Jupiter in Scorpio: The Well

It is sad to see

The well is deep

The water is shallow

The bucket is broken

If one cannot reach the well’s depth

Perhaps it is one’s own shallowness

That keeps one from tasting the sweet water;

Perhaps the water in the well is too shallow

One who is limited is unable to know

The limitations of the well.

Both situations can be seen,

But they cannot be solved by inflexibility.

They can only be remedied by further development.

- I-Ching Hexagram 48 "Jing/Well," Line 6 (as translated by Ni Hua Ching)

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Jupiter, planet of expansion, exploration and life meaning transitioned into Scorpio this past month.  This initiates a new 12 year cycle of Jupiter energies in the sign of Scorpio – a deeply personal and pivotal transit for all of us, as Scorpio governs that which is hidden, subconscious, psychologically raw & deeply emotional.  It represents life, death and transformations of all kinds – and Jupiter is powerfully placed here.  His subtle influence brings grace, as well as awareness to these deeper spaces of being and so this can also be a spiritually enriching influence.  I wish to explore that side of the transit in this article.

First, I do want to share the dates of this Jupiter in Scorpio cycle along with the previous 5 Jupiter cycles.  I find it helpful, when working with cyclical transits to consider the events & themes of the previous cycles, as this can really enrich our understanding of where we are now.

Transits of Jupiter in Scorpio Present & Past:

• October 10, 2017 - November 8, 2018.
• October 26, 2005 – November 23, 2006
• November 11, 1993 – December 9, 1994
• November 27, 1981 – December 25, 1982
• December 17, 1969 – September 11, 1971
• January 14, 1958 – October 5, 1959

When considering these dates, you may recall events that happened during those years.  How do those events relate to what has come up in your life recently?  What connects these cycles to each other, and to the present moment?  This can give you a big clue as to what the next year’s process is going to be about.

So -- as I mentioned, I want to explore the spiritual implications of this transit.  Over the course of these initial weeks, I have noticed a distinct shift in the collective focus towards more Scorpionic themes.  My ideas about the energy have slowly percolated and gathered, but nothing organized or specific was asking to be shared.  Until today, when I was sitting in meditation and to my mind came the verse from Hexagram 48 “The Well”: “It is sad to see / The well is deep / The water is shallow / The bucket is broken…” and the meaning of it all began to coalesce for me.  The transit of Jupiter in Scorpio is a journey into "The Well" -- the energies of our pure creative essence, the divine nectar -- and the stubborn, deep & difficult emotional issues that obstruct our access to this.

One of the larger thematic qualities of this time on earth is the integration of higher spiritual frequencies with the earthly plane.  This is basically a call from the pure soul of humanity to hold the frequency of light in our beings while rooting firmly upon the earth.  When it is discussed in this manner, it sounds like it should all be peaches and cream, sunshine and rainbows, unicorns and laughs – but ultimately it is not so simple.  Because in order for humans to hold the frequency of light, we must be willing to confront and overcome that which has been hidden in darkness.  In order to fully inhabit our earthly beings, we must begin to mend, clean and clear the damage and distortion of our energetic roots to the earth, to nature, to our primordial mother.

On a personal level, we are dealing with the integration of our heavenly essence (pure spirit) with our physical essence.  In order for the pure spirit to radiate in a pure and whole way in this world, we must confront & resolve those things which obstruct us in the physical world:  issues of core identity, self worth, survival, safety.  These issues are particularly dense for most of us, as they have many years of karmic dross attached to them – stuff that has been left totally unaddressed and in the dark through long lines of ancestry.  These are the patterns that are so deep in the subconscious that we don’t even know where they came from – but suddenly now the shoe no longer fits, and we find we need to make more room for ourselves, as we are meant to be rather than the self that is defined and conditioned, in even the most subtle ways, by our ancestry.

But the issues we face at this time are even more profound than that, as they arise from fundamental wounding incurred over millennia, as humans gradually lost touch with nature.  By forgetting our connection to the earth & nature’s way, the natural integration of yin (earthly/matter) & yang (creative/spiritual) has been disturbed, and these forces have, over time, fell into an increasingly stark duality.  The intercourse of yin & yang in the universe is what creates pure manifestation – and in this act they are continuously spiraling together & purifying each other.  However, when yin and yang become separated and divided, they start to express their lower forms – yang rigidity and intolerance, yin stagnation & weakness.   We end up with a world that has many shadows and much pain, born from the stubborn, grandiose & intolerant actions of people.

At this stage of our existence, when we are facing these deeper issues, we are dealing largely with negative yin frequencies that have become firmly rooted and stagnant.  This is like a well that is full of mud.  It takes a great deal of focus and intention to begin to really access, move and clear this energy.  In fact, it is only the pure yang energy that can move the stagnation and purify the yin energy back to its original state of receptivity and flow.  This is an alchemy that requires concerted effort to bring lightness into our life, as well as the sometimes difficult emotional processing of deep, unseen patterning within the being.

So how does this all relate to the Jupiter in Scorpio transit?

Jupiter is the expansive, light-bearing planet of truth – and for the next year or so, this planet of mystical journeys, wayfaring, and deeper meaning, is being lowered into the dank & mysterious Scorpio well.  The very nature of this transit is to shine a light in dark places, feel the pain, and come out on the other side with a whole new perspective.  If nothing else, this transit will alert us to the enormity of the project ahead of us if humanity is to aspire higher.

“The Well” of Scorpio is particularly connected to the aforementioned root issues of ancestry & earthly integration.  Here we are dealing with aspects of the self that are most mysterious and complex – personal power, sexuality, and transformation by way of birth & death.  Scorpio carries deep, expansive potential for soul-touching creative & spiritual truth – and equally profound potential for complete and total destruction.  It is an alchemical sign that generates its power through merging and mystical union.  It is where all of the remnants of things end up in the consciousness – the parts of our lives, of others, etc. that have gradually become ingrained in us, and have shaped us psychologically.  It might be difficult to reach the water at the bottom of the Scorpio well, and even more difficult still to attain its purity – because so much gets caught in this space – but if we persist the end result is always worth it.  For from the emotional process, we have a chance at total rebirth – empowered release from all that psychologically & mysteriously binds us.

In life, we are born from Scorpio merging, and live by the continuous evolutionary wear of human connection. Who am I – and who are they?  In Libra we might ask:  Is it equal?  Is it balanced?  In Scorpio, we acknowledge that all layers of a relationship are complex, interwoven, impossible to truly parse, and deeply karmic.  For reasons we do not understand, we subjugate ourselves to others.  For reasons we do not understand, we also exert power and influence over different others.  When we are conscious in either situation, we can ask ourselves WHY things are that way, perhaps come to some answers, and adjust our behavior – show self control, inner strength/empowerment, etc.  Of course when we are unconscious, Scorpio’s bad side comes out – abuse, power plays, vindictiveness, resentment, rage, addictive and obsessive behaviors/actions.  This is the sign that is connected with the underworld – the river of Hades – where we must wade through dark waters filled with all kinds of horrors, tempted by demons and constantly remain vigilant of the true goal, the true purpose – holding the light delicately as many things attempt to pull us under the water, to distract us from what we’re trying to do, and kill all hope.  It is where we are destroyed by our attachments, mental hang ups, and bad habits.  But it is also where we can locate, acknowledge and clear these things permanently.

When it comes to where we are as a society – I see us going through such a clearing on a very large scale.  The Pluto in Scorpio generation, the “millennials,” are all in their late 20s-30s now and so this cycle, to me, feels a bit like a coming of age for the millennial group project – which is to eradicate and transform oppressive power structures around those areas which are most directly damaged by patterns of separation and destructive human urges based in deep rage & domination.  Sexuality and sexual identity are really strong in particular with Scorpio energy, but this also extends to racial and other social issues that contain patterns of core wounding that are passed down through family lines on a psychological & spiritual level.

What’s important to know about this is that Jupiter serves to expand our awareness – so while many of these issues are obvious problems with society today & nothing new, what Jupiter in Scorpio can help us do is see more deeply into the matter – how can we start to get to the root of, and bring healing to, these issues to restore equilibrium?  Certainly it won’t all be solved at once, but there is a potential here to make great strides on a personal and societal level in exploring these issues.  When it comes to looking at this energy from a healing standpoint, the symbolism of The Well is especially pertinent.

In the I-Ching Hexagram 48, the well is representing one’s spiritual sustenance.  The symbolism of the well is one’s ability or inability to reach the well’s depths for pure fresh water, or pure spiritual nourishment.  One’s ability to do this is directly connected to one’s own depth and clarity of mind.  A mind of muddiness and conflict creates muddy water.  However, when we engage our spiritual resourcefulness – intuition can guide us to the place beyond our limitations, and thus, to water.  Where is the purest water?  What is preventing us from retrieving it (the bucket broken, the rope too short, the water too shallow)?  And then, that gives us a clue – a direction.  How do we go about resolving our brokenness, our shallowness?  What is the remedy to always falling short?

The deepest part of Scorpio is the pure “well” of our being.  The inner well – which may be cloudy, which may be shallow or weak.  Muddied by trauma, unresolved emotions, fear – things accumulated from others, from life, from family.  Purify these failings, these distractions, these shadows, these deep wounds from who knows when, and reclaim this well as a space of spiritual nourishment & creation for one’s own life and needs.  Create the inner strength necessary by returning health to this space.  And with that the spirit can rise to the occasion our collective aspiration -- the Leo North Node – which is the emergence of the spiritual heart and pure creative inspiration.

It is said in many spiritual cultivation traditions that one’s true work benefits 7 generations of ancestors.  When you consider the energetic aspect involved with deep healing work, this makes sense.  If you are unhinging deep ancestral patterns from yourself – wouldn’t it make sense that you are, in essence, breaking the chain of ancestry in general?  You are, after all, a part of that genetic and spiritual line.  So it is with this thought in mind that I have come to believe what many people often state – that the key to changing a faulty paradigm begins with one’s own process.  We all must uproot the sources of anger, rage, subjugation, abuse, and deep Scorpionic darkness within ourselves before we can expect such things to change anywhere else in the world.  For it is not until we have cleared our roots that we can assist others in doing the same.

This transit of Jupiter gives us that collective impulse to journey into our own underworld and cull incredible gifts from our mysterious essence and connection to the primordial.  All it takes is Jupiter's characteristic openness & faith, and a willingness to surrender to the process -- and we might find that no matter how trying the journey may be at times, there's greater freedom on the other side.

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February 2017 Eclipses -- PATH ACTIVATION

Hello Friends!

I wanted to drop in and make a few comments on the current eclipse cycle, as I have been receiving some insights about it in the past few days.  Due to my own huge life changes, I have been a bit out of the loop – but as that all has begun to settle in I found I was able to make some observations about the energies that I would like to share.

First of all, these eclipses are the final eclipses of the 18 month Virgo North Node transit.  The North Node in astrology is the intersection of the orbit between the earth and the moon, and it is across this point that we have eclipses (when the sun aligns with this intersection of “fate”).  Eclipses have an important impact and show turning points, significant realizations, and many times fateful events or decisions.  We work with their energies for the six months following the eclipses, and sometimes for several years.  Since this the final eclipse cycle for the North Node in Virgo transit, this particular eclipse cycle marks one stage of work reaching completion, while another begins.

What I have felt the most about this eclipse cycle is that we are at an important choice point.  The responsibilities and the problems the world faces have become so numerous that there is no way to take it all on at once – and so each of us must individually determine what our priorities and focus are, and direct our energy towards those things.  This is a time of eliminating distractions and finding the truth of what is really in our hearts.

Three things I would say are key themes for these eclipses:

-       PATH ACTIVATION … The effect of the energy is stimulating us all to look towards our North Node path, and let go of our South Node approaches in order to move forward.  (This website can help you find out what your North Node is, and what its general themes are)  -- To explain that more simply, we are being urged to more proactive forms of expression, releasing those tendencies that tend to hold us “stuck in place” even though they feel safe/familiar.  We either CHOOSE the North Node path, which is a path that is energizing and interesting – if at times a little scary – or we get sucked into the energy drain of our South Node.

The choice moments are not vague either – for me, they have felt very black and white, this or that.  A shedding of the old in a definitive way.

-       HOLDING THE VISION …  To quote Astrologer Anne Ortelee in her recent Weekly Weather broadcast:  “We’re in a time of massive change. What is your vision for change?  Hold that vision and work towards it.”

Holding the vision is seeing the desired outcome and trusting that the steps will reveal themselves in time.  So often we can get caught up in trying to figure out the WHOLE PLAN right away when that is not at all necessary.  Faith in your vision is a form of energy preservation.  It allows you to take action when appropriate without force.  There are a ZILLION THINGS flying at all of us right now.  Worry about the immediate concerns while trusting that your steps towards long term goals are meaningful.

Keep moving in the direction of your vision, even if the steps do not have a logical progression.  Sometimes, it might take a leap to R to get to C.  The key is to do what feels right & good from the heart.

-       CHOOSING TO BE HERE, NOW …  PRESENCE is the salve when it comes to this fast, moving, very intense, at times chaotic energy.  Remember to take a breath and give yourself time to get organized.  Prioritize your life so that you are steering the ship, to spite what might come up along the way.

Further, more specific notes…

LEO 22 LUNAR ECLIPSE on FEBRUARY 10

The Leo Eclipse was interesting.  It was a fairly soft eclipse in terms of its overall feel and in many ways feels preparatory for the upcoming transit of the North Node in Leo, beginning in April.  Since Lunar eclipses are about emotional revelations, I found that a lot of the energy being presented under the Leo energy was about WHAT WE WANT and WHAT WE DON’T WANT.  A –LOT- of opportunities to say an enthusiastic YES!  Or an emphatic NO.

The Eclipse at 22 is the number of the master builder in the sign of the Sun – the energy of pure & eternal light.  This is a very unwavering, determined number in a sign that has crystal clear clarity about who it is and isn’t.  The prompting here is very much about how we wish to DIRECT OUR CREATIVE WILL by knowing CLEARLY what works for us and what doesn’t and not over-extending our energy.  The Leo fire burns strong and steady – it maintains its glow not by spreading itself all over, but by being firm and resolute in its position.  In a way, you can say the sun conserves energy by staying fixed – but yet, without even trying, it gives life to almost everything on this planet.

This is the lesson I feel most strongly from this eclipse and its hints about the upcoming Leo North Node transit.  There will be many demands made upon us this year that tempt us away from our personal responsibilities (spiritually and otherwise), or try to pull us into the habit of over-doing and exhausting ourselves.  But, we might be finding that we actually don’t have the will to take it all on like we once did.  As such, we are now making the choice to pursue our heart.

We should take heed of the Sun, which hardly moves and barely changes but yet is such a source of nourishment.  Each of us has a part of us that is like the Sun – and cultivating this eternal part of us is what will give us strength in the next phase.  Right now, we are preparing for a process that is focused on what it is we are personally creating to better the world – and so these choices made now or along the way as we bump into them, will effect whether or not we succeed in the long run.  Creativity at this level takes endurance, proper pacing, foresight and will power.

With every choice, choose what enables you to be you most fully – either now or from the long view.  If there is neither an immediate or long view outcome of positive growth from a heart place, let it go.

PISCES 8 SOLAR ECLIPSE on FEBRUARY 26

“To stop yourself from evaporating into stardust keep teaching what you know and don't let darkness overcome your light.”  -- A message from my friend, Sienna Van Dunk, Oracle at DemureLyfe

A week or so ago my friend Sienna (Oracle & Creatrix at DemureLyfe) sent me this message she heard from the ethers.  I didn’t really connect the relevance of this message to the recent astrology until an email from a client shortly thereafter gave me an “A ha!” And rather than as a personal message, I asked if I could share it as a Universal message.

Here is the download I received regarding this message and the Pisces Eclipse…

Because we are the end of the Virgo North Node/Pisces South Node transit, this energy is being extremely activated right now and we are being presented with the choice of whether or not we wish to be present and serve (Virgo) or whether we are going to fall into chaos (Pisces).  We’ve had a number of opportunities over the past few years to keep choosing one or the other, and this Eclipse cycle marks the final portal of transition, and so is putting a great deal of pressure on people from a spiritual place as to what comes next.

In the past eras, when people “ascended,” they ascended out of this realm and into another.  At this time in history, humanity is being asked to ascend while remaining PRESENT here.  E.g. we are ascending IN THE BODY, collectively, and as a world.  Many people who have been interested in the spiritual evolution process that humanity is undergoing know this already, but we are in a uniquely pressurized moment with regards to this process.

In the past month or so I have observed MANY people expressing the following things...

1) A fear of being consumed by the craziness that is going on in the world, and generally feeling extremely concerned/overwhelmed/etc.

2) A fear of being pulled into the aforementioned emotional space of others more intensely than usual... feeling worn down, even when not engaging with issues... just bogged down by the weight of mass consciousness

3) A fear of expanding too much / a sense of rapid growth. An all around departure energy -- from a need to make very quick shifts/big letting go to a sense of departing from this realm entirely (“becoming stardust”).

For me these feelings are all arising from the same place -- The pull of that South Node in Pisces. Consciousness itself is going through a transformation and the South Node threatens to either pull everyone into the chaos (Pisces = mass consciousness/mass confusion) or force others to quickly transcend, giving the sense of losing heaviness and connection to 'earth.'

The term “becoming stardust” to me describes times when people die and their essence and spreads through the universe, as if a part of themselves can become a part of those people who were connected with them.  This is usually felt pretty strongly when a celebrity dies – particularly those with a lot of influence and light.

But this happens to be a time in history where many of us have work to do here – and what I sense many people are feeling is a pressure to commit both to the examination and release of spiritual dross (the chaos within, inner conflicts, the illusion/matrix, things that pull us from our purpose, addictions, escapism, fear, smallness, etc.) AND to remaining present, in the body, while this transition takes place.  I sense that the reason why some people are feeling as if they’re about to be blown off this plane and/or sucked into a vortex doomsday reality is partly because the change is so rapid, and partly a cosmic test of will.  Can we withstand this change, and under this pressure, what decisions will we make?

The solution for all of the above conundrums and anxieties seems to remain with the Virgo North Node – Be present for your daily life.  Pass on your knowledge.  Help & serve others.  Stay with what YOU –CAN- do, what YOUR role is, etc.  That is the path through the chaos, and the thing that will keep us grounded through all of the changes AND the only way to ensure that the changes fall in the direction of positivity, inclusiveness, and progress.

The choice we face now can be boiled down to this: Be present -- or fade into whichever layer of the Pisces realm you are currently vibing with.

Service and presence will help overcome the fears, and keep us focused on what it is we must now create.  This is about getting our affairs in order, determining where we are, and preparing for the action packed creative evolution that is ahead.  Our presence will help us in knowing what is really in our hearts.  Know that no role is too small, and that it is the cumulative effect of individuals finding their individual gifts and contributions that makes the world capable of large scale evolution.  We ALL help EACH OTHER.  The urge to serve others in a practical way keeps us connected to this truth and to our individual destiny and purpose.

Will power and endurance are the cornerstones of the North Node in Leo lessons that we are beginning to approach.  What I’m seeing is that we must have the courage to not only face ourselves internally, but to present our truth, our hearts and our shine to the outer world – to uplift others and to remain uplifted ourselves.

Many blessings to all.

The Vision Going Forward // Astrology of December 2016 // New Moon in Sagittarius, Full Moon in Gemini

Hello friends and welcome to my analysis of the Astrology of December 2016.  This month I am discussing the energies of the Sagittarius Lunar Cycle:  The New Moon at 7 degrees of Sagittarius on November 29, at 7:18AM EST and the Full Moon at 22 degrees of Gemini on December 13th at 7:06PM EST.

I like to discuss the monthly weather in terms of the lunar cycles from new to full because I find it a helpful way to present archetypal themes.  I find that the lunar charts neatly summarize the general vibes of the month as they represent both what we are looking to sow (new moon) and what is culminating/being reaped (full moon).  Every year we experience new and full moons in each sign – and so if we choose to follow the lunar months, we can become more attuned to the energetic rhythm of life in general.  Working with, deepening, and understanding the natural flow of things.

So looking into the chart of the New Moon set for Washington, D.C. the new moon is sitting very near to the ascendant which refers to the outer self or image we present to the world in the 12th house, the realm of the subconscious, self undoing, and karmic release.  Its closest aspects are to the nodes of fate and Neptune, points that just began separating after two solid months traveling together.  Neptune for these past two months has been on the south node of past life habits and addictions in Pisces, the sign of disillusionment, confusion, escapism, etc.  Neptune is extremely amplified in the sign of Pisces and has been a dominant force in the world psyche for the past several years.  On the highest level – these energies represent the soul visions, spiritual growth, the dropping of the veils, compassion, understanding, and the unearthing of gifts that direct us towards more empathetic and heart focused relationships.  This is between people as well as the relationships we have with other aspects of our life such as our work, the “world” as an entity, oneself, etc.  On the negative side – Neptune energy increases emotionality, is receptive to a fault (it represents illness both psychic and physical), and shows where we can be blind to ourselves, where we lie to ourselves, and where we can become completely enveloped by and lost in an illusion.

One of the things associated with Neptune is film – so think of when you go to see a film, how easy it is to become lost and engrossed in the action and emotion of the characters – so that you almost feel as if you are there and that the characters themselves become familiar and real.  That is the power of Neptune at work – through this enveloping characteristic it can show us the highest beauty and truth and also pull us into a deception, a fog.  As Neptune has lingered near the South Node in Pisces – where these themes are greatly amplified – the world at large has been grappling with its handle on reality in a big way.  Much has been revealed in the discourse of the past month that has been shocking and upsetting to the world consciousness, but what has also been evident is that the things were ALREADY PRESENT, and were simply hidden, obfuscated, etc.  There is a strong tone within the USA national politics at this time of intense public deception.  And this deception is occurring at many, many levels – from money mongering political agendas that have existed since time immemorial to the most basic level of how we receive information in this age of technology.  We live in a world that is increasingly connected and unified, one that is increasingly aware of our interconnectedness – but yet at the same time there is an unprecedented heavy influence of perception in almost all information that we receive.  What it seems like, to my eyes, is that in many situations, it matters not whether a piece of information is true or false, but whether or not it succeeds in conveying a specific psycho-emotional message.  As with anything – this goes just as powerfully for positive messages as it does for negative messages.

As such, we have been living in times where clarity and straightforwardness have become elusive.  The correct path is the path of Virgo – current resting place of the North Node, which upholds integrity, virtuousness, and simplicity.  But the energetic patterning that we are coming upon is very much suggestive that the darkness comes before the light.  These shocks and revelations to our consciousness is a part of our collective emotional shadow work.  In the past it has been easy to talk a good talk and do little else, but it seems that we find ourselves now faced with a critical situation – something major has culminated – and now our job going forward is to figure out WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NEXT?

And that question is very much central to the function of this New Moon in Sagittarius, which lingers in that liminal time just after dawn on the East coast.  The consciousness of the collective and our personal consciousness is VERY enmeshed at this time.  We all feel in touch with issues that affect humanity in the big picture, and we all feel the impulse to do something about it.   In a way, it feels very much like we’ve opened a collective Pandora’s box, and things have felt fast, and out of control – but the link between the personal consciousness and the collective consciousness can also be utilized to direct the clean up process, and the vision of the future.  In short, FEAR is the Pisces Achilles heel – but clarity comes when we devote ourselves to how we can help, as individuals, in our daily lives to make our world a better place.

Before I even looked at the chart for this new moon, I felt that this article would be about “The Vision Going Forward.”  This year we have come to completion with many large thematic arcs of consciousness.  From the Chinese perspective, 2016 was the year of the Fire Monkey – an almost impossible to control, compulsively mischievous creature paired with the most difficult to control element in the Chinese Zodiac.  The shifts have been rapid, often surprising, and usually unwelcome.  Predictably unpredictable, the Fire Monkey has also exposed fallacy and weakness in our social system in a way that perhaps no other sign could.  And in the wake of this, what was unclear has become clear, what is unclean can become cleansed, and what is feared can now become conscious.

Who are we now?  And how do we inspire change?

There is a strong suggestion in the chart for the New Moon that part of how we actualize change is through embodying our radical qualities.  So that it is not so much an idea of how we would like to be, but to work towards fully BEing in the flow of our own personal freedom, growth, and individuality.  This is a way that the personal consciousness can affect the collective in a positive manner.

With the connection of this new moon so close to the nodes of fate – our intentions this month will be supercharged and important for progress going forward.  Sagittarius is an inherently joyful, hopeful sign that ceaselessly quests for higher knowledge and looks at the big picture of every situation.  Utilize this energy from the space of hope, and feel what is truly important for your growth and mission on a personal level and how that fits in to the collective.  There is so much that we can offer as individuals that can serve others in a positive way.  Knowing that change on the large scale does not happen overnight, but living as if change is here and continuing to feed the energy of connection over division, distraction, or escaping.  We have the power to transmute things in the collective consciousness through our presence and personal journey to truth and clarity.

Wherever we are on the spectrum in that process, there is always another precipice, and a deeper revelation to meet us.  In fact, we may even come to the same realization repeatedly with new wrinkles and layers.  But each step is necessary, as each step is basically a further integration of our higher self – provided we are aspiring to connect with this aspect of ourselves. 

The Full Moon at mid-month brings with it the “work” part of the vision that we are setting in motion now.  At least, it will show us with stark clarity where the work within us really lies, in particular, how our ego self tends to operate against our softer ideals.  At the time of the full moon the Sun will be separating from a conjunction to Saturn and a square to Chiron – both energies which represent lessons, repercussions, and the karmic process of going from our raw, most animalistic qualities to the more refined, integrated and human version.  If we actually work with Saturn (representing our Karmic inheritance and mission) and Chiron (Chiron represents our soul wounds/the force of healing within us), two planets that tend to create a big “ouch” effect for many, we can start to come into contact with this more refined version of ourselves.  But because as a society we are so indoctrinated with fear, we tend to resist the lessons and experience these energies as mostly painful.  As a result of this, many of us stay in our fear and survival urges without ever graduating to our human self in a fully integrated sense.  Somehow I sense that this will be a reminder that we can be so much greater if we can stop getting so hung up on the little things and resist the urge to constantly overreact.

The Full Moon is also strongly supported by the progressive energies of Mars in Aquarius, Jupiter in Libra and Uranus in Aries.  So while it is challenged and burdened by Saturn, et. al. both a Kite formation and a Mystic Rectangle in the chart (both aspecting the full moon) suggest positive synchronicity.  This is a MIND to ACTION energy.  The emotional process serves as a maturity gauge and is a source of great soul searching.  The potential is for a lot of haywire energy if one is not careful – but it is a great energy for manifestation of thoughts into reality, or at least thoughts into motion.  Thus, it is important for us to be measured in the thoughts that we choose to set into motion.

Even as we are breaking out in new directions there is still emotional subconscious processing that is very present.  The full moon is going to be powerfully illuminating of collective thought forms.  I’ve been seeing it for a long time and saying it for a long time, but I can sense the power of the collective mind continuing to grow under these influences – and as the month progresses we’ll go from “seeing” what it is to feeling it in real time.  The tangible reality creates pressure – and people either succumb to it or shift it.  As much as we can, when things come up within us – especially reflections that come to us from the outside – it is most beneficial if we FACE and SHIFT the afflicting energies.  They may feel quite numerous, heavy, and difficult, but this is how to more rapidly transmute the discordant vibrations out there in the world.

What we are dealing with is a sort of spiritual battleground.  The energy is running hot and fast, but within us we need to remain vigilant, centered and grounded.

As we wrap up the nodal transit through Virgo in the next several months, the keys will be to stay focused on Virgos virtues – participation, bringing order to chaos, creating routines, focusing on the here and now, being of service to others, moderation, grounding ourselves through experience (read up on Virgo North Node here).  Now that Neptune, Saturn, and Jupiter have all separated from the nodes, we have weathered a massive onslaught of psychic information and shifting and it feels like we now have the opportunity to integrate this experience and fully arrive at the ultimate lesson of the Virgo North Node this time around, which is also one of the anchoring lessons of these times that we are in.  Staying with the simple, the humble, the natural way – this is the path to the clarity we are seeking and the ultimate truth of how positive change is to be created at this time.

Keep the momentum of change going, stay positive and hopeful – this is the Sagittarius perspective.  What you believe becomes your will.

Well wishes for a happy December – may we all use this time to direct the will of humanity for the greatest good of all.

Peace.

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SURRENDER GRACEFULLY ... Summer Solstice Sagittarius Blue Moon

I feel called to begin writing about this relatively rare full moon on the Summer Solstice by first acknowledging that this is the second Sagittarius Full Moon of the year.  It is what qualifies as an astrological “Blue Moon.”  In my personal world, since the last Sagittarius Moon until today’s, I have been in the midst of an arduous and seemingly never-ending moving process – which is my excuse for being so cyber aloof – and one of the reasons why I feel compelled to look at today’s astrology through the book-ends of these moons.  So though this post is about the present astrology (I haven’t quite mastered the art of writing blog posts with a great deal of advanced timing) with a bit of a recap of the past month, I hope you will find it informative and helpful to spite my tardiness.  I expect to do some writing on July sooner rather than later – but felt that June was too important to let it pass by without comment!

The energy of the past month has been intense, to put it lightly.  The key factor at work in the cosmos has been the massive, omnipresent Mutable T-Square between Jupiter, Saturn & Neptune.  This formation has been especially tight the past few weeks (including an exact hit between Saturn & Neptune) – and highlighted by the lunations in mutable signs – Two Sagittarius full moons very much emphasizing the themes of Saturn in Sagittarius – and of course the super whirlwind of the Gemini New Moon which landed right smack dab in the middle of all of the action – rounding off the T-Square (a stressful configuration of three points) to create a full on grand cross (a stressful configuration of FOUR points).  I usually feel the New Moon as a quieter time of the month – but this was absolutely not the case with the Gemini Moon that we just had.  The energy has been extraordinarily volatile and unpredictable. 

The factors here are numerous, so I feel it might be best to break them down a bit.

Two Sagittarius Full Moons and Our Vision

As I mentioned already, the past two consecutive full moons have both been in Sagittarius, the sign of the prophet, truth speaker, and traveler.  This is interesting to me for two reasons – 1) Of course, because it emphasizes the influence of Sagittarius and 2) Because this “Blue Moon” phenomenon happens to also be occurring during Saturn’s transit of Sagittarius – a transit that lasts approximately 2 ½ years that we won’t see again for another 28!

No matter what, Saturn always has a strong influence on what is happening with the collective – because Saturn essentially governs those aspects and structures of society that are more or less agreed upon by the collective.  Saturn in the sign of the truth speaker is really giving us a great deal of feedback surrounding our beliefs.  Sag is an extroverted sign that is known for being bluntly opinionated – and everywhere we look, we are surrounded by “truth” reflections.  In the most prominent news stories, in U.S. politics, in the stream of endless dialogue that is the online social media landscape – beliefs – and their fallibility, their veracity, their quality, etc. – are dominating the conversation.

Full moons have a culminating effect.  And there are a number of stories that have come up recently that seem to be asking us to really look long and hard at some of the beliefs held in the collective subconscious, and how these beliefs are actually quite caustic to the health of our society as a whole.  Though there have been many people concerned about the many human rights & political issues that are currently at the fore of the collective consciousness – I have felt this lunar cycle bring those issues and discussions to a much more central position.  Ultimately this carries with it the potential for a genuine shift.  For Saturn in Sag, it must happen in the heart before it later comes to form.  Our lessons on a personal and societal level under this influence are experiential.  Each and every one of them is informing what it is we need to DO to arrive at the vision that we’ve been striving towards, cultivating & developing.  What’s missing?  What needs to shift?  Be removed?

Sagittarius operates through the journey.  Nothing can be set in stone because we’re still traveling through the layers of ourselves and learning how to get out of our own way.

Mars Retrograde in Scorpio

Also very influential throughout this month of Sagittarius Moon-ness has been the Mars retrograde.  It first dove back into Scorpio territory just a few days before May’s Sag. Moon and go direct at the end of June to finally leave Scorpio on August 2nd.  This transit of Mars through Scorpio connects directly to the Saturn transit of Scorpio that we just recently finished.  Many of us are likely even revisiting an aspect of our life that we thought we had been liberated from only to realize, rather rudely, that there is still a bunch of super un-fun stuff left to do.

Mars in Scorpio is very much connected to our most primal emotions.  As a result the influence cannot be overlooked or underemphasized with reference to the volatility of the recent charts and many of the events that have been brought to public attention.  Scorpio governs issues of power, sexuality, psychology & shared resources – basically all the conversation topics that you try to avoid at the dinner table.  The stuff with complex emotional layers and hidden motives.

For what it’s worth, Mars’ retrograde journey back into Scorpio does give us a chance to really unload some of those persistent hang ups, once and for all.  Both on a personal and bigger social sphere level.   The sooner we can start to embrace the dive back into spaces we’d hoped we were done with, the sooner the shadow work actually gets done.  At the root of it all is access to our place of personal power.  The events of our lives and the reflections brought to us by society all contain the potential for us as individuals to deepen our perception and see beyond the interference.  Empowerment is an inside job.  Always.  But it often involves facing unpleasant truths and exploring what the reality is amidst complicated and conflicting emotions.

Saturn-Neptune Square

This influence has been active since approximately last fall.  Just last week these two had an exact hit right around the time that Neptune was stationing to go retrograde super-fueling the impact.

This combination is very intense, because by nature Saturn and Neptune are basically opposites.  Saturn represents form -- Neptune is all about what is formless.  Saturn is rigid and authoritarian – Neptune is imaginative and spiritual.

On the positive end, Neptune really helps Saturn free itself from its own prison and ultimately put to form the spiritual vision of Neptune.

On the negative end, this influence is EXTREMELY confusing, extremely emotional, and very turbulent.  Why?

Because when you introduce the shadow of Saturn in Sagittarius (self righteous preachy-ness) with the shadow of Neptune in Pisces (deception & illusion) – you have a stew of very unseemly situations that are difficult to see with adequate clarity.  It is also seeming to have an amplifying effect on the deceptions themselves – making deceptive rhetoric more obvious.  Yet to spite this, more insurmountable.

Yes, insurmountable is a word I would use to describe how this influence can feel!!!  For those who are feeling lost or stuck right now, like you can’t see the future and you don’t know why you’re suddenly so down in the dumps, Saturn-Neptune could very well be your culprit, especially if it is making a strong aspect to your chart.  The effect will pass and clarity will return.  One of the absolute best ways to cope with the transit if it is affecting you personally is to allow yourself to remain still and let things settle within.  Even if it means moving a slower pace than you prefer.

Saturn can assist Neptune – but first you have to see through the fog and understand that the erosion or outright collapse of certain structures is a necessary loss in this case.  The purpose of it is to make room for the greater things that are coming.

Mutable T-Square, The Nodes of Fate & Mutability in General

Now add Jupiter to the mix with the Saturn-Neptune square we have the full fledged Mutable T-square.  Currently and throughout the next two or three months, the nodes of fate will also be tightly involved with this Mutable T-square.  What does that all mean?

Well – for one, Jupiter expands things.  So whatever else is going on, Jupiter is over there INTENSIFYING everything.  It can be all the negative scary stuff I mentioned, but it can also be instrumental in manifesting the miraculous – because Jupiter is a beneficial planet that tends to thrive on that sort of thing.  It happens to be traveling through Virgo right now, so the focus is really on getting one’s mundane world straight.  Not Jupiter’s best realm, but an important one nonetheless.  Eat right.  Get a good routine going.  Devote yourself to something -- and you will find everything else much easier to bear.

At the same time, Jupiter is exactly conjunct the north node of fate during today’s Sagittarius full moon.  The nodes also tend to have an amplifying effect – usually of a karmic or inspired sort of nature.  Both of these points traveling together are asking us to grow in the direction of simplicity in order to understand reality – because the collective shadow is in all of the lofty and distant concepts that we cling to but hardly hold water in a real life test.  In so many ways, that’s what this whole cosmic battle of energies boils down to – What is it that WORKS?  What is it that MAKES SENSE?  How do we adjust our lives, our thinking, EVERYTHING according to simple truths and simple human values?

Now I want to talk also about mutability.  In astrology there are three modes of expression… Cardinal which is initiating.  Fixed which is building.  And Mutable – which is transforming.  So if you understand nothing else about any of this understand this:  Right now, in the sky, we have a very large majority of planets and configurations happening in mutable signs – the signs that are most reflective of change.  Everything is changing!  Rapidly!  And there’s not much we can do to try and control it.

In your own life, I recommend really working on staying centered in order to guide the process.  But holding on is totally futile, so try not to do it.  If you feel like you’re barely keeping up, the best thing to do is surrender to the flow of things.  Surrender will save a lot of pain and strife, not to mention help you conserve your energy for when it is most important.

 New Moon & The Venus Star Point

As I spoke of earlier, in the midst of all of this came the Gemini New Moon on June 4. It was a SUPER CHARGED New Moon that was connecting to all of this potent change energy – and also happened to coincide with the conjunction of Venus & the Sun – referred to in Astrology as the Venus Star Point.  This is a moment when our desires (Venus) are directly in line with our ego self.

The recent New Moon in Gemini was one of the biggest moons of the year BECAUSE it packed some serious mind-to-reality manifesting power.  It brought with it an acceleration of the energies and has thrown us full force into the change alchemy that is represented by the mutable T-Square.  It was kind of like a point of no return.  A jumping off point. 

Gemini is a sign of choices.  And so I see this New Moon also as a sort of choice point.  There are a lot of possibilities, and then also some firm decisions.  Plenty of options in current situations – but it seems like the fundamentals have been made clear.

Full Moon on the Summer Solstice

And – at last!  Today.  The Summer Solstice.  The Full Moon.  Moon & Sun at their height of power on the same day.  The summer season beginning.  The second Sagittarius full moon of the year.

This is a moon that contains all that I wrote about already and has a specific emphasis on healing.  This is the healing of what it is unseen, invisible, and quite unconscious.  It is the healing of what is harbored in the collective, and in many ways beyond our scope of even knowing.

One thing I have noticed during this year is that we’ve been seeing a lot of cultural icons pass whose lives were oriented towards integrity of self.  I feel this is reflecting to us a reminder and review of how truth and authenticity really show up when embodied.  In this time where it is so easy to get sidetracked, distracted, confused, or lost in complexities – we need these reminders.  The transmission of these figures is to utilize the lessons left in the wake of others to courageously awaken our own authenticity and create ourselves in the image of resilience, transparency, discipline – and absolute self honesty.

Self honesty is really the bottom line here.  That is the key to the Sagittarius quest.  Who are we really, and will we have the all out gumption to be that person – to spite all obstacles, to spite our fears and misgivings, to spite danger, to spite expectation – but to do right and be righteous because it is right and righteous to be so.  Because we are an example for other people, and because the health of our world depends on the integrity of each and every one of its inhabitants.

So we must heal this confusion within ourselves that prevents us from stepping fully into our divine power.  We must find a way to transcend all of the masks we wear and have worn… to step out of the habituated patterns… and keep tabs on our “big vision.”  We were who we were.  We live where we live.  We don’t need to do all that the same way next time.  The fear that cycles repeat themselves inevitably & forever is among the countless purposeless fears that our entire collective has invested in.  We need to reach further – not because of some kind of grandiosity – but because of necessity.

Because it is so appropriately perfect, I wish to conclude this essay with Ellias Lonsdale’s passage on the degree of 29 Sagittarius – the degree of this full moon.

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SAGITTARIUS 29
The ritual slaughtering of a lamb. 
It is so hard to give up your fondest notions. It is so testing and trying to be asked by universal spirit to surrender your privileges, to renounce your claim upon your own life. And it is even an extreme act of self-transcendence to come to terms with the position you find yourself in as it really is. Ego-busting comes as a rude shock, even when the time is at hand to leap beyond your own shadow. The very idea draws out to the surface every resistance imaginable. The mind goes crazy with this edge. If only you could control it, manipulate it, relativize it. But excruciating self-awareness accompanies this edge--in particular no sentimentality towards your own excuses and reasons. For you are at that point where there is no place to hide and nothing to do except surrender gracefully, when you have exhausted every other option and found them to be null and void.

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Surrender gracefully – to who you are, where you are going, and to your higher mission.  Your service is needed here. 

Much love.

Getting Real About Mercury Retrograde // Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius/Capricorn 2016

Mercury Retrograde is approaching again, and the internet is alight with doom and gloom prophecies and people getting ready to jump into a Mercury Retrograde bunker and hide from life for the next 3 weeks. Perhaps it is because Mercury this time around is in Capricorn, a sign oriented towards order and realism, that I feel inclined to set the record straight about what’s really going on with Mercury retrograde. In this article I will explore the various layers of Mercury retrograde’s meaning and function, as well as talk about the upcoming retrograde in Aquarius/Capricorn. So first, a basic explanation of the term “retrograde” for those who do not know: The term retrograde refers to the backwards motion of a planet in the sky from our vantage here on earth. From an astrological perspective, all planets in the solar system apart from the Sun & Moon go through retrograde cycles. Since the Moon orbits us, and we orbit the Sun, we don’t perceive either of these bodies as going “retrograde.” However, in respect to the other planets, earth is just one of many bodies that revolve around the star we call our Sun. As such, due to the rotating nature of the solar system, there are times where our orbit, and the orbits of our neighbors will align in such a way that they appear to us as if they are “going backwards.” Basically, all that is really happening is that we are all moving different speeds, different distances, etc. and passing each other on the track. When we observe a planet moving retrograde, it is believed to cause a change in the flow of the energy of that planet from one that is direct, typical, and forward moving – to one that is more inward, atypical, and slow or even backwards moving.

Planets beyond the earth tend to have longer retrograde cycles.  Slow movers like Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are retrograde for 6 months out of the year… That’s why when you experience a transit of Neptune or Pluto to your natal chart it can seem never ending. These planets can hover around the same degree for 2-3 years before completely moving on. Because outer planet retrogrades are much longer they are also more subtle and we tend to feel them most when the planet “stations” e.g. when it is changing direction. The energy of a stationing planet is amplified because it is giving the sense to us earthlings that it is “standing still” emitting its rays everywhere chaotically vs. the usual feeling of the energy in some kind of motion. For all planets we will feel stationing energy most strongly for 5 days before AND after the official day of “retrograde” or “direct.” So that is why the lead up to and exit of retrograde can often feel very strong.

Now, let’s focus on Mercury retrograde specifically – Mercury is the closest planet to the sun in our solar system and speeds through the zodiac at quite a clip. In the course of a year, Mercury goes retrograde 3 separate times. Its actual “retrograde motion” is only about 3 weeks but the total period of Mercury retrograde is technically about 2 months. Why? When you look at the motion of any retrograde planet whether in a chart or just visually, it is literally “retracing” a part of the sky. So the “revision process” actually starts when Mercury enters its “shadow” which is the degree of its later direct motion…

OK So – to explain: This month Mercury Retrograde will span the degrees of 14 Capricorn and 1 Aquarius. Mercury FIRST crossed 14 Capricorn on December 19. It will reach 1 Aquarius the day it goes retrograde, January 5. It returns to 14 Capricorn and moves direct again on January 26, and will finally pass 1 Aquarius again on February 14.

So understand that this patch of sky is where the work is happening. Mercury is about communication, information and mental processes. So think of it like this: Once Mercury enters its shadow we are receiving information about what will need review. Once Mercury is retrograde, we are in the process of doing the reviewing. And finally, when Mercury turns direct, we should be making our final edits and be ready to move forward with the revised plan. Recognize this process as something that is GOOD FOR US. It helps our brains declutter and reconfigure. Also recognize that 2 months x 3 times a year means we are doing these mental reviews frequently – 6 months out of the year… so none of this needs to be world destroying. It is just another cycle that we can become aware of, recognize, and learn to flow with.

Now there are two other important factors to understand with reference to Mercury Retrograde. I’ll start with the simplest first: The sign or signs that Mercury is retrograding in will explain a lot about what we are specifically working on. Since Mercury Retrograde this time is happening mostly in Capricorn and throughout this year will be occurring primarily in earth signs, I can say that this year’s mind-revision work is centered in practical matters. Specific to Capricorn, we are working with revising our relationship to work, business, authority, leadership, discipline, and the overall functionality and structure of our lives. This is a retrograde cycle that will be very centered around reorganizing, upgrading, and developing a new order for ourselves. We will likely feel very serious and focused during this phase, and it is a very important cycle of development for the coming year that we should all strive to work with as this month, with this Capricorn Mercury Retrograde, is a time for laying important groundwork for 2016 as a whole.

Now, we can expand this interpretation even further by looking to Capricorn’s natural ruler, Saturn, which is currently residing in Sagittarius. So in addition to all of the aforementioned qualities of Capricorn, we can see that this Mercury retrograde is also about the development of our Sagittarian quest & vision for the next two years. So in our rethinking and restructuring, the primary consideration is actually the hopes, dreams & visions that we’ve been cultivating in recent months -- as well as the overarching desire for more freedom, adventure and joy in our lives. Sagittarius energy is about a truth seeking, and we may find that our intuitive truth is more apparent to us as it is striving to be acknowledged and worked realistically into our lives. We know that Saturn can be our ally – but it makes us work for everything, even our happiness – so this month, too, can be a time when we really visit with ourselves and find out where we have an inner curmudgeon undermining all of our hopeful optimism, and find the way to work with our limitations so that we can experience more limitlessness in our perspectives. The mind is a powerful creator and with Mercury in Capricorn, we may experience this power more immediately.

If you wish to understand Mercury Retrograde even more personally, you can go to your own natal chart and see what house Mercury Retrograde is happening in for you, to understand what aspect of your own personal life is getting the attention (is it 1^st house of self image? 2^nd house of finances? 5^th house of creative expression? Etc…) For even more depth, you can even look at the natal planet associated with the Mercury retrograde in question – in this case, Saturn (But it will vary depending on the sign Mercury is in). So wherever Saturn is in your chart, this area of your life is also being looked at and worked on from a Mercurial perspective.

The other factor that is of considerable relevance to understanding Mercury retrograde (or any retrograde really) are its actual aspects. The “aspects” in Astrology are basically the moments when one planet forms some kind of close relationship with another planet. For example, Mercury in this retrograde period is relating with Mars in Scorpio (both at 0 degrees of fixed signs currently, as I write), it will also be connecting with Pluto in Capricorn (15 degrees), Uranus in Aries (16 degrees, the Sun in Capricorn, Chiron in Pisces as well as the North Node & Jupiter in Virgo. So, in addition to Mercury by itself, we are looking at many of the major components of the current astrological map that Mercury is touching upon in his travels between 14 Capricorn and 1 Aquarius. Why is this important? Because we need to understand that Mercury is not a solo operator. His RELATIONSHIPS to these other planets are what really bring the juice to the party. Mercury is a MESSENGER. When he bumps into a planet like Pluto 3 times in a month, you know that Pluto is going to have something pretty important to say to us about how we need to evolve.   Now add in the influence of any natal planets you have between the degrees of 14 and 1, and you can get a bit of a sense of how this experience may affect you, personally.

OK.

So here’s the part that makes it crazy.

For those of us who reside in the USA, we are an extremely intellectually oriented society – so when things concerning the mind turn inward, as is the energy of the retrograde – everyone basically goes nuts. All of these aspects that are already hanging out up there creating subtle tension suddenly become amplified because we can’t rationalize our way out of it. And on another level, Mercury might even be triggering some of these energies so that they become more conscious than usual, and show up in all kinds of crazy, funny, bizarre, and sometimes stressful ways in our lives.

THAT SAID.

You do NOT NEED to go crazy.

What you need to do is to just flow with the energy and understand what it is asking you to do – which is to review and make changes. To let yourself SLOW THAT BRAIN DOWN for a second and look into things more deeply. If something is popping up for you right now from the past – talk to it… why is it here? What is it saying to you about where you might need to change, let something go, or even revive something lost? If a misunderstanding occurs, how can we listen better? Find clarity about what we really mean to say? Understand our own perspectives from a deeper level and hear others intent beyond their words? Yes – it is helpful during Mercury Retrograde to check things over a few times, to make sure you heard right, understood well. There is a propensity for mistakes to be made, things to be missed, and plans that fall through. Yes, yes, these effects can be very real. But even these processes are a form of revision, and if you play your cards right, it may work out even better for you in the end than you planned for in the beginning – because now we had the opportunity to look at the offer on the table not just once, but a few times, before it passed our test. Mercury Retrograde is a fantastic time to negotiate and resolve difficult conflicts. Even if it might not be the best time to initiate certain arrangements, it can definitely be a good time to finally put a long-term irritation to rest.

Finally, you can’t “hide” from Mercury retrograde. It is not a “stay inside and all will be well” situation. This is an energetic influence that affects everybody. The situation of Mercury retrograde is mind-based, and so the problems of it RESIDE WITHIN OUR OWN MIND. If we carry a perspective that Mercury Retrograde is a doom time when we can’t trust anything we’re just creating resistance around the process of actually reshaping our mind to live from a clearer place. I’m not saying that there will not be moments during Mercury retrograde phases that are stressful, upsetting, confusing, etc… It does have a very specific vibe to it that can be pinpointed as, “Yes, that is definitely a Mercury Retro thing.” What I am saying is that living in fear of planetary cycles of any kind without seeking to understand them more deeply is not helpful for anyone.

Working with Astrology is ALCHEMICAL -- it is not a useful tool if it is wielded in the basis of fear. Astrology becomes USEFUL when we understand it as a LANGUAGE that allows us to have a structured concept of life and its ebb and flow. The purpose of Astrology is to provide DEEPER INSIGHT into who we are, what we feel, and why we feel it. It is a USEFUL tool when we recognize and utilize the different energetic influences for our personal growth and development. Honor and respect all cycles of life and you can reap the rewards. Like a good student to a wise elder, there are things we can only know through hard lessons and inner work. This is indeed a Capricorn notion.

When in Mercury retrograde, work on the mind. Look INWARD and see what’s really happening with you. Be WILLING to see the good & bad. Take the time to understand the messages that life situations are conveying to you and then implement changes according to your new understandings. Be willing to live a life in flow – stop holding on, and most of your problems will diminish considerably. Experience your life in its fullness – fantastic & wonderful, sad & dreary, Mercury Retrograde, and beyond. Don’t try to separate yourself from the things you don’t want to feel – for Mercury Retrograde just may be the time that we truly realize how much padding and resistance we’ve created through the very fact that our mind isn’t dominating everything for once. If that happens to you, take heed. Any separation from your emotions and experience is like a separation of mind from body. We can only ever be at peace when we experience our life completely – mind, body, and soul together.

This Capricorn Mercury Retrograde WILL be a bit of a feisty one. I can feel it already writing this article, since Mercury’s aspect to Mars today is really fueling the writing of this piece. This can create a really aggressive energy if not channeled correctly, and a tendency to be more snappish, irritable, etc. Or it can inspire you to write an impassioned astrology article borne out of Mercury Retrograde induced frustration (lol). Mercury’s other planetary aspects throughout the next month are really going to bring some intensity to the table and make us feel a strong impulse for change and DEEP evolution. We can use this productively. This is a VERY POWERFUL month -- Don’t run from it. Take some of that Capricorn confidence and zest and jump into it, because a LOT can be accomplished.   And I mean that both literally and metaphysically – Capricorn is an EARTH sign so we’re really reshaping life in the real world, and at the same time we’re reworking our inner world. If I were to describe the energy in the simplest sense – I would say that this Capricorn Mercury Retro is about redefining our relationship to our ability to create & manifest… and also beginning to form the physical structures and practical outlines that we need in our lives to create & manifest those things that we are envisioning. This can mean a literal office overhaul, scheduling adjustments, mapping out new projects – or re-envisioning old ones to suit the new perspective -- and really finding that place of comfort and sovereignty – that YOU get to call the shots. It is YOUR life after all! Be proactive and you’ll also be productive. We all have the choice to either be dragged down by our fear of change, or direct these energies to their higher purposes of evolution and creation.

Since the Winter Solstice (which is also around the time Mercury moved into its shadow), I’ve been really feeling into Capricorn energy in a very different way than I ever have in the past. Over the winter holidays, I felt a deep recognition of Capricorn as the harbinger of tradition and past wisdom. During this season, this time, we are naturally drawn inward. If we allow it, this can be a time when we really take stock of our lives. Capricorn’s wisdom seems to me twofold – first, there is a deep honoring of the wisdom of our elders, and the knowledge that they have kept alive and passed down to us over the centuries. Second, there is the wisdom that we glean from our own lives – when we revisit the past and see it differently, maybe even with new eyes. It is so important to honor the past – to honor those who have taught us, provided for us, and granted us their wisdom because knowledge gives us richness – and without the work of those who came before us, our progress in life would be slow or non-existant. And also, to honor our own past by recognizing that everything we’ve ever been through has also taught us. And continues to teach us. For with each year, our perspective changes. The lessons we gain from the past, if we’re really willing to look at it, are continuous. It is the sobriety and maturity we develop as we age that allows us to really understand life and to see the persons we have been with increasing gentleness, forgiveness, and understanding.   What we thought we knew, we know again but differently, more deeply. We can see, through our own experience, that even the most painful memories change with time. That one day, we look at it, and what was once the definition of how we saw life, is now a faded old book with yellowed pages. No longer does it move us.

We recognize what the past has offered us to see what the future may hold for us. Nothing in life is truly still, and we experience this clearly at holidays when we revisit the family and friends we’ve known and spent these holidays with since childhood. It’s different this year compared to ten years ago. And so, next year, too, will have its own surprises. Who will we be then? What changes await us?

The ancestors teach so that their knowledge can be passed on. We receive knowledge passed on in order to understand it, and then to take it to the next level. This is what we do as humans. I’d even pose, that this might possibly be one of the reasons we are alive. So why stay stuck? Anywhere? It is against the very nature of our existence!

Capricorn’s virtues are discipline, order, and humility. Capricorn is a Cardinal sign whose purpose is to initiate and create. When Capricorn creates with respect to the past, it can create something very solid and lasting. So what is it you want to build? How do you apply the knowledge of the past to build wise, intelligent structures for the future? How do you apply discipline to simplify your life and bring your dreams into greater focus?

Meditate on what this might mean for you. This coming year is one of major creation and mental manifestation… And so it is appropriate that we start it off working very practically with our approach to the coming changes – whether we are initiating them, receiving them, or simply living them. Clean the cobwebs of your mind, eliminate limiting beliefs around your ability to be in charge of your life’s direction, and take responsibility both for what you truly want, and for the parts of yourself that you have allowed to undermine that. Let yourself change without holding on to self-criticism over past mistakes. It’s cool. It’s about the future now… So be here now.

We’ve all come far. Positive outcomes await us, if we want them. Be glad for the way life provides us direction. When we listen, we become wise.

Sending love.

Full Moon in Gemini // Feeling Overwhelmed? // Saturn Neptune Square, Virgo North Node

I had no intention of writing anything about this full moon. My life has been in a FLOW lately. A good flow, but also a busy one. Even though on the one hand, my schedule seems completely conquerable and normal, this other part of me finds itself easily overwhelmed by the simplest, smallest little things. A sign of the times, no doubt. But nonetheless, some murmurings crossed my vision today about this moon and the astrology of late and I felt it pertinent to offer some context, and perhaps solace, to those that this may reach. While I could really break down the whole chart for the full moon piece by piece if I wished, I feel it can be summarized more simply by just a few major aspects: The first perfection of the Saturn-Neptune Square, the recent transition of the North Node into Virgo, and the influence of Chiron & Jupiter.

The short story of all of that? The energy of vulnerability, of wounding, and of feeling adrift at sea is king right now in the cosmic soup. And if you are feeling somewhat bereft, you are most definitely not alone!

The extremely powerful 11/11 New Moon came across to me as an opening for monumental change, and a choice point for the world – on its simplest level, I felt it brought forward a recognition of (or need to recognize) the true power of consciousness. Almost immediately after the new moon, as the nodes shifted into Virgo/Pisces, a number of alarming news stories appeared before us. I watched for a brief moment as the emotion of compassion began dividing, and even the reality of tragedy seemed itself to quickly spiral away into the cloud of discourse, dialogue, and debate. I could feel the earth aching to such a degree that it all seemed to descend into this fuzzy mass of pointlessness. It occurred to me, suddenly, that what was important here had nothing to do with the details – the key to it all was within the realm of PURE CONSCIOUSNESS. Peace, if it can be achieved, will only ever have staying power if the people carry the vibration of peace, safety, and trust deeply within our own psyches. All of the complexity that resides above the level of pure compassion, is actually just a human constructed illusion of separation and isn’t really fundamentally important. OK – OK, I know that this might sound somewhat Pollyanna-ish to some people, but bear with me.

You can say that the realm of Pisces is the realm of consciousness. It is where we experience the authentic purity of ONENESS with all. It is also the realm of illusions, of the “fog,” muddy waters, so on. With the South Node in Pisces we are dealing DIRECTLY with the issues of this realm as a world. The way I see it – the transition of the North Node into Virgo (South Node Pisces) was the true transition & trigger point for the massive mutable T-Square between Saturn, Neptune & Jupiter that is dominating this month, this season, and 2016. Having made our way through so many intense, physically & emotionally powerful changes in the past decade or so… and the past few months really orienting our most basic attitudes around “what is mine” and “what is yours”… we’ve now crossed into a stage where THE MIND IS KEY. Mutable energy TRANSFORMS. That is its role in the Zodiac. So what we are working with most acutely in the next 18 months while the nodes transit one of the most active areas of the sky right now, is how we transform our own minds to banish illusion and arrive at the truth (which is to say, the heart of compassion and the spirit of wholeness among people – higher form Pisces) – AND – how we intend to bring that down to earth in the most mundane, day-to-day aspects of our reality (Virgo).

Pisces energy does not care about the details. At its worst it can live with senseless religious fervor, a zealot that knows no boundaries or reason – and holds to its dream as gospel. But on its highest level it sees far beyond the earthly straight into the soul. It is a HIGHLY impressionable energy. People who identify as empaths usually have a strong Pisces or Neptune energy in their charts, and can certainly understand how easily another person’s vibes can suddenly become your own. As such, it is easy for Pisces energy to fall into despair, fear, anxiety and helplessness. But there is ALWAYS A CHOICE. Just because these emotions exist and we can receive them so easily from the messages in our environment, does not mean we have to let it all in. Just as those things can influence us, we can turn right back around and influence our environment to say, “No! I’m going to feel happy, peaceful, and safe... I am going to choose to be in my light and in my strength, rather than let something outside of me cast shadows on my heart.” And one excellent way to activate our higher form Pisces is through the everyday discipline, routine, and devotion of Virgo. Virgo creates the container in which spirit can flow. It sets up the boundaries, it discerns what is suitable, and it strives for health in a physical & mental sense. Virgo is what keeps it real, because it’s always asking the question, “Does this work for me? Is this useful?” If you look at your life and some part of it is falling to total decay because of your spiritual beliefs, Virgo energy will strive to correct this deficiency… but we must learn to accept responsibility, receive criticism, and have some discipline about our lives.

Speaking positive affirmations is one thing, but living them is another. And this is an energy that is saying to us – LIVE YOUR VISION. LIVE YOUR TRUTH. Stop saying you want peace in the world and then spend your time arguing and getting mad about everything. Do the WORK. Find methods that help you create REAL TRANSFORMATION in your day-to-day, on the ground, here and now life.   Practice peace even –and especially- when people around you are not acting peaceful. Really feel it. Really explore what that means... And be willing to be a student and a servant to higher truth. It is not the talk of peace, compassion & love that changes things, it is the embodiment of it. The message I have been receiving is that we are in a time where the consciousness of I can have rapid and far-reaching effects on the All and that is what this time is all about. Understanding that the morphic field of consciousness energy that encapsulates the earth is just as powerful, if not more powerful, than the physical realities. And right now that field has holes, dark spots, and decay. It’s filled with so much hurt and sadness. People who bring light to this earth aura CAN influence its healing.

Connected to this is the Saturn-Neptune Square, and Jupiter/Chiron aspect that we see in the Gemini Full Moon Chart. Gemini is the messenger and I am feeling this moon as “providing the information.” The full moon is in close relationship with the Saturn/Neptune aspect, which actually perfects on Thursday. Though this aspect has been up in the sky intermittently throughout the year, the real tone of it still seems to be forming. Of all involved parties, Neptune is the most powerful in its home sign of Pisces. Saturn, the planet of structure and truth, meeting Neptune the planet of the formless, unseen, ocean of change in a stressful configuration can feel extremely depressing and difficult. On the one hand, Saturn has a role to create its world to Neptune’s bidding – which is of course, the “dream” – but it cannot do so until the crud has been washed away. And Neptune energy can come in like a tsunami, wiping away parts of our ego consciousness that we didn’t even know existed until they were gone. In light of what has been coming through for me as I write this article, I can really see that the ideas around what we have always held to be right and righteous (Saturn in Sag) are really coming up for question. Many years ago, what was appropriate in the consciousness of the culture, does not fit anymore. In fact, the amount of ill-fitting things seem to greatly outnumber the things that do agree. So what comes in its place? Truly we cannot get to that answer without fully clearing the old stuff first. That’s the way Neptune rolls. Whether you are experiencing this personally, or at a world level, there is always a great deal of muck mucking before the sun shines through in a Neptune transit. But the clarity once you get there is astonishingly clear. Your soul seems almost brand new again!

There is of course, yet another layer. While Saturn deals with structures and beliefs – Neptune deals with grief. As much as these things can seem separate, they are actually quite intertwined. Sometimes we develop habits to prevent ourselves from having to experience pain. This in turn creates this whole blockage around the process of our vision.   Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is acknowledge that we feel completely shattered and helpless. Amazing things happen when grieving processes are allowed to run their course – especially ones that have been harbored and stopped up for a very long time. Have you ever had one of those moments where you’ve been crying hysterically and inconsolably for hours over something, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, you stop crying and get this strong feeling of fortification, aliveness and clarity? That is the Neptune archetype in a nutshell! When Saturn comes into the mix we may also find ourselves grieving the things that are breaking down within us – a particular pathway we’d wanted to walk, a face we wore, a person we grew apart from – and noticing, with wonder, that even the littlest of these things was once important to us. And, in its own way, was creating a little sad dark spot on our spirit, no matter how innocuous it may seem. We might be confused by this because these things don’t always seem overtly negative, but it is like wearing old clothes, if they don’t fit you anymore why are you trying to stay so attached? What is that doing for you? Really?

The bottom line that I feel from these aspects being illuminated by this Gemini messenger moon, which we will be working with for the next several years, is “Soul Clearing.” What we are doing right now, individually, and as a world, is reuniting with our true spirit and bringing that once hidden part of ourselves into our mundane lives. Now is the time to “be the change” and trust in the fruit of change over the poison of fear.

Earlier today I had the insight that transformation only occurs in our lives when we enter into the still point of our being. This is our central essence. In fact, during the Scorpio New Moon on 11/11 the transmission that I received most strongly from the cosmic was to “Surrender every part of yourself but the part that is unchanging and eternal.” Now at this full moon that transmission seems to have evolved to go on to say that in order to fully enter that place of surrender, we need to fully enter into the unchanging absolute self. This essence self, this core being is the element of us that is connected to All. And we can get there through conscious abiding… meditation, art, qigong – whatever you do in your life that brings you to your pure and natural spirit, you need to use to cross into this space of being, and expand it. The expansion of the true self sheds, evolves, and transforms our lives naturally and effortlessly. It is through this that we become who we’re supposed to be. It is through this that we balance and heal ourselves. It is through this that we can break through the shackles of our self imposed limitations and life conditioning – and in turn influence and expand that internal consciousness of others. Allow yourself to empty in order to be filled with the universal and there will be no obstacles.

Words I wrote earlier, that I wish to share again here…

“The stillness within us knows that change is life and can accept anything... It is like a stone in the ocean... Storms or sunny days are all the same. It is here where we reside in our natural spirit. We are just lights floating around in a material world... Gains and losses come and go but the light is unflinching. In truth these pains are not really ours... And the losses are not gone. They are mere experiences, mere lessons, to remind the light of itself. And carry on.”

Peace and light to you in this time of change. May we always find the silver lining.

Sept 27 Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse: Aries Style Quick Version

I have been trying to write an article about this upcoming Lunar eclipse for the entire week and it just hasn't been working out. I even wrote a status update that disappeared before I got a chance to post it. So here's the quick and dirty...

The energy of this eclipse has been blowing me away with its intensity since last week. I feel it is powerfully influenced by the square between Mercury Retrograde and Pluto direct. Mercury retrograde is always a reflective energy, and Pluto is bringing up some really OLD stuff. A grieving and feeling that something has died and it's time to move on.

With the Full Moon in Aries on the South Node, I feel there is a strong message about releasing headstrong, willful attitudes, letting the guard down, and being willing to collaborate. We're really looking at the relationships in our lives -- and this encompasses interpersonal relationships as well as how we relate to our life in general -- and assessing how these relationships make or made us FEEL, acknowledging our feelings, and perhaps seeing our lives from a different light. I feel the need for greater balance in our concern for others and what we require to be happy within ourselves is coming to clarity. Where we have been previously unyielding, we might find ourselves softening... Where we have been overly accommodating we may be finding that it's time to stand up for ourselves, with grace.

With Saturn in Sagittarius influencing things, there is a sense of wanting to reconnect with friends and an openness for new adventures that we haven't felt in a while. I feel this energy is also bringing a strong element of truth to the Mercury Retrograde ... Certainly this has appeared in the public discourse of late, but even within the energy there is a sensation of needing to acknowledge one's own truth... "The truth is I really do want to do this. The truth is I really do feel that towards that situation..." When we acknowledge the truth we can be free, otherwise there's a lot of anxiety about whether or not the truth is OK for us. It's finding that balance between Libra's desire to please others and Aries' forcefulness. We worry about what other people think, and then want force the worry into submission... in the end, we just have a worry in a headlock.

Mars Square Saturn -- not a lot of forward movement at the moment, but a feeling like there is a fire under our bums. It's Mercury Retro, so seriously, it's cool, you don't have to push as hard as you think. Take a breather. It seems wiser to stop and evaluate than attempt to charge forward. This is an opportunity to see where we're going to go. We're finding that it's time to let go. Of a lot. All at once. But it's stuff that's been waiting to be gone for a while now. Stuff you knew you'd have to release eventually.  Let it happen because it's beyond your control at this point.  And though it's sad to see these lingerers go on their way, the visions of where we're headed are strong and keep us looking towards the future. This is a new chapter.

The crossing of another threshold into a purer state of true being. Into an even more specific and simultaneously expanded and empowered version of ourself. A leveling of extremes.  This is a life changing/world changing energetic climate.  We really feel we want to get it right.  Put it all in order.  Find central equilibrium.

Somehow it seems like being flexible is important. Perhaps it is the strong mutable influence coming into play. Being attached to outcomes is not the name of the game at the moment -- it's more about dealing in the present as situations arise. Keep the sketch in the back of your mind, but allow yourself to wander.

Keep your feet on the ground. It's a lot of emotions right now but it's best to not get involved. They're not today's emotions... they're from some other time, some other place. Feel them, acknowledge them, and be free.

Hope that helps <3 :)

Happy Equinox ! :D

Saturn in Scorpio - Redux ... A Note on Inner Strength, Transformation and Spiritual Evolution

I do not love the energy of Saturn in Scorpio. Probably because Scorpio also rules my 12th house and lord knows, the 12th house (as I have learned through this treacherous transit) can be an unpleasant room of faceless anxiety and emotional terribleness.  However, inexplicable emotional turmoil aside, I am appreciating this final ingress for the motivation it's given me to go the extra mile on the physical, emotional, and spiritual house cleaning left undone when Saturn went into enthusiastic Sag this December. I think what's happening with this little dip back into Scorpio that lasts throughout the summer is that since we have begun the Sagittarius visioning process in the earlier part of the year, we have a bit more clarity about WHAT our problems in life really are, and WHY we need to make the effort to resolve them. We now have a much more tangible understanding of how making certain changes really serves our immediate and long term goals. Additionally, there's likely been some progress made since last fall that is allowing for changes to take place now that were not possible then.  We are finishing up business, tying up loose ends, and making deep life adjustments that will be essential for our future growth -- and even more specifically -- our long term mental & emotional health.

Scorpio governs psychological processing, sexuality, shared resources, raw emotion, grief, birth and death. The past few years of Saturn in Scorpio has been one of experiencing the psychological blockages that we might have around any or all of the above issues, recognizing them, and working to open up a process of healing.

Saturn in Scorpio is really about commitment to our own empowerment. So often we think that this is as simple as saying "Go" only to find that authenticity as an actuality is an arduous task of parsing through one's own misgivings, societal conditioning, childhood wounding, etc. What Saturn in Scorpio shows us is the true nature of power -- A person does not become truly authentic, thus truly powerful, without enduring the full experience of their own darkness and going through the process of transmutation and transformation. Power in the form of wealth or status can display itself so brightly and seem so convincing, but if it is all a facade, it is ultimately a house of cards that will someday fall down. True power comes through humility, surrender, and commitment to the absolute truth of oneself on all levels.  Under the eye of Saturn we are directed to face ourselves, our fears, and the hidden ways we behave in order to recognize the way our falseness undermines our strength.

To be our whole self takes courage and integrity.  Scorpio energy in its ultimate is the pure, raw, and honest merging with the infinite mysterious power of primal chaos.  It is the fearless knowing and embodiment of our true soul -- the freedom from all the suppression and oppression.  We all want this, yet the profound fear of it can cause us to behave in so many strange ways -- clinging to the things that feel "safe" but are in fact illusory, attempting to control every outcome, and so forth.  Even the desperate and crisis driven "survival mode" Scorpionic folks can fall into is a type of emotional safety and psychological clinging.  The power of the Scorpio spirit, however, is its ability to be in crisis and remain open to the possibility of its own, inevitable death.  We cross these thresholds of fear -- that of life and death -- to meet transformation.  Invariably, in these moments of giving in to that which seems the most frightening, something about us does die, even if it is not our physical body.  But in the process we have met the true self and liberated it.

Though I would not describe these vibes as particularly pleasant, they are productive. We have a few months to excavate and steam clean some final dark, murky space in our psyche. Or at least bring it to light in some way to later set it free. It may be an unpleasant task but we're sure to feel better when it's over, and ready to move on to bigger and better things with a great deal more clarity and peace of mind.

A Season of Love & Surrender: Total Solar Eclipse on the Spring Equinox

My writing about eclipses has lost some of its thunder due to the amazing abundance of great information already out there about what is going on in a technical sense. I felt -- Why add to the redundancy? Instead, I wrote a piece to cover everything I was just simply feeling intuitively about the Solar Eclipse chart, and in my own life. The biggest message I received in my contemplations of 29 Pisces was “The end of victim consciousness and realizing the divine order.” So I present some words on all that I have been seeing, feeling, and experiencing with reference to these recent and momentous astrological currents...

…

The old self is dying. The future is arriving. Our grief is profound, our new freedom amazing. What we want and wish for the past we know is no longer, and we let it go. Maybe joyfully, maybe with some reluctance. We love and embrace who we were, we celebrate everything that we’ve been through these tumultuous years -- we feel all of our pain, all of our joy, as one unified emotion of gratitude. Blessed to have known these octaves of experience, blessed to have received the gift of life – in this moment, at this time, at this place. Life is different now, the world is different now.  It has all been altered – permanently and irreversibly. For better or worse, everything has changed.

We knew all along that one day this change would come. At least, many of us did – if not consciously, then somewhere deep in our cells. We knew that there would be a moment in time when the world itself was to pass through a threshold of being and that every glorious romance of life as we once knew it would yield to the current of memory. We let go of what we cannot carry. We surrender even our most cherished parts. And we do so with the hope and the anticipation of a future that is beyond the bittersweet and delicate well of our past. A future that, until now, has resided only in dreams.

Today is the day we end our consciousness of victimhood and take full responsibility for our soul purpose. Now is the time to realize our authentic self expression, to create our high ideals, to be our dreamselves. This is the moment we make our final break from the old paradigms – purge the collective record of karma through magical thinking and free our value from sinking foundations. It is not the external world that needs to be righted, it is us. Ourselves. No outer form truly changes without the authentic evolution of inner conditions. Take off the masks. Especially the ones that seem the most real.

Release history, embrace love. This is not just new age tripe or a dismissal of the real. A friend offered this message at precisely the moment I fumbled to find these same words: “We can no longer teach through pain.” Have gratitude for your loss. Hold your pain in your arms and squeeze it with all your love and compassion. Then turn it over. Ask the universe to bring the love you feel for that old self into the present day, into your current relationships, into what you share with others. Remove your own bitterness, your own anger. Remove the bitterness, sadness, and regret of your ancestors. Tell them you will live out your destiny, whatever that may be, whatever it may mean. Be open to change. We live our destiny for the highest good of all peoples past and present. We step into our conscious power in order to completely surrender into divine service. Releasing, purifying, questing, feeling, experiencing – hurt, loss, joy, love, anger, grief, despair, elation – to know it, to know us, deeply, all of it – this is the purpose of life on earth.

There is a world beyond our suffering. It is deep and rich. Full and vibrant. There is a world beyond our fear. It is light and free. Open and endless. Do not tarnish it with doubt, heavy expectations or social chains. We are all capable of complete freedom. We are all capable of seeing reality – Oneness, divine harmony. We all can know our true center, which is the same as knowing truth. Sincere intent, humble gratitude, virtuous action, heartfelt humanhood. The simple path to joy.

In choosing to accept all that is offered to us in life, whether it looks just how we think it should or not, whether it ends up hurting in the end or not, whether it is the final destination or not, we choose to open to every possibility, every learning. We open to Tao, Source, The Divine Flow, God, Our Higher Self -- whatever words you choose to express the concept of deep, intimate connection with the unique rhythm of your own individual design and its place in the greater cosmos. The Divine Order of Pisces is in accepting life as it is, with no alterations, no manipulations, and to live from our heart – emanating, eternally, the infinite vibration of Divine Love -- and surrendering everything, absolutely everything, that could possibly interfere with that state of supreme acceptance.  Holiness.  Oneness.

We can all be this.  It is not something we even have to acquire.

A final word, from my Sifu: “Surrender to the Universe and the Universe will surrender to you.”

The Tao of February 2015's Astrological Weather: Reflections on Mercury Retrograde, Venus & Mars in Pisces, the Wounds of Chiron & the Waves of Neptune

On a recent episode of one of my regularly enjoyed astro radio shows, Astrologer Heather Roan Robbins made the comment that “One of the great gifts of Astrology is that it allows us to be where we’re at.” This can apply to so many things in Astrology, but she was talking, of course, but the recent influx of Piscean laziness that seems to have stricken many as both Mars & Venus (the two planets which rule our social nature and action/motivation) transited Pisces in conjunction with a powerful Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius. I, myself, have enjoyed this time taking it easy and encouraged the others I encounter in my days to remember that it’s really OK if they don’t feel like pushing themselves too hard right now – this is a lazy, slow moving, lackadaisical vibe. We’ve been licking old wounds and pampering tired bones. There will be time for action later – for now, just let it all be. For myself, personally, the rest and reflection period was much needed to tie up the extremely hectic Horse year. I have been working quite a lot with Neptunian realms for the past several years, and when these extra potent phases of dreamy, floaty, watery energies pass through, I am reminded that there can be a great deal accomplished in states of “non-doing.” As a person whose strengths are in every element BUT water, this has been challenging for me to learn.  On a cultural level, we have become so obsessed with producing, having results, and doing that we almost completely disregard the moments of simple refinement that these Piscean realms represent. Really -- all healing, all joy, all beauty, all abundance, all true love – comes to us not through a state of doing but through a state of allowing. No matter what we might want there are just some things in life that cannot be forced into being – they either are, or they aren’t. Pisces is a sign that represents dissolution but also, in my eyes, radical acceptance for what is. If you look at Pisces’ polarity, Virgo – the sign of judgment, critical analysis, etc – we see the world more through the lens of “This is the right way” and “this is the wrong way.” In Pisces’ world, any way is right, because all paths, no matter how windy, indirect or convoluted, are intending us all in the same direction. That is, in the direction of the divine will – our reunion with the Oneness. There is almost a complete lack of discrimination here, which in a way can be quite wonderful, but is also sensitive Pisces’ major Achilles heel. In the world we live in, discernment is a necessary skill, or else we can easily allow ourselves to be mercilessly thrashed by every oncoming wind and wave – taking on the woes and troubles of everyone we meet and eventually drowning in the muck. Nonetheless, in the right time and the right place, these non-discriminating states can open us to experiences of otherworldly beauty, deep heart healing, and the simple, evolving process of living without needing to have a reason.

Experience within this realm has taught me that at its highest level, Pisces work is soul work. Everything we deemed important can be taken in a second out to sea, and we find that we are left alone with just the core of our inner self, our inner want, our inner calling. There was nothing we could have done to discover this inner self, it was actually there all along – it was just the conditioning that we carry and all the stuff we cloak ourselves with that was covering it. Often it is the clinging to these cloaks that causes the pain and disillusionment often associated with Neptune (Pisces realm) transits. In this realm, we really grapple with what is REAL – as in what is TRUE – and what is just an illusion. Our inner vision is suddenly awakened, and our inner atmosphere seems more permeable and more impressionable than before. Ordinary encounters now possess many layers– mixed signals, hidden motives, emotional manipulations – and can become quite tiring to experience, much less sort through and understand. Becoming aware of the subconscious noise within ourselves and others can be disorienting, but it is in our allowing that these confusing experiences also become teachers. Rather than resist, try to fix, or resolve, we let the process unfold naturally and reveal to us the hidden aspects that we were previously unable to discern. And then, these experiences that once vexed us become gifts of insight and crystal clear clarity. All this is accomplished quite effortlessly. It is said that muddy waters become clear once settled. This is exactly the lesson of Pisces/Neptune. Through letting be and doing nothing, clarity comes on its own.

Another major feature of the past month’s work in Pisces has, of course, been our work with Chiron as both Venus and Mars made aspect to this planet/asteroid in the course of its journey the past few weeks. Chiron represents wounding, healing, and wounding all over again. So while the Pisces sea always seems to me like this place of unstructured randomness and free form emotion, there was also this added element of primal wounding at work. I saw this play out in my life in several ways – the most potent example for me was the day before the Chiron-Mars conjunction on January 31st, my sister’s Chiron in Taurus (wounds surrounding money, material possessions, worth and self worth) was activated when she peeled off the top of her moving truck on a low clearance overpass (at a bank, no less) just moments after I had decided to ignore an intuitive message that was repeatedly prompting me to warn my sister about said overpass, triggering my own Chiron-in-Gemini dilemmas (Gemini is not only the sign of communication, but it is also the sign of siblings. Seriously. Astrology is that literal.) Over the course of the following days and weeks, I found myself really working deeply with my emotions surrounding my siblings, and in an even bigger way – my struggles surrounding self expression, conveying information/truth, and listening to my inner voice. This week, as Venus came into aspect with Chiron on Monday, I found myself looking at this wound again as I fumble through a new intuitive process for me – working with the Akashic Records. Although I had one extraordinarily amazing adventure in the records in the beginning (which I hope to share in some future time), the subsequent process has mostly been an exercise in breaking through incredible inner resistance. At the same time, this has also been illuminating in itself, as I am learning about this resistance more intimately and also receiving instructions (abstract as they may be) on how to actually CLEAR these energetic barriers that have been ailing me most of my life. Communicating truth (Chiron in Gemini) has been a major source of wounding for me. I have either told the truth at all the wrong times, in all the wrong ways, or withheld the truth at all the wrong times, in the wrong ways… and from my fraught perspective – there’s been almost nothing in between. The reality is, there are plenty of times when my communication skills have actually been lauded and I really flow with my divine truth (just as I have observed individuals with Chiron in Taurus, who usually fret about finances and success, experience great rewards and praise for their steadfast, fastidious & level headed hard work). So in some totally contrary way, communicating truth is also my divine gift. But this is Chiron we are talking about – so akin to Saturn, this divine gift does not necessarily come easily at all times. It must go through a lifetime of painful trials and total failures in order to find that central, refined place where the aspect of our lives that we’re always screwing up and feel real sensitive about evolves into our natural source of healing.

This principle of Chiron will apply to you differently, depending on where Chiron is in your chart. For my sister with Chiron in Taurus, we spent three days at my house with the ripped up truck in the driveway and all she could do between frustrating phone calls with the truck company was sit in a room away with no view of it and refer to “The Monster In the Driveway” with slight fear and trepidation. The truck had become the manifestation of her inner Chirotic dilemma. The very picture of everything wrong. Chiron can feel very much like the “Monster In the Driveway” – a giant gaping THING that we’re perpetually having problems with and feel like everyone sees. It’s where we feel like we’ve been walking around half exposed, and are unable to escape our own folly. It’s where we’re vulnerable, weak, struggle to trust, and feel like we’re failing. In fact, it was the question, “Why do I feel like a failure?” that brought me my most important guidance with reference to my troubles with inner listening. Failures are moments when things are the exact opposite of how we want them to be. Moments when we feel we’ve met a dead end, where we’ve made the same error too many times, or create an obstacle for ourselves through our expectations. Moments where we’re required to do one of two things – take a totally new approach, or further refine our way of being in order to create a new pathway for success. When we have the courage to not only face our wound, but begin the work of reframing our life according to the new knowledge gained through the wounding experience, we then transition into the energy of healing. Not only for ourselves, but also for the other people we meet along the way who can now benefit from our experiences.

I find myself thinking of the guidance from Hexagram 39 “Obstruction” in the I-Ching – this is a teaching I find myself returning to frequently, and speaks very much to the considerations I brought to this post. In summary of these reflections, I leave you with this…

During times of obstruction, one should be still and practice cultivation. This opportunity should be used to gather energy, instead of complicating matters with impatience and struggle. When one has a positive attitude, even the highest mountain seems lower and the deepest water more shallow. Inner strength can make obstructions seem less imposing.

Attempting to fight an obstruction directly can often become an obstacle to breakthrough. Instead of battling the difficulty head on, one can overcome the obstacle by simply letting go and ceasing the struggle. Both benefit and growth can result from a so-called obstruction.

Obstructions are met daily when things do not go as planned. In the process of growth, obstructions are met thousands of times over and usually generate great despair. One who wishes to move forward, but is unable to do so because of restrictions, can respond by changing direction and taking another path, one that goes inward or upward. Sometimes what appears difficult is actually a protection or an opportunity for spiritual growth. All great achievements are attained through the positive use of obstructions.

Without an obstacle there can be no breakthrough.

 -- Excerpts from Ni, Hua-Ching, I-Ching: The Book Of Changes and the Unchanging Truth, Hex. 39 “Obstruction”