Mythic Imagination Institute

Mythic Passages - the magazine of imagination

Editor's Note:
Auspicious Beginnings!

by Mary Davis

On this beautiful day in Spring, I am awaiting news of the most recently estimated arrival time for my daughter Riva's identical twin boys, a birth which is imminent. She lives far away from me, and even though I visited her recently, I am still feeling great concern and hope for her. I am thinking much about beginnings (and endings).

I am thinking about endings, in part, because the article I am writing now for next month is about honeybees and what they mean to us, both as pollinators for plants and in our myths. Honeybees (on whom we depend) are currently in crisis, in fact, they are disappearing, perhaps "ending." The April/May issue begins this discussion with an article by Brenda Sutton about mead and with a poem, "The Humble Bee," by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Vishnu So, when I read my email this morning, I was pleased to receive a hopeful message from one of my yoga acquaintances, Deborah Rubin, who lives in Toronto, and whose website is www.yogaspirit.com. Deborah reminds us that this Friday, April 20, is Akshaya Tritiya, which within India's traditions commemorates the sixth incarnation of Vishnu and is an auspicious day for new ventures, new beginnings.

Deborah says, "In the Vedic tradition, this day (Akshaya Tritiya) is known as the day when the Rishis, the ancient sages of India, performed the first yagya, a ceremony to enliven all the Laws of Nature. From then on, it was possible for all humanity to live life in fulfillment, deeply attuned to these laws. This is why Akshaya Tritiya is said to be an auspicious day for starting lasting achievements. This quality is particularly lively on this special day.

"In Vedic Astrology, Akshaya Tritiya occurs when both the Sun and the Moon are exalted casting their maximum beneficial influence."

May we remember to honor Nature and her laws, and may we all have auspicious new beginnings this Friday!

Mary Davis chairs Publications for the Mythic Imagination Institute. Ms. Davis was elected five times to the Atlanta City Council, serving there twenty years, making a difference for the people of Atlanta. Consultant in public policy, campaigns, strategic planning, public relations, marketing, writing, editing, and real estate; yoga teacher; actress; fundraiser; manager; civic leader and activist."You name it, I have done most of it!" she says. Mary especially enjoys her three adult daughters, four young grandchildren and her friends, plus, of course, her involvement with the Mythic Imagination Institute, Emory University, and the Jung Society of Atlanta.