We don’t need weapons – we need more heart coherence”
Pam Gregory
Whilst possibly a controversial quote, it reminds me of one of the stories from of the myth of Haumea – creation goddess of the Hawaiian people and the dwarf “planet of rebirth who works at a spiritual level to nourish and replenish our lives”[i]
Before we settle into the story – I invite you to make a nice warm drink – this contemplation is one of my longer ones, and I’d love for you to be with it awhile!
So, if you’re sitting comfortably, then we’ll begin. . .
In my memory, the story from Haumea’s myth goes something like this.
One day Haumea’s husband, Kanaloa leaves the village, to go out to gather food for his community. As he’s returning, carrying a large stalk of beautiful bananas, he is stopped by the governor’s soldiers, questioned as to where he was taking the bananas.
He explained that he was gathering food, as he always had according to the natural laws of the land, to feed his community.
Stating that this natural law had been superseded, the soldiers arrest Kanaloa, march him to the governor’s palace and imprison him.
At that time, under a strict hierarchical system, the governor kept the best crops for himself, and the people were forbidden to gather food from the land. In this way, the governor kept strict social control and dominated the nation.
When her husband didn’t return to the village, Haumea became worried and went in search of him. Eventually she found that he had been imprisoned and sentenced to death for gathering bananas in defiance of the governor’s laws.
Having no access to conventional weapons and knowing that their use would only lead to the destruction of her people and the land, Haumea gathered her community and her spiritual powers. Together, they held ceremony, inspired and supported one another, found their deep inner strength and courage and determined to address the social injustice they faced and to have Kanaloa released. They set their intention and went together, as a one peaceful, coherent heart to address the governor.
Their approach was successful, all opposition fell away. Kanaloa was reunited with Haumea and their community became free to nurture the land and to gather all they needed from her abundance.
Don’t you love a story with a happy ending?
Whilst it might feel a little idealistic or even fantastical in the world we see outside our doors today, I need the prospect of a happy ending to keep me afloat! I often return to the idea that. . .
In the end – all will be well.
And if all is not well, then this cannot be the end!
How wonderful!
We get the chance to be here, as part of the cosmic story, contributing to how the drama is worked out!
And in my world view – it’s a redemptive drama, so we get to co-create the happy ending!
Today’s full moon is at 24⁰ Leo, a sign of king energy, fixed fire and personal sovereignty.
Paraphrasing and adding to Pam Gregory’s description of Leo energy, from her astrological interpretation of this month’s Full Moon, Leo energy is an energy that says. . .
I know who I am.
I shine my light and by so doing, enable you to shine your light.
And referring to the poem, Invictus[ii] that Nelson Mandela drew strength from during his 27-year imprisonment – it is the conviction that
“I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul.”
We looked at the mature king archetype together at the last full moon.
What has remained with you from that contemplation?
And at this full moon, ask yourself
In what ways am I allowing my fate to be mastered by another?
What might be preventing me from being the captain of my soul?
Helping us along with this deeper contemplation are Mars and his big sister Eris.
Mars not only speaks of war, but like Leo, of courage, strength, activation and action. Continuing his retrograde action in Cancer until 24th February, the invitation to take our time to review our motivations and actions in the world continues.
At the full moon, Mars, the god of War is in a 165⁰ Quindecile aspect to Pluto – the planet of transformation. Various astrologers describe the energy of this aspect as unrelenting motivation, obsession, determination, upheaval, disruption – a churning energy that’s asking – where does the power lie?
I’m feeling it in my life! Are you?
Especially during the winter when it’s less pleasant to spend time outside, I watch a lot of nature documentaries. I love the up-close-and-intimate perspective they offer and learn so much from observing wildlife.
A few evenings ago, watching a film about the wildlife of the Iberian Peninsular something snapped in me!
The scenes of rutting stags, strutting around, bellowing, sizing each other up and charging at one another then grappling, antlers interlocked in their “competition for domination and mating rights” just went on and on . . . and on.
And this voice from within me rose up, saying Enough!
I’ve had enough of watching stags bellowing, locking antlers and pushing each other about!
On a literal level it was easy to fix by stopping the video, but I realised that the sentiment is also the cry of my heart!
Enough!
I’ve had enough of watching the strutting, bellowing antlers-locked dynamics going on in the world.
Perhaps this is where Eris’s feminine warrior energy comes in. Rooted in compassion and ferocious sense of justice, she supports us to fight our battles in an uncompromisingly fierce, yet gentle way.
We also have another of the traditionally masculine archetypal energies, Jupiter moving forwards again after his retrograde. He’s now in Gemini, the sign of truth, law, justice and choice.
So, Jupiter, believed to bring expansion, good fortune and success is inviting us to see information in a different light, from a different perspective[iii] and to make a choice about how we act.
Last week, I had the opportunity to hold space for my friend Sean’s[iv] coaching class whilst he was travelling to deliver training on critical thinking. We were reviewing and practicing models that can support us to identify the lenses or filters through which we see the world and therefore, through which we respond.
I struggled with the first “Communications Framework” we shared. It speaks in terms of the brain’s processing capacity – the way it manages the sheer volume of information coming in.
We automatically filter out everything that is considered insignificant.
The brain then categorises the bits that come into our awareness, compartmentalise them and make generalisations that become our beliefs, values, memories and decisions.
Of-course, the filtering mechanism limits the information that we have available for processing. We interpret the information and the resultant meaning we derive is inevitably distorted. The thoughts, emotions, body language and behaviour that emerge are distorted too.
With its use of computer technology language and quoting numbers with too many zeroes, it’s tempting for me to filter out this model all-together! Far too left-brain for me! I can feel a glaze crossing over my eyes and must jolt myself back to try again and again to get beyond the initial numbing to try to find some value in this model!
So, I reframe it – replacing the idea of a data processing system into the idea of wearing sunglasses with different coloured lenses.
My brain works better with colours than numbers! I can imagine how yellow, red, or blue lenses delete some of what I see and distort the rest!
These ideas of corrupted data and interpretation have landed with me from multiple directions.
I watched an intriguing documentary and Tricycle Magazine’s film of the month – “Dancing with the Dead: Red Pine and the Art of Translation”.
Tricycle’s introductory statement says “Translation is more than just changing words from one language to another. It’s about listening deeply and conveying the meaning and stories behind them”.
Yes! Absolutely!
I know this first hand from the delicious hours spent with skilled translators in Kurdistan and Syria, working to ensure the meaning – the heart of what needed to be translated, was conveyed across language and culture.
In Dancing with the Dead, Bill Porter, as Red Pine explains how, over a life-time of immersing himself in the Chinese / Buddhist culture he connected with the heart of ancient Chinese hermit poets, to bring their gentle wisdom to the English-speaking world.
I recently enrolled in a social experiment with the Gene Keys[v] which is described as “a grand synthesis of practical wisdom to help guide you to a deeper understanding of yourself and your true potential. Like a precious treasure map, [it’s a system that] invites you on a journey of self-discovery to find the true higher purpose of your life.”
It’s a contemplative journey that takes you down, into the shadow states, before gifts and higher states of consciousness can be attained or claimed.
Sounds wonderful! How could I resist?
The Gene Keys is a complex and well refined system that weaves together wisdom from the I Ching, Human Design, other mystical traditions and scientific explorations that could take a lifetime to work through.
However, this mystical journey begins with a personal profile – a personalised map of spheres or Gene Keys, each one representing a triplet of Shadow, Gift and Siddhi, or enlightened state. The idea is that the shadow is the seed, from which the gift blossoms and the siddhi fruits.
My understanding is that we all contain all the Gene Keys but that some our activated in our lives more than others. And the profile or map suggests areas that might benefit from extra contemplation.
I have chosen to start with a pathway called the Star Pearl, and, according to my profile, my life’s work or brand, from Shadow, through Gift to Siddhi is Corruption-Equilibrium-
I tell you this, because the Siddhi that relates to my Creativity is Transparency!
And I’m at the stage of my journey where I am intentionally owning and integrating my shadow aspects, allowing them to be a part of me, befriending them, gradually transcending them. By doing so, it is my belief that I will increasing be able to filter out the distorted Shadow frequencies so that I can choose to act at the Gift frequency.
My hope is that by sharing my process, you might also be encouraged to view and accept your Shadows with a kindly eye.
So – Corruption!
Shudder!
Apparently, I’m not alone in that response and Richard Rudd, founder and author of the Gene Keys explains that it’s a word that needs some penetration!
He has much to say on the subject, but begins by explaining that,
“Corruption is an impersonal mistranslation of information as it moves into form. It is the pattern of processing sensations through the filter of fear and manifesting fear-based reactions from others”.
Ah, that filter of fear that distorts our perception and makes us freeze, fight, flee or fawn.
At this full moon, why not ask for illumination and spend some time contemplating this word “corruption”.
Ask yourself,
What does corruption mean to me?
How has the information I’m receiving been minimised, generalised, distorted or corrupted?
How can I open my heart and soften my mind so that the information I gain is more expansive, specific and accurate?
The gift seeded by “Corruption” is “Equilibrium”.
Rather than a simple, two-dimensional balance, Equilibrium speaks to me about a dynamic gyroscopic dance – a self-righting mechanism that avoids the extremes and allows harmony to be restored wherever corruption and dysfunction lie.
I think back to Haumea’s response in the story I shared at the beginning of this contemplation.
Could it be that Haumea and her community approached the governor from a place of inner equilibrium?
Could it be that rather than reacting out of fear, they allowed their reasoning and behaviour to be governed by a set of intrinsic human values and belief in natural law[vi]?
Could it be that, when faced with disharmony or corruption, we could do the same?
The world is changing.
Change is inevitable and we have the wonderful opportunity of creating something beautiful to replace that which is crumbling.
But first, we have to soften our minds and open our hearts.
We need to soften to the possibility that our current knowing is based upon minimised, generalised and distorted information.
We need to open our hearts, allowing them to resonate with, to become coherent with all that is beautiful, just and life sustaining.
What will this full moon reveal to you?
And how can you honour the revelation by taking one small step of change?
With love.
Be happy, be safe, be well,
[i] Alan Clay: New Stars for a New Era: A Consciousness Workbook.
[ii] Invictus: William Ernest Henley
[iii] Pam Gregory: Full Moon in Leo February 12th, 2025 –
[iv] Sean Callighan – Coach Deeper
[v] Gene Keys
[vi] Investopedia – Natural Law: Natural law is a theory of ethics that says that human beings possess intrinsic values that govern our reasoning and behaviour. It states that there are universal moral standards that are seen across time periods and societies because these standards form the basis of a just society.
Images:
Bananas – Kevin Serech – Unsplash
Rutting Stags – Charles Lamb – Unsplash
Communications Framework – from Coach Deeper training
Chinese Mountains – Zheng Xue – Unsplash
Gyroscope – Eli Gibbons on Wikamedia Commons
Full Moon – Annie Sempill
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