JAMES MORAN

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To Dual or Not to Duel

Did I say nondual astrology or nonduel astrology? Well, nondual astrology is the art of looking at distant bodies in space to understand our innermost natures. Why would we look at something so distant in order to understand something as intimate to us as our own life? Because inner and outer are divisions that ultimately don't exist. When you gaze into the deep quiet of the inky black sky at night you are looking into the deep well of your own innermost being. Gazing at the stars is looking at yourself from a particular angle. Gazing inward with closed eyes in seated meditation is looking at yourself from another angle. The angles have changed, but the object of contemplation remains the same.

The practice of Vipassana meditation involves looking inward at the nature of the physical sensations in the body. Doing so allows you to see, sooner or later, that when you are angry with someone you are not really angry at them. You're actually angry at the angry, uncomfortable sensations you are experiencing in association with them. The same thing can be said about anxiety, fear, greed, sadness, etc. Any of these states puts us at odds with ourselves. In other words we are dueling with the sensations within our own bodies. Any suffering state creates a division within ourselves. In fact, that division is ultimately where we derive our suffering. Try this next time you are sad, fearful, anxious, etc., acknowledge the state you are in. If you are sad, then acknowledge that you are sad. But wait, no one wants to be sad! Of course no one wants to be sad. But guess what: you are sad right now. Not wanting to be sad when you are, in fact, sad, is understandable, but it is also suffering. By doing so you have fostered a fundamental division within yourself. Try this experiment with whatever you might be feeling right now. Whether it is sadness or some other emotion, if it is accepted and allowed to be in the present moment you'll notice that it is not as unpleasant as you previously perceived. This doesn't mean that its going to be pleasant, but much of its sting has gone away. To make all of its sting go away you'll have to look into Vipassana or some other mindfulness practice and excel in it.

And/or you can start by experiencing nondual astrology with yours truly. How can astrology lead to similar insights? Well, remember when we said that looking out at the stars is equivalent to looking at your most interior life? Remember those emotions we mentioned, fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, etc.? Astrology is looking at those same emotions from a different angle. In astrology we see them on paper. Same as in mindfulness meditation, we can then acknowledge them. Once we acknowledge them as true aspects of our experience we can stop resisting them. We can stop dueling with ourselves. Ceasing this interior "dueling" or "dualing" within ourselves suddenly allows for a beautiful array of outcomes. We can begin to see what the actual energies are that are involved in this emotional complex. We can begin to see the previously hidden strengths these energies can offer us. We can begin to see a new world of possibilities. We can begin to heal. The entire process is astoundingly beautiful. I welcome you to contact me to explore this process yourself.