idea and the goal is for the expression of the individual, Aries, energy to find ‘peace’ within the Libra framework of beauty. This, in essence, is the balancing of the masculine ‘within’ the feminine.

Mars as ruler of Aries has been in Libra for an extended stay. The energy of Mars has been bubbling to the surface in little spits and fits. Underlying is the need for expression in a socially acceptable way. The planet is healing this anger and the boundaries put in place by Scorpio/Taurus arrangements.

Want to Play? Kokology, a Game for Self-Discovery

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Transformation10 Comments

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Kokology is the study of kokoro (“mind” or “spirit” in Japanese). It is a game of self-discovery that was designed by Isamu Saito. We are about to play it!

Directions: read the exercise below and leave a comment with your own response to what follows in the story.  Once I have 3 comments/responses (or until I get back to my computer)—I will post the responses/meanings to the kokology game in my comments section.

The Game Begins:   Welcome to My Parlor

In the human unconscious, spiders hold a place of fear and respect that’s entirely out of proportion to their tiny size. Perhaps it’s their skill in hunting, their patience when lying in wait, or their ability to weave devious webs to trap their prey. Whatever the reason, spiders evoke a strong mixture of feelings in us all.

Imagine you are a spider, sitting at the center of a large web you have spun.

You will need a pencil and paper for this one—to record your answer (or you can describe with words what you pictured in the comments section).

1). Draw a picture of your web and the number and types of insects you have trapped in it.

2). You move to make a meal of one of your pray, but somehow it frees itself from the web and escapes. As it hurries out of reach, the lucky bug says something to you. What are its parting words?

 

****************************************KEY************************************Kokology’s Key to “Welcome to My Parlor: The spider is one of the great hunters of the natural world. Your impressions of life as a spider show us something about how you see your experience as a hunter in the wilds of love. 1.) The number and types of bugs you drew corresponds to your own love conquests. The web represents your strategies and techniques for luring others into your clutches, while the types of bugs you caught reflect your opinion of your former lovers. Was it a single common housefly? A lovely butterfly that only leaves you hungry afterward? Perhaps a fat, juicy caterpillar? Or maybe an unappetizing mass of mosquitoes, roaches, and worms wriggling as they await your approach? Some spiders will eat anything. 2). The parting words of the bug that got away are your memories of rejection in a failed conquest. Let’s face it, we’ve all been shot down at one time or another–this game shows the words that hit closest to home. “You’ll never catch me, you ugly old spider!” Ouch. “Better luck next time!” Well, thanks for the encouragement, anyway. “Hooray! I’m free, I’m free!” Okay, you’re free. But you don’t have to be quite so happy about it, do you?”

What I didn’t know I’d write…

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Creative Writing, CreatrixLeave a comment

There’s this beautiful silence that begins every word.

If I allow myself the time

to saturate in the words,

to marinate in the feeling,

I admit, my colors spin more vividly

on the page.

It’s as if I immerse my whole self, bodied, full

into the pool of language.

into the space of spaces,

open to the air.

Such is water-color and brush

Whole-heartedly dunked in hue.

but if such a moment happens,

that I lapse in concentration,

the color spills out of bounds

and onto unintended pages.

no longer vibrant, nor intentional.

but, sometimes,

I’m way happier.

Exuberant Full Moon in Leo, February 14, 2014

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Astrology, Leo14 Comments

ImagePhoto from: oprs.usc.edu

This full moon is at 27 Leo with the Sabian symbol for, “Daybreak – the luminescence of dawn in the eastern sky.” All year so far we’ve been heralding new beginnings—and OH it does continue. This beginning is more about your individual flare. What is it that only you can contribute, that no one else can? Simply by virtue of being yourself—you offer your energy and your services—your presence, your individuality is part of ALL that is. Your ability to ‘be present’ is your gift to creation.

I’ve never really identified with my Leo Sun-sign, even though, in part I did more-so when I was a child. When I was a child, I was rather uninhibited. A full moon in Leo with sun in Aquarius is a time when my solar energy and my ascendant path are highlighted. Perhaps it was the attention to the Leo side of me that the Aquarius side of me felt really neglected—outcast, even. Well, I’m starting to feel the pendulum swing back again, my friends. Every time it does swing though, it brings with it the momentum from where it’s come. The seeming polarity of Aquarius and Leo has begun vibrating in my life with a resonant tone. The archetypes have been singing together, the SAME tune!

I‘ve been walking the path of Ubuntu. As astrologer Stephanie Austin so wonderfully writes in the Mountain Astrologer for this lunation something that I’ve had in my mind for a while, but never put into words myself. “Ubuntu, a Zulu or Xhosa word meaning ‘humanness,’ is a principle that describes the spiritual task of Aquarius: to create a kinship transcending family, religion, race, and country.”  It’s a great word. I first noticed it when people talked about open source computer software. Then, I heard it while wearing my Anthropologist’s hat.
Now, you don’t have to be an Aquarius rising and Leo Sun to want that, Ubuntu, nor do you have to be an astrologer, a Zulu or a Xhosa, but the anthropologist in me feels that she was looking for that kinship in tribe for a long time, and she’s really found it. This full moon in Leo also activates my Nodal axis of N.Node in Leo and S. Node in Aquarius.

Regardless of what the astrological interpretation IS:  I’m going to enjoy myself –and move as spirit moves me.  I know what it means to be human and transcend my family, religion, race, and country. Now, I want to know, again, what it IS like to just be ME again, with nothing to transcend.

I’m starting to get my incredibly long and unmanageable mane back (my hair). I’m starting to find that spark that was purely ME again.  Let’s DO this, tribe! Let’s BE US—a people full of ME—that are really good at letting other people BE whoever it is that THEY ARE… and encouraging all of us… just to BE. I look forward to this new momentum and updating my website, and all that I can make available to you via this spiritual transmission of beingness called Ka Malana. In my heart of hearts, I SEE you. I FEEL you. You have inspired me to cultivate my own spark, for you and I are ONE. Thank you.

I’ve been working with a beautiful deck by Ana Cortez, http://anacortez.com/. She and her father created the deck together. Here’s a poem about the One-Eyed Jacks by CJF that I think really illustrates the duality of Aquarius and Leo; the subjective and the objective realities; science and art. I also encourage you to check out this oracle beautiful deck, if it resonates with you.

“THE ONE-EYED JACKS”

In among the Lords and the Ladies

That rule this curious pack,

There’s a one-eyed pair of brothers

Both take the name of Jack.

At a glance they seem dissimilar,

Like night opposing day

Each looks his own direction,

Sees the world in his own way.

What’s misleading, each lives separate

And serves a different Queen

But unless they’re viewed together,

Leaves half a man unseen.

–CJF”

Daily Inspiration ~ February 8th

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn Astrology3 Comments

I just LOVE this photo and the quote, “Growing does not happen all at once. It is gradual awareness and cultivation of little awakenings!”

Wendy Zake's avatarGlobal Light Minds ~ Daily Inspirations

growing

~

Growing does not happen all at once.

It is a gradual awareness and cultivation of little awakenings!

~

What’s New Today On Global Light Minds

 

 

 

~ Image by Vanillapearl ~

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The Warmth and Light we pass to Each Other

On By Ka Malana - Fiestaestrellas.comIn AstrologyLeave a comment

Imagine yourself as a flame…

kimberlyharding's avatarSoul Healing Art

When you were born
God provided vessel and
Spark

Ever since, Your flame
has been warming many of
Hearts.

—–
I like to imagine God always being so pleased that you are part of creation. In an initial spark, you emerged and you have been providing light and warmth ever since. I think of God sitting close by, being pleasingly warmed by your flaming heart.

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