Unholy Alliance

William Blake said in “Eternity.”

“He who binds to himself a joy

Does the winged life destroy:

But he who kisses the joy as it flies

Lives in eternity’s sun rise.”

As spring’s haunting hour of splendor turns toward summer, ‘kissing the joy as it flies’ is a full time job. The only dance left is to hold on while letting go,  The difficulty is not simply offering sweet kisses in honor of the season’s bloom, but the speed required to blow those kisses.  How to pucker up and savor while breaking the sound barrier… This is our un-holy alliance.

 It is easier to not bind, or cling to splendid moments when we are savvy enough to be present. Or is it? As we grow awareness of the grains of numinous sand running through the hourglass, do we respect and treasure each grain? Do we then create a life that is entirely vivid, more potent? Do we not want to hang on, knowing what we now know, aware of each fleeting gift?  Or is it possible to free-fall, skydiving high cliffs, un-tethered to any yearning?

 Rumi wrote:  “The soul’s extravagance is endless.  Spring after spring after spring…We are your gardens dying, blossoming.”

 When we remember that in this lavish sea of perfection, and longing, bliss and death, redemption and horror, we then honor our wings and our kisses, our sunrise and sunset.

Pose with Seasonal Energies

Asana: Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana.  This looks like a graceful bridge or arc, as though the feet lowered out and away to the floor from Salamba Sirsasana/headstand.  Begin flat on back, placing palms under shoulders, fingers pointing to feet. Bring feet near hips, knees parallel.  Exhale, straighten legs, and bear weight on the hands, neck and head.  Place L hand behind head, forearms on floor, Slowly do same with R hand, interlocking fingers behind head, this sets up arms the same as in headstand.  Lift pelvis high as possible, stretching legs from hips to feet, pressing heels into floor. Breathe deeply.  When releasing, bring feet closer to head, bend knees, release fingers to raise head off the floor, and lower trunk.  You can begin working on this pose by placing feet against a wall, or on a block, instead of floor. Ask someone to hold your elbows parallel in place.  Clearly you do not want to do this pose if you have neck issues

Health Notes:  This may not be a pose for your mother, but it is a mother of a pose, requiring great flexibility in the spine, and strength in the neck. It clearly expands chest and lungs, and like Sirsasana, and a good mother, it calms mind and emotions, capable of changing a P.O.V.

 Astrology Notes: Venus is the spring Goddess belonging to April and May, Taurus is a female sign but represented by the bull, stating that she is both Aphrodite and powerful, passive and ambitious, productive and stingy, creative and practical, loyal and stubborn.  In short, a mix of unholy alliances

 Ayurvedic Notes:  Many allergies shoot up in spring making it a time to attend to the digestive system, the home of allergy responses.  Clean out with short fasts, eat lighter fare, become more aware of the emotions you eat with your food, drink more water. Learn more about your doshas, or imbalances and the simple things you can do to bring the body into greater balance.  Allergies are caused by being out of balance, and not digesting well.