The Psychology of Giving & Receiving – Using Astrology to Understand – Learning How to Say Thank You. A teaching in the heart, where the fiery worlds preside. Last Day of Leo – a learning – How to Accept Praise – Words (of Receiving) to Use with Graciousness. Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.

Notice – Words within the word Praise – Raise – Rays –
Something alchemical occurs with Praise.
How do we Receive Praise?

A Teaching – Friday, Venus’s day – August 21, 2026. It is our last full day of Leo Sun. Tomorrow, Saturday, in the evening, the Sun enters Virgo.

And so, one last thought on Leo which I want to write about on our last day of Leo.

A Story today.
We had a birthday party for a friend whom we hadn’t seen in almost 10 years. A friend gathered us together. We loved this friend. We had known her for almost 30 years. She left our group for reasons we never knew, then recently came back again.
The party was for her birthday.
In preparation for our gathering several of us spent days preparing, making a painting, learning a dance, writing poetry & letters & words all about her (a Leo).

Because we know astrology we knew what words, thoughts, ideas, etc. would be best.
Leos we know, need praise, encouragement, recognition, for their gifts & talents. That is how they grow & evolve.

And so…in our writings we read out loud, we told her how important she was to us, how we recognized her talents & gifts, noting all the gifts she brought to our group, how we missed her.

We noted her dancing, her questions, her thoughts, her artwork, etc. Everything we could say about her we said, telling her how good & important she was.
A beautiful painting was created for her about dancing – she loves to dance.
All of this was offered to her along with foods & drinks & a special dessert she requested. It was for us a coming together in joy after a long time of not seeing her. We loved her.
At the end of the party we all left feeling quite happy & joyful to be together.

Two days passed. And on the 2nd day we received an email from her. The words were subdued, rather generic – she wrote how wonderful to experience our combined energies – her noticing that we had all changed and she said thank you.

We read it over & over.
I think I was trying to find some strand or thread of authentic heart felt love or true receiving of what we had done – a real thank you, some real love in her words. I think there was an attempt on her part.
It was a restrained & tepid response to all that several of us had spent days creating to honor her.

And so I realized what I needed – a real response of love.
I realized perhaps there was a restraint or perhaps an inability to express a thank you from the heart – perhaps this was all she could summon.

However, my response was my heart began to hurt & I became sad. All the love given to her seems like it fell to the earth & was swept aside. An emptiness ensued.

And so my thoughts, after pondering & feeling this for days.
1. That Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.
2. On how to say thank you that meets what is given as praise.
3. On how to do this with love in our heart.

A Teaching Under Leo.
Everyone of us has Leo in our astrology chart.
We can find the area of life Leo is in our charts & apply this teaching to our lives – how to say thank you with heartfelt love.

How to say Thank you with Presence & Authenticity.
Not shying away from praise but really receiving it.
Realizing, praise is an offering & a gift – an alchemy actually.
And how to respond to praise with love, presence and w/ authenticity.
How to receive from others (their gifts of praise).
How to be Gracious.
How to honor what is given. How to respond.

Praise given & received creates an alchemical response in the bodies of the giver & the receiver.
A Vesica Piscus, actually – between two the heart is revealed.
The Heart of the Matter (Leo).

About Leo – the sign of Leo on the last day of Leo.
When in the presence of Leo –
Working with the energies of Leo is not only about offering them praise & recognition. That is one side of the coin.
It is also about Leo themselves offering love & gratitude in return.

In my teachings about Leo I have emphasized what to GIVE & OFFER to Leo & why.
However, I realized there is another side to the teaching of Leo that I haven’t emphasized. And that is most important too.
It is for Leo – What Leo must learn when given to.
They must learn to offer gratitude & praise from the heart in return. An equality must occur. Or the praise falls flat.

Leos must learn to shift from being the personality focused dictator (functioning in the kama-manas, emotions/lower brain)
to living in and speaking from the heart.

Leo is the Light of the Soul
Offering recognition & praise to Leo helps this along (somewhat). However, Leo must also step forward & become the loving presence that the Light of the Soul proffers.
Because under Leo, the personality (benevolent dictator) slowly begins to offer itself to the Soul (which is Love, the heart of the matter).

And so, we had a discussion in our group about this.
And these are the notes – how to offer thank you when praised.
What words to use & why?

Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.

Notice in the world when saying thank you to a waiter or server – they respond with “NO PROBLEM!!!”
WHAT IS THAT RESPONSE?
How do we feel when we hear those words?
The response (No Problem) falls flat – they are not receiving the gratitude we are offering them – they are not trained to receive or to use the right words that create a line of light, heart to heart between two people.

We Too Need Training.
And so, we, as disciples, need to learn how to receive & how to use the right words when praised.
When being praised – looking into the other’s eyes, if present.
Or visualizing heart to heart – we say (from our heart to their heart) –
1. “Thank you for serving me/us.” (in the world to a waiter, server).
2. “Thank you for noticing” (when praised & recognized) –
3. “It has been my pleasure,” when we are thanked for something we have done.

Leo & Praise go together.
Both are #5 (the mental level, building an electrical bridge, positive/receptive between the two involved). The mind is what connects the lower w/ the higher.

Within the word Praise.
Praise has Raise & Rays in the word itself.
Raising everyone involved up to the level of the Soul.
Praise – the Art of Relating, Right Relationship. Giving & receiving equally. Creating harmony – Ray 4.

PRAISE – recognizing the goodness, gifts, abilities & beauty in others.
What we recognize is what is already within ourselves.
We cannot recognize in others what is not already within ourselves. We may not be aware of this within ourselves.
But the first level of recognition within ourselves is seeing it out in the world first.

Electrical Energy
With praise, an electrical energy is being offered.
From the heart.
We as disciples gladly receive & recognize this praise.
Disciples – being receptive to the ideas & gifts of God in order to manifest the Plan.
We begin with recognition & reception of one another.
With the use of the Right Words – The Word – Let There Be Light.
Heart to heart.

No Deflecting – Giving & Receiving Must Be Equal.
We must allow the giving & receiving to be equal.
We must not deflect the praise or thankfulness when given.
When we deflect what is given (praise, recognition, gratitude), the other (the giver) feels it, they feel & know their words are not received. The heart felt energy falls flat on the ground.
It is a loss of an alchemical process called Goodwill & Right Relations.
We all need to learn how to receive praise & gratitude as a gift.
And receive that gift with graciousness.
Leo, the heart of the matter. Fiery Worlds of Praise.
love, Risa

Reappearance Meditation Day – The Secret of Praise.
Offering Praise, Recognition & Gratitude – under Leo.
Reappearance in the Age of Aquarius –
And so. Another Great Approach of Divinity, another spiritual Revelation is now possible once again for humanity.
These occur at the beginning of a New Age.
Along with new Laws & Principles of the New Era.

Today, it’s Thursday once again under the Light of Jupiter. (Ray 2 of Love & Wisdom – the Love of Christ, the Wisdom of Buddha).
Time is moving fast in these beginning Aquarian times.

Today:
Our Reappearance Meditation today, creating the Pathway of Light for the Coming World Teacher.
Today is Thursday, Jupiter’s day, August 20, 2026.
We are in our last two days of Leo Sun – today & tomorrow (Friday). On Saturday in the evening, the Sun enters Virgo.

We remember during the month of Leo we praise everyone & everything. Disciples know that with praise & gratitude everything shifts into harmony. We are the Harmonizers.

Disciples know about offering Thanksgiving & Praise.
Not only to the Lord but to each other, to humanity, to the kingdoms of nature, to each other.

Giving Praise –
When we truly & lovingly recognize & praise others, our hearts expand, joy flows within us, healing happens, life shifts, angels sing & God Himself feels praised too.
We praise God & praise one another ceaselessly.

Secret of Praise.
Disciples contain secrets. The secrets of Praise, which contains within it all the Six Laws & Principles of Aquarius.
Disciples shine forth with joy. They know of praise which is divine & this divine is a secret –
With praise there is a shining forth of the qualities of life – the life-giving nature. Disciples display their spiritual qualities.
All of nature sees their Light. Disciples show forth their light. Disciples are not showy yet their radiance shows forth.
Disciples are calm, poised, in harmony – the nature of God functioning thru their light.
Discipleship, the Gita says, are quiet, praising others, transmitting joy, are magnetic (light filled, love filled) which draws all beings towards them.
This magnetic attraction is due to disciples seeing the Presence of Divinity in all beings. Then joy is summoned & is expressed within everyone.

Reappearance of the Christ.
What will occur when the Christ Reappears?
The time, day, hour, place is yet unknown.
But the Precipitation is occurring. The plans being laid.
1. The Christ will stimulate the spiritual consciousness of humanity, stimulating the heart of humanity (where the Soul resides). The result will be Goodwill & Right Human Relations being established worldwide. (Not all will be open to this stimulation, but it IS for all).

2. The Hierarchy (who will appear with Him) will impress the minds of the disciples (enlightened ones everywhere) with the new spiritual ideas & new truths governing the new era – the concepts governing human living. The Christ will overshadow the NGWS & world disciples so they begin to enunciate the New Truths of Livingness guiding the future (note this is already occurring).

3. The Christ may come in person (with His Disciples, the Hierarchy) & walk among humanity as He did before.
How & when He will be here is not yet known.
Plans are being laid for His Appearance. He will complete the Work He began when He was the Piscean World Teacher.
Love, which He anchored (He established the Era of Love as the Pisces World Teacher) on Earth when last on Earth, has not yet been established in the hearts of humanity. For the firs time in Earth’s history (during the Pisces Age, Love of God was embodied in humanity) This Love, too will be stimulated.

Reappearance Meditation.
Standing together in the Ashram, in the Buddic plane, in the Presence of the Christ & Hierarchy, under the Light of Sanat Kumara & under the light of our Group Soul, we face the Christ with intention, dedication & Love, we say Reappearance Mantram together…

Forgetting the things which lie behind,
We will strive towards our highest spiritual possibilities.
We dedicate ourselves anew
To the Reappearance of the Christ.
In service to the Coming One, Christ, Lord Maitreya
And will do all we can
To prepare men’s minds and hearts
For that event.
We have no other life intention.
Ohm Ohm Ohm

Today is National Radio Day.
On the radio (all ways people receive information).
the energies of enlightenment (thru true teachers
& commentators of the Truth) attempt to bring
humanity into a state of spiritual awareness.
love, Risa D’Angeles

Note: More on Praise tomorrow.

Mercury guides, guards, rules & protects us today, Wednesday. It’s Ray 4 day – Ray 4, the Art of Living, the Ray of struggle w/ duality – also the Ray of art & beauty.
Today is Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
National Photography Day & Aviation Day.

Mercury, Ray 4.
Wednesdays are Mercury’s days – Ray 4 days of Harmony that exists at the heart of conflict & chaos – the seeds of harmony seeking to emerge.
We remember this (understanding the 7 Rays) when an argument ensues, when difficulties appear, misunderstandings & confusion. It’s the transition from the outer to the inner.

Our task is to call forth that harmony within the conflicts & chaos. Asking everyone involved –
…”What is the harmony seeking to emerge here?
How can we reach it together?”

That question, perception, reality, knowledge, information, action, etc. is HOW we use the knowledge of the Rays.

Not controlled blindly by the energies of the heavens.
But WORKING WITH the energies of the heavens.
Because we KNOW about the Rays, signs, planets, etc. in the heavens – their names, functions & purposes.

Our tasks – learning, studying, perceiving, using, applying.
This is the true heart of Astrological study.

And so…
Scorpio (also Ray 4) moon (4) today –
And we are in our last days of Leo Sun.
Saturday evening the Sun enters Virgo (2/6)-
Elements shift from fire to earth.

We enter the gardens of summer before Libra’s equinox occurs and autumn begins.
Sunlight during the last month of summer a silken copper gold.
A bittersweet golden hazy amber sheen.
Do you see it?
We know from this light, a whisper here & there, over there.
The last of the flowers, golden leaves falling…that autumn’s soon somewhere.
There’s a magic to this summer’s time.
A slower tune, a quiet bow.
Leaves falling one by one. The world slowing down.

Ray 4 – the color is a golden yellow, like sunflowers & goldenrod.
Ray 4 is harmony, beauty & art. It blends Rays 1 & 2.
Ray 4 is an open ended six pointed star.
The lower triangle of the personality lifts up & merges fuses & blends with the upper triangle of the Soul –

“Form & Soul are merged. The inner vision watches over the lower, there is a fusion of the two. The higher inner vision blazes forth via the opened inner eye. The three become one & not alone they are. Pass on, O pilgrim on the Way.”

Humanity, is a kingdom – the 4th kingdom.
Kingdons: 1. mineral. 2. plant. 3. animal. 4. humanity. 5. Soul
Humanity the 4th kingdom, art & beauty ray, is creative – Ray 4.
Humanity is animal, human (Ray 4) & also divine (the Soul).

Ray 4 is the Ray of the Art of Living.
Ray 4 is the Ray also of the disciple, as Scorpio is ruled by Ray 4.
Wherever Ray 4 is (flowing thru signs & planets) we begin to understand the flavors of Ray 4.
Ray 4 flows thru Taurus & Scorpio & Sagittarius.
Each one a new flavor, a new level of growth, understanding.

The Heart of the Matter
The 4th center of energy -within humanity is the heart, at the center of the body – between the three lower center/chakras & the three centers/chakras above the heart (this is a part of the occult study of human anatomy & forms an esoteric study between anatomy & psychology, the relationship of the psychological relationship between the Soul & personality).

Heart at the center of humanity reveals purpose – that humanity is the balancing kingdom, the harmonizing kingdom.

Question: Where are Taurus, Scorpio & Sagittarius in your astrology chart? There, Ray 4 is too. Color those areas a golden sunflower hue. love, Risa

The ongoing unfolding of the Age of Pisces (religion) in 300 AD.
The true history of humanity is its religions & the Ages, all under the astrological geometries of the heavens.

Today – Tuesday, August 18, 2026 –
Scorpio moon today, all day. Leo Sun Mercury & Jupiter.
Leo & Scorpio – fire & water – two baptisms.
The baptism of true creative self identity – Leo.
Fire, the Burning Ground of purification under Leo.
Three fires of the Sun.
Then…
The Baptism of water – cleansing & purification so we can hear the call to Discipleship – Scorpio.

Leo is the 5th sign – counterclockwise from Aries to Leo.
Scorpio is the 5th sign – clockwise from Aries to Scorpio.

Leo, the astral permanent atom – housing the emotional experiences in all our lifetime. Atoms of the past are stored here.
In each lifetime we bring our previous talents forth & cultivate them more fully. This is a very advanced science embodying the mystery of the first solar system (Pleiades). These are memory cells within our etheric field.

Leo is the sign wherein we each become aware of our self as a creative being, an aspiring individual, no longer part of the inchoate masses. We step out of the masses & become an individual. (Note: Aries is self – identity – I exist. In Leo, a deeper sense of self/Self occurs – I Am a creative being).

Leo –
That which is a small world of self becomes the entire world. Desire becomes aspiration. The little will becomes Divine Will – & what emerges is a true Ruler, Educator & Leader, working under the Will & Purpose of God.

Leo & Scorpio –
Baptisms of water & fire, fire & water.
The baptism of the infant in the Christian/Catholic church is a symbol of an entrance into the community of Souls in the Spiritual world.
Leo is part of the fixed Cross of the Soul –
Taurus (4), Leo (5), Scorpio (4), Aquarius (5).
A blend of heart & mind –

Aquarian Laws & Principles.
Laws come first. Principles enact the Laws.
The Laws are Cosmic.
On Friday, we shift our study & focus – from the Principle of Unanimity to the Law of Spiritual Approach.
Laws externalize through Principles.
The Law of Group Endeavor externalizes through the Principle of Unanimity.
The Law of Spiritual Approach externalizes through the Principle of the NGWS seeing everything as Divine – Principle of Essential Divinity.

The Laws come first, then, knowing the Laws, we externalize the Laws through enacting the Principles (virtues) in daily life.
Thus we become outposts of Hierarchy, externalizing the ideals in the world, offering them to humanity which then the ideals become ideas in the the hearts & minds of humanity.

Celebrations today, August 18 – cultural awareness.
Discovery Day.
Never Give Up Day.
Ice Cream Pie Day.
Serendipity Day (being surprised).
Couples Day.
St. Helena (Helen) Feast Day – : Roman Empress and mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, the ruler who legalized Christianity across the Roman Empire. Patron saint of new discoveries, archaeologists, converts, and difficult marriages.

Study:
St. Helena – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena,_mother_of_Constantine_I
Constantine the Great – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_the_Great