Mythology

The Astrological Origins of Hanukah and Christmas

On December 21st, the Winter Solstice, millions of Jews and their non-Jewish friends who just like to play with fire, will light the first candle of Hanukah.

Besides the fact that people and spell-checkers all around the world argue on what is the correct spelling of Hanukah, the holiday represents the christening of light, and the birth of a new cycle of light.

This year, Hanukah, Jewish version of the Holiday of Light, will begin December 21st, right on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the day we encounter the least amount of light. It is a very auspicious synchronicity that Hanukah, the celebration of light, begins at the sunset of the darkest day of the year. From December 21st for the next eight days, Jews around the globe will light one more candle each day, thus helping light vanquish darkness. It is a ritual of light, a ceremony that is designed to put us at one with the heavenly cycles. It can be viewed as sympathetic magic – by lighting the candles we bring light, love and happiness into our life. The rabbis instruct us to place the candles in the windows so that everyone can see the light growing every night. So the question is: why do we celebrate Hanukah – the Holiday of Light at the darkest time of the year? Is the origin of Hanukah historical or psychological? Read More

Astrology & Symbolism of the Presidential Candidates Part 2

Astrology & Symbolism of the Presidential Candidates Part 1

Happy Mythological Birthday to Humanity – New Moon in Libra

Moses was told by God, that the newly freed salves wondering in the desert towards their Promise Land should start using a calendar. I guess the logic was that while they were slaves, time was not their own to spend. Now, as they were journeying towards their own piece of land, it was important they master time. Moses informed his trailing congregation that the year should start in Nisan – Aries, the first day of Spring. And so it was for centuries. But all things change, including time. Later on, as Judaism developed its own identity, the Rabbis transplanted the New Year from Aries to its opposite sign – Libra. They based the reason for this shift on a passage from the book of Leviticus: “In the seventh months (Libra is the seventh sign) on the first day of the month (the Jewish calendar is Lunar/Solar therefore the months begin on the New Moon) shall be a solemn rest to you, a memorial proclaimed with the blast of the horn. (Lev. XXIII, 24) The horn of course belongs to Aries the Ram. Read More

Power of Names II

Before I begin, happy Equinox! On Sep 22nd, we officially started the introversive and feminine part of the year. We are asked to mimic nature, shed off what we do not need and let go of our masks. This will help us become more intimate with ourselves and others. It is a wonderful time for insights, meditations, self discovery and study. Mercury is going retrograde from September 25th to October 15th. You know the drill, watch what you sign, don’t make major purchases and be careful what you say, write or communicate.

In this SpiriTalk, I would like to continue the subject of the Power of Names by analyzing the names of the Presidential candidates. I will start with the Republican nominees Sarah Palin and John McCain and next SpiriTalk work with the Democratic elected Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Read More

Power of Names

In the book of Genesis we read that once God finished his creation, he politely asked Adam and Eve to name the animals and plants. Since an early age I wondered how come Adam and Eve chose such complicated unpronounceable names such as Agathis Australis etc. That query put aside, names are considered to be of out most importance in many spiritual traditions. In Kundalini Yoga, the yogini starts her practice with the chant Sat Nam, which roughly translate to “truth is my name.” In Judaism, God is many times called Ha’Shem which means “the name.” Many traditions assert that our names contain our destiny, the DNA of our soul. In other words, our name can tell us where we came from, where we are as well as our destiny. Our names tell a story which takes as much time telling as our years on earth. Our names’ tale begins in conceptions and ends with our final breath.

While our name might change, add or subtract letters, shift, morph, misspelled or mispronounced, it will always serve as a lighthouse that shows the way even in the darkest most turbulent nights. In the introduction to Cosmic Navigator, I share the story of how I followed the meaning of my name all the way from Israel to the US and how it helped me connect to Astrology, Kabbalah, Yoga and everything that I am today. Read More

Bad is the New Good – Meditations on HellBoy

The tagline “Believe it or not, he’s the good guy,” started a train of thoughts that eventually lead me to this Spirit Talk.

The line is from the poster for the new film of master storyteller, Guillermo del Toro, Hell Boy. The poster depicts an image of what appears to be a red demon, an image that could have been taken from a manual used in the Middle Ages by clergy to identify devils and demons.

The poster actually counted on the fact that we might not believe he is the good guy. Immediately I thought about the graphic novel I am currently reading called Lucifer. In that story, the fallen angel takes residence in Los Angeles after retiring from running Hell. As you get to know the unlikely hero, you cannot help falling for the charming Devil and identifying with him. He is kind of intriguing, deep, and multi-dimensional. Common notions up until a few decades ago, would have made me a Satanist for reading such a thing. Read More

Heaven on Earth: A Fractured Myth

 Water swallowed the world.

One tiny boat, all that remained of life that trod the dirt, splashed through the monstrous waves. Noah steered toward nowhere. This one kind soul, the only person on the planet who gave more than he received, had barely escaped this cleansing of humanity, this rebooting of God’s creation. As rain streamed from the sky, Noah had rushed his family into the boat, herding together as many living creatures as he could find. He’d placed a “Save The Earth” sticker on the prow of his floating menagerie and huddled deep within to wait out the Flood. Read More