Blue Moon

"The holy time is quiet as a Nun
Breathless with adoration."
- William Wordsworth, "It is a Beauteous Evening"

Thursday will bring this month's second full moon to the skies of the western hemisphere. This unusual phenomenon is known to us more colloquially as a "blue moon."

The last blue moon - a full moon appearing for a second time within a single month - occurred on July 31, 2004. While blue moons are not entirely impossible, they are relatively infrequent phenomena, thus the expression "once in a blue moon."

Full moons setting and rising in any month tend to get short shrift when held up to their brighter, flashier, more colorful relatives: sunrises and sunsets. Summertime will often find couples strolling on the beach holding hands, watching the orange sun sink into the ocean. We frequently see advertisements for healthy products picturing someone practicing yoga while the sun rises majestically behind them, casting a spiritual glow. Yes, sunrises and sunsets get all the good P.R. Watching the sun chart his daily course is always a miraculous experience.

But we mustn't neglect the spectacular magic of the full moon's journey. When was the last time you checked your almanac* and planned in advance to watch a full moonrise or moonset? These events are powerful, inspirational and romantic moments as well.

Thursday evening at 7:28 p.m. Pacific, 8:28 p.m. Mountain and 10:28 p.m. Eastern Time, why not plan to head outside and watch the ascent of the only blue moon you're likely to see in the next several years? Or, if you're an early riser, set your alarm and watch the blue moonset at 4:52 a.m. Pacific. Since it will still be dark out west at that hour it may be even more impressive than the full moonrise, which occurs in a well-lit sky on long summer days.

One group of people who are not unfamiliar with the drama of a bright, full moon, are clearly Hollywood directors and screenwriters. Next time you're watching a movie and the camera reveals a night scene, you can bet that the moon in the sky will be full. I don't know what the statistics would be, but given how often the moon is actually full - roughly once per month - compared to how often the moon is shown to be full in movies - roughly 100% of the time - I think we can agree that Hollywood truly appreciates a good show, even in nature.

Life, and our beautiful earth, provide ample evidence of magic and wonder, if we could just pry our attention away for a short time from electronic stimulation: television, the internet, movies, video games, cell phones. These forms of entertainment may be distracting, entertaining and even engaging for the brain. But when we stop interacting this way, however briefly, when we stop typing or talking or channel surfing, we allow a different, more extraordinary engagement. We allow our deepest nature to interact with that which is timeless and eternal.

Watching a moonrise, moonset, sunrise or sunset takes us away from the limited, linear cacophony of worldly life and puts the soul in touch with the Infinite. Television has been around for just over 70 years; the Internet, 42 (if you include DARPA); cell phones, 27 years. The universe, the sun, the stars and the moon, are billions of years old. When we stop our constant motion and clanging thoughts for a few precious moments to witness the miracle of the full moon slowly revealing her silvery form over the horizon, we enter into a timeless time. Watching her sink, massive and coppery-gold, back into the earth the following early morning is equally transporting.

In our increasingly busy lives it is so important to take these moments for ourselves. To stop the grinding and racing and planning and yakking for just a few minutes each day. To stop time and rest in the infinite. To witness eternity's performance.

Make the full moonrise an event in your schedule, just as you write down reminders for dinner plans or a monthly haircut. And when you finally do make time to witness one, let's hope it's not just once in a blue moon...

Nicole Grace
May 2007

"And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold

"Blue Moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own."

Frank Sinatra, "Blue Moon"

*You can also click on this link for the information:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html

Satori Sciences is pleased to offer a new, extraordinary workshop that can increase productivity, improve work quality and contribute to a significant decrease in stress.

"When I was working on Wall Street, I would often head over to Trinity Church at lunchtime and, after munching a quick bite on the way there, would spend 30 - 45 minutes sitting quietly in one of the small wooden chairs of their tiny meditation room. This tranquil time, however brief, gave me a tremendous respite from the intensity of my day. Leaving the darkened, hushed interior of the church, I would make my way back to the office, replenished and ready to take on the challenges of the office with a renewed energy, balance and enthusiasm. I know many others that have found unique ways to renew their energy during their lunch break, some who found a quiet place to visit, as I did. With layoffs, threat warnings and increased pressure to break productivity records, it is an appropriate time for us to offer this very special new training for corporations and individuals: Peace Meal." - Nicole Grace

Peace Meal is a 45 minute-long meditation seminar, designed to accommodate busy workers on a tight schedule! During the workshop period, one of our exceptional master instructors, each with over 12 years experience of enthusiastic discipline, will teach participants stress-release exercises and non-denominational meditation techniques, as well as provide one or two guided meditation sessions. Held in your corporate offices, or in an outside location provided by Satori Sciences, the workshops will begin promptly at 12:10 p.m. or 1:10 p.m. and will conclude promptly at five minutes before the hour, ensuring attendees have time to return to their offices after their lunch hour has ended.

The only limit on participation is the size of the room provided. We recommend scheduling a series of four consecutive, weekly meetings at minimum to ensure that the participants have time to practice the techniques on their own, while learning how to integrate the material into their daily lives.

For more information about these sessions, or to schedule a meeting at your location, please contact our sales headquarters: info@satorisciences.com or 800-384-8815.

This unique half-day workshop provides attendees with a powerful introduction to meditation and mindfulness, taught by instructors with a minimum of 12 years of training and discipline in this art. The regular practice of quieting the mind has been proven to significantly reduce stress and feelings of negativity, as well as increase intellectual capacity and problem-solving abilities. The Art of Meditation offers a practical, non-denominational approach. (The Art of Meditation can also be combined with our Three-Fold Path to Mastery seminar for a transformational 1 1/2 day experience.)

During the powerful 4-hour session, attendees will learn:

• Several extremely effective techniques for quieting the mind
• Mindfulness
• Avoiding The Passion Reaction
• How to incorporate meditative practice into each day

*BREAKING NEWS*
Mastery At Work: 18 Keys For Achieving Success, Fulfillment And Joy In Any Profession has been declared the winner in the Best Books 2006 Book Awards in the category of Business/Motivation, by USA Book News.

From USABookNews.com:
"Mastery At Work is a rich and unique read. Combining Buddhist and Eastern traditions with modern day know-how, Nicole Grace offers readers an extremely satisfying well-written book sure to challenge and inspire you!"

Read more press and reviews about Mastery At Work:

New Connexions Magazine - "Editor's Picks"
"Combining spiritual techniques with business practices, Nicole Grace recognizes that leading an impeccable working life helps us to achieve personal growth. Her secret key to success-work as a spiritual practice and spiritual practice as work. Whether you work on Wall Street or as a street vendor, Grace’s techniques of 'acting as if,' detachment, and focusing like a warrior will help you to create a fulfilling work and personal life."

USA Book News
Mastery At Work is an enlightening and informative new book that is transforming the way people think about life and work. Drawn from proven business strategies and ancient spiritual teachings, Mastery At Work presents practical techniques anyone can embrace and use to work more productively and with greater skill, as well as to lead an uncommonly joyful life, regardless of daily circumstances. Based on The Three-Fold Path to Mastery philosophy created by the author, Mastery At Work describes the pathways that can lead to a life of success, expertise, balance and fulfillment. ["USA Book News covers unique books from both the mainstream and independent press. We look beyond the best-seller lists to find fantastic books that are worthy of attention."]

Balanced Living Magazine
Nicole Grace is one extraordinary woman: a former Wall Street executive and an ordained Buddhist monk and a black belt in karate and a former symphony orchestra violinist! More important, however, is the fact that her accomplishments are demonstrations of the program she proffers in her first book, Mastery At Work. Drawn from her experience in multiple spiritual disciplines, including martial arts, Grace distills her impressive 18 Keys into a Three-Fold Path (Soft Skills, Professional Skills and Continuous Improvement). Taken together, they comprise a powerful life-way, as appropriate for the longtime seeker as it is for the spiritual novice.

Almost all of us work, and work (especially nowadays) can be fraught with difficulties: lack of meaning, lack of security and frustrating relationships, to name a few. Grace, through this prism of work, is providing the public at large a process into deeper experience and understanding. This is a book you can give to anyone as an ultimate, self-guided, personal-growth method, whether or not they’ve ever uttered the word spirituality. To the degree that they embody and express the 18 Keys, they will open inner doors, and what they learn and experience will find its outer reflection. Mastery At Work is a book about mastery of life. It belongs on every bookshelf.
- David Langer

For more information about our life-changing, career-inspiring seminars, click here: http://www.satorisciences.com/seminars/index.html