Seasonal Greetings to you all. It's winter.

What transcendence, so silent, so clear, and slow: that we who looked, saw and experienced. The gateway we all passed through between 21st till 23rd December.2012, into the 3RD Era, no, not just a new era. The 3RD Era .It was, is, and will be sublime; as it is rooted in our great history.
Grant me some reading time! I know, it's almost a small book! However it is a special period in all our evolution. Please take your time to join me in my thoughts.

So long ago, many great empires heralded new cycles of time, with new inspiration and aspirations. China, Egypt, Iraq, to mention a few With 20th century archaeological discovery of the ancient empire of Harappa in India, which was on the same time line as the Egyptian pyramids, great civilisations and developments, and the birth and death of great men, can now be seen with a broad over view.
Communication, media, modern technology on the planet , and flying around it, has enabled us to even search for the first words of language and communication. Did you know that the Brahmin ancient mantras have proven to be analogues of birdsong, so before language as we now know it, the thinkers even before Christ, gave birth to a raise in consciousness that has travelled through history with us, to us even here, now. From Israel and Jerusalem, China,who brought Lao Tzu and Confucius, from ancient Greek philosophers and the emergence of the idea of the atom; slow but sure. All on a time line chain.
Together along the spiral of time.

Alexander the Great, Napoleon , way back to the times of Buddha and the 4 Nobel Truths . Many important historical times, places and people . Buddha himself summarised that the nature of mankind was based in the condition of suffering, which surely was due to desire and covertness.
"Inner happiness must be created by oneself" says the Dalai Lama today. The individual: then the family, society and nations will follow. The law of nature guiding the law of man. "The wheel of law" was set in motion with the first sermon of Buddha "seek no other refuge than yourself" without any promise of heaven, also no threat of hell. What came from that?

After the death of Buddha, the War of the worlds brought Greece with a then 25 year old Alexander (the Great) who was a globalist ;he would understand our world today, and the Persian Empire of the East, into a contest of wills. The Buddhist philosophy held by Dario, matched with the strength and reason of Alexander , whose guru was Aristotle.
Little time passed in the East before Ashok, who in his time was later called Ashok the cruel, did however bring a rebirth of the Buddha philosophy, sourced from India, that all humans are one family. We see the declaration of human rights in U.S.A on a parallel of that, even today. History is a pathway of mans search for an answer.
However , Ashoks "edicts"; moral ideals and practicalities , written on tall pillars, some 40 found so far, bridged the gap between philosophy and reason at that time, and brought to light the India that created the Empire of the Spirit, as it was called, the brotherhood of man, and the idea of world peace.
To rule by reason and morality. Set in 150.A.D away from religion, the philosophy of Buddha "all fortune is the cause of misfortune", was set on an even keel with the practical application in daily life, born from the power of ideas, centuries in the make. The practice of meditation, non violence and peaceful conduct..""Be the change you want to see in the world". Ghandi.
War is a tragedy for everyone. Human life is a pool of light in a dark ocean. "Be your own lamp , let truth be your light". Buddhists are now global, all seeking the wisdom born from the heart of India. The message is true.

Great women too span our history! Such as the Empress Elisabeth of Russia and the era of Enlightenment, as it was then called ,
Collating the rights of man; rule by reason and law not by personal rule. The age of reason in the 17th centaury Indiaalso drew a time line with Russia at that time...
And I could go on. If I were writing a book!
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However stepping right back in time, let us touch on the Mayans in ancient times, who recorded that this time, here and now, in the December of 2012 ,is a pinnacle of potential development for us: given the natural laws of nature and evolution as we see for ourselves. As a 3rd and new era, yet again...after all, it is said that we as humans are the crown of creation...we must then evolute, learn, and grow into our greater potential. Our greater consciousness.
And this is what I draw your attention to.

Yes, on our reflection on history on many levels, political, economical, and environmental: it is a time of development in everything that we could have hoped for. The beginning of the transformation from old to new, spirals of change and development.. Even from dark to light, cliché as it sounds, as the world of thoughts and imaginary ideals and worst fears are taken to the pure clarity of consciousness, the crown. The world not ending in one sense but beginning. Of being alive, aware of it, respecting it , and of this beautiful world we endeavour to be the caretakers of....creation itself. So we got through! The 21st till 23rd December 2012 was that gateway into the new 3RD era. A quantum leap.

Well. Letting go of old concepts,securities, fantasies, illusions and delusions, grasping the basic essence , in clarity of being, we enter into a reality to be based in... Love. It has to be. Love being the heart of creation. Of course we then must include respect,. We do all live on one planet, together. That is the relationship.
The world appears to be getting smaller. So as we collect our resources, and we learn respect of each other and the environment, then we may be able to find our sense of order again. Sense, with our deepest instinct, that we each and every one must " be the change you want to see in the world". Mahatma Ghandi was one of our great world visionaries. It was a good starting point after a long evolution of the 2ND Era, out of a hope for peace. People with heart. Making a start.

The heart relates to the fire element in Chinese medicinal theory, and we have experienced this "shift", believe it or not, through the heart, and the fire of the heart. The love of life for itself. Through vast amounts of water around us this past year of the Chinese Dragon, it must be said that climate change brought about most changes in our history, not to mention wars, it is not new, and the dynamics of fire and water are of the greatest powers of change.
So we have been brought to a new state of mind , with world economy shifts also bringing a new way of life. It cannot be denied.
So the opportunity is now here to first know what we value in life and then where to put our intention, for the benefit of all.

Keep the wheels of life turning. Life moves forward. It is the good news we have! There is not enough of it so let us gather our higher intelligence and resources, and be clear!

We are the seeds of life planted in this time period. It is an honour. Some have lived and died, others will be born and lead.
Winter is the time of contemplation. Time to nourish the seed of thought by cleansing and clearing our minds, daily, as we do our bodies. Raise the global consciousness by raising ones own. ;
In a time of stillness daily, out of all the external noise, but also getting rid of our own constant internal noise, let us allow ourselves a breath of life, in our busy worlds. One deep breath goes a long way, several go further! Connecting Heaven, man and Earth, the gift of life, the key to life, is connecting with our selves. Respecting ourselves. Loving ourselves. The tree of life, we each are. Stand tall and breath. Hold hands around the world in your minds eye. Open my heart, our hearts. Thought travels faster than even email! The power of ideas to enter Schumann resonance and global healing in one small action.
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schumann_resonances

And so on to the spring festival, 2nd new moon after Winter solstice, and the Chinese new year of the Snake, following the year of the Black Dragon very soon: on the 10th February 2013 shortly after the new moon in Aquarius, which I think auspicious taking into consideration my previous historical global consciousness journey above. We are at the starting period, long though it is, of the Age of Aquarius....another book another time!

2012 Year of the Black Dragon was the last year of the Wood cycle, on the creative cycle. 2013 Snake year is the beginning year of the Fire cycle. According to "feng shui experts" the snake year will be a favourable one for industries related to "water, wood and metal elements," including education, finance and insurance, media and metal and mineral-related businesses. Not so lucky will be those in construction, property and telecommunications, according to the experts. For branding purposes, blue is seen as the most favourable colour as it represents the water element, while red and yellow are out since they stand for fire and earth, respectively.

We have learnt that in Chinese medicine Fire is the power behind the heart and the heart is the Emperor. The spirit of Love abides here.
Having said that, in general, it has to be said, snakes are tricky. If a snake wants to move forward, its body undulates and it's not easy to tell which direction it is going to go in. That's the same with the 2013 year. It will seem to go in one direction, and then, very unexpectedly, it will veer in completely another direction. That's why it will be so difficult to plan for. Those that do best this year are the ones that have a natural ability to move at the pace of the snake and who are able to navigate tricky waters. Something like steering a ship in a storm with a lot of mist, unable to see, and having to use other senses - like radar, sound, computer equipment; in fact anything to get through safely. It's a year when it's best to work with others and to talk things over before starting something new. It's a year when quick manoeuvres are going to be needed in order to avoid unexpected obstacles. In Chinese philosophy it has been said; when in deep waters learn how to swim. The power of love can move mountains.
On that note I take my leave, wishing everyone good health. Health is wealth. Look forward to the journey, not just to the destination, time gone by does not return. So enjoy all we can and remember, yes, the best things in life are still free. My top free three are love shared, fresh air, and sea air, of course is pure heaven, and nature's beauty, pure earth!
Thank you for sharing my thoughts wild but wonderful though, they may be! Yvette X
www.yvettemasure.com