Author Archives: Christina

The First New & Full MOONS of 2022

New Moon in Capricorn:

January 2, 2022 @ 12:35 pm CST

The first Lunar Cycle of this New Year, 2022, gets off to a deliberate start on January 2 @ 12:35 pm CST. We have a newly retrograde Venus traveling back through Capricorn, having just made conjunction with Pluto. Venus/Pluto requires a transformation of fundamental values & especially so in the Cardinal Earth sign of Capricorn & with a Venus retrograding there. The call to action is that we take RESPONSIBILITY for the things that we have chosen to value, love & cherish. Are they worthy of our energy? Are we focusing on what is real or are we being consumed by something illusionary, not long-lasting? Where do YOU put your energy? This is a necessary question to explore in these strange & shifting times.

Jupiter is newly entered into Pisces where the aspirational part of our psyches can stretch out & imagine what might seem impossible. This is magical energy so believe that miracles can happen both in your own personal life & in the life of the social collective. At the highest of levels, Pisces energy is able to remove obstacles & create sudden opportunities as if out of thin air. Watch for these kinds of magical events in your own life as you tackle any existing situations that need a solution. One keyword for Jupiter in Pisces is BELIEVE, so find a way to believe in that which you thought you could not. This Jupiter in Pisces is square the nodal axis that stretches across Sagittarius (south node) & Gemini (north node). Squares to the nodes suggest a repeat & redo directive. Examine your belief systems (Sagittarius), your perception of what is true (Gemini), your aspirational focus (Jupiter) & ask yourself if you are open to changing things up. Is there something in your life that has been blocking you from reaching your full potential? Can you articulate it clearly enough so as to start to develop strategies to alter it? Take this energetic opportunity to do so. What may have been relevant in the past may no longer be reflective of your current state of mind.

An almost stationary Uranus @ 11* Taurus is in an almost perfect trine to the lunation @ 13* Capricorn. Figure out what you need to do to expedite your life process & then throw out the rulebook & think outside the box. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results. (You can dig a little deeper into this Uranus Station in Taurus in my blog under ‘star stuff’, the 2022 overview…

(https://www.christinarai.com/category/star-stuff/)

The Sabian Symbols for this New Moon are:

A FIRE WORSHIPPER (CAPRICORN)

 

 

 

ONE HAND SLIGHTLY FLEXED WITH A VERY PROMINENT THUMB (CANCER)

Find your passion & exercise your divinely given right to express your personal authority. Fire worshippers are devoted, committed. They are the ones who give all of themselves to what they profess to believe. The image of the slightly flexed hand suggests power & forcefulness. In palmistry, a prominent thumb indicates a leader, someone who is willing to take matters into their own hands & do what needs to be done. You have the opportunity to find your inner warrior & stand firm for your cause with determination & passion & unwavering doubt.

 

The CANCER Full Moon that follows this Capricorn New Moon occurs on January 17, 2022, @ 5:48 pm. Let’s all pray for a clear night!!!

Illumination & Realization are just two features of the symbology of Full Moons. And this Full Moon promises revelation that will turn us upside down! Both Mercury in Aquarius & Venus in Capricorn are retrograde, while Uranus is at a standstill in Taurus, on the verge of turning direct. Pluto is almost perfectly in union with the Sun, thus opposing the Moon. Things MUST transform. Truth must be spoken. Keep checking in with yourself & your own personal ‘truth meter’. The stationary Uranus in Taurus is in a dynamic relationship to Mercury RX & Saturn in Aquarius. We must all THINK FOR OURSELVES & stop allowing others to dictate what we should believe or not believe. Do your own research of anything that you are not sure of, anything that you might be beginning to question (Mercury RX). Just because you hear it, does not make it true. To clarify this thought, go and get a copy of George Orwell’s “1984”. Read carefully how easily the media was used in that narrative to control the way people thought about the things they were told to believe. Here’s an example…WAR BRINGS PEACE. Really? (If you read that statement & immediately began to justify it, then you, & I include myself in this, have been influenced by the ongoing narrative around the use of power & might.)

Mars, who triumphs when in Capricorn, will soon leave Sagittarius & enter that sign. Mark down this date: JANUARY 22, 2022. (That is in the Central Time Zone.) Once transiting Capricorn, he will meet & greet both Venus & Pluto. Mars/Venus is all about Passionate Action while Mars/Pluto is all about Indomitable Will Power. On a more mundane level, Mars/Venus could ignite passionate responses & Mars/Pluto warns that we must be mindful of all of the actions that we take. We will explore these touchpoints in future blogs.

The Sabian Oracles for the Full Moon Degrees are :

A MODERN POCAHONTAS (CANCER)

 

A LARGE AVIARY (CAPRICORN)

Break those restrictions! Cross those lines that divide us! Be a humanitarian in the best possible sense! Embrace the diversity of the human experiment & LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your fellow humans. We are a species that NEEDS to flock together. We NEED to have contact, to communicate, to relate. If there is any good that has come from the social experiment that has been perpetrated upon us over the last two years, it is that we NEED each other & that without that sense of community & belonging, we will wither & ultimately die. So, let us all recognize that we want to find that place called home where other like-minded beings also dwell; that we can make a better tomorrow if we only take hold of our today & shape it into the kind of reality that reflects the highest of values & aspirations. Capricorn energy leads the way. Supported by the heart energy of Cancer, let the practical, no-nonsense approach of Capricorn fill you up and give you the strength to carry on. Listen to your heart & follow your gut!

2022 OVERVIEW

At the beginning of a global New Year, it’s useful to review the energy, both at the start of the year & then to get a bird’s eye view into the end of the year.

One interesting feature is that we begin January 2022 with Venus RX in Capricorn & a Uranus RX in Taurus, & we end 2022 with Mercury RX in Capricorn, Mars RX in Gemini & the outer, Uranus RX in Taurus. More on this later.

Following are the dates when the planets make their stations in 2022:

As always, the mundane New year begins with the Sun transiting Capricorn & ends with the Sun transiting Capricorn. This year, the Capricorn energy is underlined with Mercury, Venus & Pluto all joining the Sun in that energy. The Venus RX further focuses on this practical, no-nonsense energy. This same union of planetary energies duplicates itself at the end of the year with the ruler, Saturn in Aquarius leading the way & Venus in direct motion. The suggestion is that we take charge of our personal reality by aligning with higher principles (Aquarius) & being clear-eyed & methodical (Capricorn) as we take action to transform that reality to better reflect who we have become, who we are becoming. No small task but a necessary one. The truth that is revealed as Venus retrogrades at the beginning of the year (2022) will be an important factor in our lives by the end of the year (2022). Scrutinize yourself carefully as you do your own personal soul-searching.

Mercury will retrograde 4X this year, all in the AIR/EARTH elements. Find the following points in your own chart & note what part of your psyche will be involved in the retrograde period. Note the dates for the 4 retrogrades & put a reminder in your calendar so that you are consciously aware as the energy begins to shift. If you have sensitive points in AIR/EARTH signs, you may experience these retrogrades more intensely but consciousness is key at all times. And remember, if you do not experience the energy shift in the same way that others may, do not panic. Everyone interfaces with the energy around them uniquely. Some retrogrades may feel like a bomb within your psyche while others manifest like a tickling feather. The key is to learn to identify how YOU feel it without comparing it to what others are describing.

First RX

Jan 14, 2022                        RX @ 11* Aquarius (I am rounding up)

Feb 3, 2022                         SD @ 25* Capricorn

There is a period of time referred to as the ‘SHADOW’ period pre & post the stations when Mercury travels through the degrees involved in the actual retrograde. These periods are about 2-3 weeks in length on either side & the recommendation is that we maintain our awareness so as to counteract any irregularities that might occur. Think of the pre & post periods as the beginning of the swell of the wave & the ebb of the wave of energy. How any individual will react during these & the actual retrograde periods is entirely dependent on the structure of your own personal psyche so don’t get ahead of yourself with anxiety over Mercury RX. Use these periods PROACTIVELY to re-imagine, re-think, review, reconsider, retract & any of the other ‘re’ words that apply in YOUR life.

Mercury is comfortable in Aquarius where he has loads of room to imagine & speculate, devise & do some long-term visioning. The significant ‘re’ word for this RX is RE-IMAGINE. Those of you who have been born with this placement are the free, unfettered BIG THINKERS of our world. Some of you cannot only imagine the future that awaits us but also create strategies (Saturn co-rules Aquarius) to bring that future into form. As Mercury dips back into Capricorn, we get the extra bit of constructive help to take any ideas that have been percolating & whip them into workable protocols.

 

The 2nd Mercury RX period occurs as follows:

May 10. 2022                     RX @ 5* Gemini

June 2, 2022                        SD @ 27* Taurus

This is one of Mercury’s home signs where he finds free reign to explore & investigate anything that catches his interest. The dip back into Taurus provides some grounding & stabilizing. The big ‘re’ word for a Geminian retrograde is RETHINK. Make sure that any flights of fancy are firmly attached to some solid ground!

 

 

 

The 3rd RX period is:

September 9, 2022           RX @ 9* Libra

October 2, 2022                SD @ 25* Virgo

If you have a significant amount of Libra energy, this retrograde could cause a measure of irritation. Libra naturally tends to waffle between alternate approaches & the retrograde further intensifies the ambiguity. The proactive aspect of a retrograde here is that if something is still unresolved, here is an opportunity to revisit all previous negotiations & RE-BALANCE so as to find a better-negotiated compromise. Was something overlooked? Could something have been more clearly articulated so that an understanding could be reached? The dip back into Virgo allows for a careful search into all of the relevant data so that a workable healing solution is finally accomplished.

The 4th RX period is:

December 29, 2022          RX @ 25* Capricorn

January 18, 2023               SD @ 9* Capricorn

With the last RX period that begins at the very end of the year, the retrograde of Mercury will fall within the EARTH element for 2023 until the last retrograde when Fire is involved. Whatever is on the table at the end of 2022 will have the chance to be thoroughly vetted under the relentless Saturnian assessment of Capricorn. Expect some interesting developments as Mercury first flirts with Uranus in Taurus (TRINE) throughout January 2023 & then reaches Pluto (CONJUNCTION) in early February 2023.

 

VENUS RX

December 18, 2021

SRX @ 27* Capricorn

January 29, 2022

SD @ 12* Capricorn

Venus starts the year retrograding through Capricorn & ends the year Direct in Capricorn. As previously mentioned, this is all about workable, useful & practical values to give us a solid foundation for the choices that we make & the goals that we set. We are living in a time period when it is absolutely essential that we are clear-eyed & hard-headed. We must find a rock on which to build our future, not the shifting sand.

Mars bolts into the New Year in zesty Sagittarius; gallops through half of the Zodiac & ends up in Gemini in full retrograde mode. Whenever Mars retrogrades, it’s time to catch our collective breath & re-charge our operating systems whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Mars stations RX in Gemini on October 30, 2022, @ 26*, turning direct in Gemini on January 12, 2023 @ 9*. Because Mars describes active implementational energy, we need to monitor that part of our system during this time period. Actively work HARD to stay calm as Gemini is nervy energy when reactively agitated. Drink lots of water & maintain a balance within the body. Body balance contributes to mental balance which then facilitates emotional balance. And, of course, keep on track spiritually. Check in with yourself and ensure that your external active reality is in sync with your internal perceptive reality. It is easy for things to go off the rails when rapid-fire thinking & expression are being churned up & around. Watch your words AT ALL TIMES. Once said, they can never be unsaid. Really consider whether it is worth saying something before letting it loose. The retrograde ‘stall’ can help with restraint. Just because you think it, does not mean it is true. If it is even remotely possible that it is not true, should you even consider saying it? HMMMM…

In a way, when Mars retrogrades through Gemini, hasty action is somewhat abated. Even though we might get a sense of wanting to just ‘do it’, something within us tells us to slow it down & review our plan of action. The worst thing that can happen is that we might ‘stub our toe’ as we stop ourselves from moving…LOL

 

 

Jupiter will spend his time in Pisces & Aries in 2022.

January 1, 2022                 1* Pisces

May 11, 2022                      enters Aries

July 28, 2022                       stations RX, 9* Aries

October 29, 2022              re-enter Pisces in RX mode

November 23, 2022        stations direct 29* Pisces

December 21, 2022          re-enters Aries in direct motion

December 30, 2022          2* Aries

Jupiter is generally regarded as a positive energy. The concept here is EXPANSION. In most cases, we want growth & increase. Our job is to ensure that what is being increased is something that we WANT in our lives. If we have fallen into a negative space, transiting Jupiter could expand that negativity so keep your eyes on your figurative PRIZE. Make sure that you clean house in the part of your life that falls in the Pisces/Aries section of your chart. Do you have significant placements in those signs? What houses are involved? This can be a wonderful transit if we work with the abundance principle of Jupiter.

If you were born with Jupiter in Pisces, this is your Jupiter return year, a 12-ish year loop on the spiral of becoming that can be used to re-set the aspirational aspects of your life. Where do you want to be in about 10-12 years?


What needs to be done BY YOU, so that you can get close to your goal? Making a vision board around these themes can be a very useful project & particularly in sync with Jupiter in Pisces as this is one of the most delightful placements anyone can have, full of magic! Those of you who have Jupiter in Aries should also engage in a creative vision board project but the emphasis here is on action, courage & personal initiative. While the vision board for the Jupiter in Pisces people is all pastel & dreamy, you Jupiter in Aries people will want to fill your picture with bold bright images that inspire you to action.

Saturn continues his transit of Aquarius.

January 1, 2022                 12* Aquarius

June 4, 2022                        stations RX @ 26* Aquarius

October 23, 2022              stations direct @ 19 * Aquarius

December 31, 2022          23* Aquarius

Since Aquarius is one of the ‘home’ signs for Saturn, the re-constructive work continues but now the shift is from the present (Capricorn) & into the future (Aquarius). The irregularities that we have all had to face as more and more was revealed over the past 2 years, now require some long-term planning in order to be corrected. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to keep our ‘rose-coloured’ glasses on in the face of all of the hidden corruption, now revealed. What kind of future reality does any of us want? Is this current reality sustainable? What are the solutions to our current state of affairs? From government mismanagement to social unrest to economic upheaval, it’s ALL on the table. As a collective, we must be certain that what we are building has a chance of surviving.

Uranus is now midway through Taurus:

January 1, 2022:                RX @ 11* Taurus

January 18, 2022               SD @ 11* Taurus

August 24, 2022                RX @ 19* Taurus

December 31, 2022          RX @ 16* Taurus

The shift to our collective organic sense of being is continuing. Find these degrees in your own personal chart & reflect on how things have changed in that part of your life over the past few years. Uranus will finish his transit of Taurus in 2026 so we have a few more years of potential stomach-churning chaos to get through. Keep focused on the fact that once the chaos subsides, what is left is something of greater value than what had been there previously.

Neptune continues to transit Pisces.

January 1, 2022                 direct @ 21* Pisces

June 28, 2022                     RX @ 26* Pisces

December 4, 2022            SD @ 23* Pisces

December 31, 2022          direct @ 23* Pisces (It takes a while for the energy to get moving after a retrograde.)

The confusion that many are feeling about the global situation is directly related to this long transit of Neptune through Pisces. Again, whether you are compliant or contrarian, the fact is that everything is not as it seems. Everyone is finding it challenging to DEFINE what is actually going on & when someone does come up with an explanation, any number of others jump up to offer a counter explanation. There is definitely a virus present amongst us, no question. But, is it a virus of the flesh or a virus of the psyche? Or both? Neptune CLOUDS the mind. Neptunian energy can obstruct one from actually thinking CRITICALLY. This can be the energy of suggestion, deceit & confusion. When one is confused, uncertain, open to suggestions, one can reactively become FEARFUL. The UNKNOWN can be frightening. The call to action is to default to whatever is YOUR version of the DIVINE. With “GOD”, all things are possible. That is the way to get through this ongoing nebulous Neptune transit. Oh, & to take all precautions physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually to keep yourself free from CONTAGION, however you think it is present in your life. Neptune will begin his ‘burn off’ of the clouds of Pisces in 2025 when he sticks his toe into Aries. Expect a resurgence of clarity around that time, an infusion of courage.

Finally, our little friend, Pluto:

January 1, 2022                 direct @ 26* Capricorn

April 29, 2022                     RX @ 29* Capricorn

October 8, 2022                SD @ 27* Capricorn

December 31, 2022          direct @ 28* Capricorn

The structure of our collective reality has been forever altered. Life will never be the same again. That is not a pessimistic thought. Rather it is a fact that we can work with or not as we choose. The key to natural survival is ADAPTATION. We all have to adapt to the changing times. As Pluto prepares to shift into Aquarius in 2023, we all have the opportunity to review what we can do to better align to the changes in our world. How are we choosing to live? Are we consuming less? Are we giving more? Are we mindful & respectful of our fellow beings on this planet? How can we do more in this respect? Do we engage in geopolitical action? When we vote, do we actually KNOW what we are voting for, or are we just following the sound bites of the propaganda media? Do your research. Take in information FROM ALL SIDES OF ANY ISSUE. Capricorn is ALL about personal responsibility, taking charge & making a stand. Do not be a sheeple. Be a GOAT!

Let’s not forget ECLIPSE SEASON. There will be 4 eclipses during 2022, all across the TAURUS/SCORPIO polarity.

April 30, 2022

PARTIAL SOLAR @ 11* TAURUS

MAY 15, 2022

TOTAL LUNAR @ 26* SCORPIO

OCTOBER 25, 2022

PARTIAL SOLAR @ 3* SCORPIO

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

TOTAL LUNAR @ 16* TAURUS

Eclipses are the indicators of needed shift. Wherever they fall in your own personal natal chart is where a change must be initiated. Solar eclipses tend to be more external in nature while the Lunar ones tend to be more internal. Both augur potential for RELEASE & RECOVERY. A solar eclipse can create a ‘peak’ experience that leads to freedom & growth. A lunar eclipse can peel away layers of emotional reactivity that initially feels scary but ultimately allows a truer version of the emotional self to emerge. Not every eclipse will bring about significant changes. It all depends on the unique structure of YOUR energy grid so find the above points & meditate on what exactly is going on in that area of your chart. At the very least, doing this exercise could trigger awareness in you that you previously did not have. 2022 eclipses will be particularly significant for the Taurus/Scorpio folks & their FIXED ENERGY friends (the square aspect). But, of course, all energy is connected by the web of life so make sure to dig into these points in your own chart even if you are not in the above category

To re-cap, as the New Year gets off to a start, most of the planets are in Direct Motion; as mentioned Venus is retrograde in Capricorn & Uranus is almost at a standstill as he prepares to turn direct in Taurus.

The Station Direct Degree for Uranus is 10* 49” Taurus; (round that up to 11*). This point is characterized within the Sabian symbols by the image: A WOMAN WATERING FLOWERS IN HER GARDEN (TAURUS) & A DROWNING MAN IS BEING RESCUED (SCORPIO).

(editor’s note: When deciphering the subtle message of the Sabian Oracle, it is useful to look at the polarity energies since they are two parts of an ongoing sentence.)

 Contained within these two images is the concept of SURVIVAL, GROWTH, A BLOSSOMING OF LIFE. On the one hand, we are encouraged to take action—the watering of the flowering garden while on the other hand, we are being told that aid is on the way. As Uranus continues to re-organize the natural world (literally & symbolically), we can hold on to the fact that life will continue, even flourish & that we are not alone in the midst of the swells of the sea. Uranus has been moving through the 2nd DECANATE of Taurus, 10*-19*59”, the VIRGO DECANATE.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The DECANATE system divides each 30* ‘sign’ into 3 parts, ascribing to these 3 parts the 3 zodiac signs that form the particular elemental group in question. Using Taurus as an example, the 1st of the 3 sections (0*-9*59”) is Taurus/Taurus; the 2nd section (10*00”-19*59”) is Taurus/Virgo; the 3rd & final section (20*00”- 29*59”) is Taurus/ Capricorn. The signs are always read according to the NATURAL WHEEL in the order that they proceed therein counter clockwise around the wheel starting at any of the signs.)  

The Virgo undercurrent demands that we sort through the chaos & begin to separate the wheat from the chaff. Modern life has given us much. Not all of it should be discarded. And yet, a lot of us have the sense that something is off-balance, whether organically, socially, emotionally or spiritually. Our relationship to the Earth, our MOTHER, is precarious. Often, we cannot connect with our fellow travelers even to somewhat understand what they are trying to communicate. Relationships are being challenged on every front. And, for a lot of us, we have lost our FAITH so that we are like a rudderless ship on an angry sea. Back in the 1960’s it was clever to say that ‘GOD WAS DEAD’. I say, God is not dead; it is we who are dead to God. No matter what the precepts of your belief system are, the critical element is that YOU HAVE A BELIEF SYSTEM and hang onto it with all of your might as it is the single thing that will save you from complete & utter desolation. As Paul, the Reluctant Apostle said:

“FAITH IS THE ASSURED EXPECTATION OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENT DEMONSTRATION OF REALITIES THOUGH NOT BEHELD.” HEB: 11:1

It is Faith that enables us to start each day with an expectation & it is Faith that assures us that the expectation can be realized. That is what we need to cultivate deep within ourselves as we begin this New Year, 2022.

The January 1, 2022 event chart also has Mars in Sagittarius closely aligned to the transiting Moon & ruled by a newly formed Jupiter in Pisces. We need to locate our inner truth & hold to it no matter the cost.

The formerly mentioned Venus RX in Capricorn closely aligns to Pluto (now direct), demanding that we look inward & transform anything that inhibits our honest expression of what we hold to be of value. For some of us, this will be a refining process while others may be undergoing a challenging shift in their own sense of value & worth.

Transiting Mercury in Capricorn oversees this personal process by inserting a dispassionate, matter of fact sort of attitude as we dig into the foundations of our reality & test it out. If it ain’t working, then throw it out! If you think it might still be useful, shake off the cobwebs & prime it up. It can be a tedious process to review what we think is valuable, what is still worth keeping & yet, if we do not do this on a regular basis, we can become inundated with clutter that does not contribute in any worthwhile way. With Uranus RX in Taurus in trine to the Sun in Capricorn on this first day of the New Year, we are open to new strategies, unusual approaches & out of the box solutions to any & all situations that are present in our lives and the changes are coming from deep within our own psyches. We, all of us, know that a change MUST be made whether we are consciously aware of it or not. For the compliant amongst us, this could be like a deep sense of unease that something is not quite right while for the contrarians, there is more likely a sense of impatience & anxiety as to how long this circus around us is going to continue.

The chart has a Libra Ascendant, ruler Venus RX in Capricorn in the 4th, underlining the focus on inner reflection so as to bring balance to our reality. Where can we find common ground with those around us? Where can we compromise so as to create peace & unity? How can we LISTEN more intently to the words of ‘the other’ so as to better understand where they are coming from. Libra is the energy of conciliation & peace. There is a deep longing within the collective consciousness to find a pathway into a peace that will unite. The last few years have been brutal in terms of disunity, divisiveness & even blatant hatred of one another. It must stop. We must find the compassion of forgiveness which is the only thing that will heal this broken bond between us. Hopefully, all of us, individually, will work hard to find a place of common purpose with those around us. It must begin with respect for one another & the different choices that are made by each of us. There is & never has been a SINGLE SOLUTION to any situational problem & this is even more true for the problem that now faces the global community.

As already mentioned, the Moon & Mars are closely aligned in Sagittarius, suggesting zesty emotional energy to fuel us as we work towards a reality that is more coherent, more loving, more peace-oriented. Sagittarius will not be deterred from its quest & in this case, the quest is worth the effort! With the ruler, Jupiter, now situated in Pisces, the underlining energy demands that we focus on natural divine law as we attempt to sort through the issues that we face. Fight for freedom, both for yourself & for those around you. Think long & hard as to what that actually means. Don’t be bamboozled by those who have agendas that involve vast sums of money, power & control.

This coming year, the great God, Jupiter will mostly occupy Pisces. Compassion. Peace. Forgiveness. Unconditional Love. If we exercise or at least, attempt to exercise Unconditional Love for the life that shares this planet with us, we will find a way to forgive the sins that we & those around us commit. If we find Compassion within our hearts & send it out to the life forms that share this planet with us, we will find a path into Peace, the peace that surpasses all thought & forms an unbreakable bond between us all.

Winter Solstice 2021

The Wheel of Time turns again.

We begin to feel the ‘return of the Sun’ in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21, 2021, @ 9:59 AM CST. Then, the world at large pauses to usher in the ‘new year’ on December 31, 2021. AND…everyone is ready for a truly NEW YEAR after the challenges that we have faced as a collective over the past 2 years.

Whether we are the ‘compliant’ or the ‘contrarian’, all of us have had to adjust to the so-called ‘NEW NORMAL’ as the globe has battled against the information, disinformation & misinformation surrounding the so-called pandemic. Whether you agree that extreme measures are necessary or you question this, you have had to find a way to live with what the global governments & regulating authorities have done to counteract the threat of universal disease (not particularly effectively, actually). But a new day is dawning. The Wheel turns. Let’s move on, shall we?

The first thing to note is that only two of the major planets are retrograde at the moment of ingress; Venus retrograde @ 27* Capricorn & Uranus retrograde (but moving extremely slowly) @ 12* Taurus. The energetic engine is in gear! We should be able to feel a sense of impetus rising up from deep within us. Most of us are absolutely ready to get moving, to initiate the kinds of alterations that will facilitate forward movement in all areas of our lives.

Venus RX is conjunct Pluto & very closely opposed to the Winter Solstice Moon @ 28* Cancer. The TRANSFORMATION (Pluto) of everything that we thought we understood & valued, loved, idealized & CHERISHED (Venus) is something that NEEDS (Moon) to be done, and, from the very core of our selves. We all must dig down into our deepest feelings and ascertain what is truly of importance in our lives (active opposition between the Moon & Venus/Pluto). Venus Retrograde in Capricorn demands that we examine the STRUCTURES that support our reality with a dispassionate eye. Do not allow your emotions to muddy up the waters of your life. Use them proactively & do not be victim to unnecessary fears & anxieties. The retrograde also enables us to TAKE OUR TIME as we attempt to unravel what is true, what is not; what is needed, what should be discarded; what is usable, what is obviously not usable. As Venus retrogrades, we have the opportunity to visit & re-visit all of the above before actually taking action.

The Ruler of the Winter Solstice chart at the CST zone is a powerful, direct-moving Saturn in Aquarius @ 11*. This is one of the signs where Saturn finds his comfort, (the other is Capricorn). His strength is reinforced by the modern-day ruler, Uranus, in the earthy energy of Taurus. This set of relationships underlines the potential for the restructuring of both your own personal reality & that of the collective reality once critical mass is reached by the collective consciousness.

(Just an aside on this peculiar element: Our collective reality has been through the pressure cooker. Some of us have been acutely aware of the stresses to the social order & have resisted the changes that have been implemented while others of us have more easily accepted these same changes, complied & even agreed that they were necessary. But, as more clarity is brought to the ongoing social situation, ALL of us will have to make necessary adjustments in how we understand what is going on socially. A specific example of this is in the area of IMMUNITY TO THE VIRUS. All reference to NATURAL IMMUNITY has been either removed from official sources or minimized almost to non-mention. However, when one gets an antibody test, that test CANNOT determine if the antibodies present are from the Vaccine or from Naturally Acquired Immunity because of exposure to or illness due to the Virus. All of us will have to come to terms with this HARD FACT; that IMMUNITY is IMMUNITY, no matter where one gets it. Then, we will all have to explore the reasons WHY the authorities have minimized naturally obtained immunity & maximized vaccine acquired immunity. This is called CRITICAL THINKING; working our way through a thorny topic even when it is uncomfortable to do so. The conclusion that any one of us finally comes to is ours & ours alone, as long as we follow the breadcrumbs to the end of the path. Do not just accept blindly what someone tells you without at least attempting to verify that it is indeed, based on provable data. If the conclusion that you arrive at is different than what you had originally thought to be true, be willing to make adjustments, to scrutinize yourself & to admit that your viewpoint has changed. It is a person of integrity & fortitude who is able to do this.)

We had a collective FULL MOON just a few days prior to Winter Solstice & so we are still ‘in the light’, so to speak. The Winter Solstice Sun/Moon phasal relationship is within the arc of Full Phase at the tri-septile point, 208*, (Sun @ 0* Capricorn/ Moon @ 28* Cancer). Realization (Full Phase) contributes to Responsive Action (Full Phase/Tri-Septile). There is a growing clarity around any given situation & from that clarity come strategies to address whatever needs to be addressed. Remember, when the Moon is Full, there is potential for the ‘AHA’ moment; a sudden illumination of circumstances that frees one up to ACT accordingly. Again, if we have been resisting reality, this moment of full perception can be uncomfortable & even devastating to us. The key is to stay open to ANYTHING & not bet on only ONE HORSE. If we are flexible & adaptable, then we can integrate even the most contrary realizations into our psyche. Do not get stuck on only one interpretation. The scientific model demands that you continue to QUESTION everything.

MARS, @ 5* Sagittarius is conjunct the South Node, ruled by a lovely Jupiter in Aquarius. Check in with your spiritual direction. Are you still living your truth? Are you still pursuing the highest of ideals? Dig in to the FAITH OF YOUR FATHERS (ancestral wisdom), & fortify yourself with the wisdom that you have earned. If all of your intuition is telling you something, and if that something is not in sync with the advice of your contemporaries, take the time to TEST YOURSELF OUT. Just because you are one while the rest are many does not mean that their truth is YOUR truth. Find your own truth & be stubborn about it. You will feel better in the end if you do.

Yet another critical relationship in this mandala is the one between Saturn & Uranus, made even more so since Saturn rules the chart & is ruled itself by Uranus. The energy-filled contact between these two archetypes has been forming & re-forming for most of this past year. Authority in all of its various manifestations has been facing down Freedom in all of its various manifestations. Personal liberty juxtaposed against authoritarian control. This confrontation climaxes at this significant shift time. What is the point of all this control? What is the end game? What have we been fighting for? How do we express ourselves & still ‘go along’? Do we want to go along? Is it time for a complete sea-change in the way that we live our lives? Expect to get some insights around all of the above as the NEW YEAR begins its turn.

The energy around this Winter Solstice is potentially powerfully transformative. There is a sense of excitement, a feeling of impatience to get moving. We want change. We want clarity. We want to remove the restrictions that have been placed upon us & shake off the lingering heaviness that has permeated our psyches. We want to be alive while we are alive. This new year promises us that maybe, just maybe, the resurrection of the dead will start to occur!

as the wheel turns

we look to the SUN

as he gathers his strength

in the winter sky

we breathe in his vibrant force of life

into the depths of our souls

we are made mighty

we are made strong

we are warriors of the light

we will never cease

to fight the fine fight

 only victory will be our end…

 

The Last Moon Cycle of 2021

As we approach the final weeks of this current year, we will experience the last eclipse of the season with the NEW MOON on December 4, 2021, in the sign of Sagittarius. This is also the beginning of the last COMPLETE Lunar Cycle for this current year, climaxing with the Full Moon in Gemini (the partner sign to Sagittarius) on December 18, 2021, just days ahead of Winter Solstice. In fact, the whole of December holds much potential for transition & significant shifts, beginning with the Station Direct of Neptune on December 1, 2021. The most hopeful aspect of this shift of unconscious energy is that lingering confusion, doubt & the general sense of malaise that has been seeping through the collective consciousness could finally begin to lift. Neptune in Pisces can be nebulous energy at the best of times and when retrograde, the ambiguity descends into the very core of our being so stay alert for a feeling of ‘clouds clearing on the horizon’!!

With the direct motion, we can dig down into our deepest selves & access our sense of wonder & faith which has been challenged during these dystopian times. It still exists; it is up to us to rekindle the fire & let it blaze brightly from within us.

The push for change & release continues with the New Moon Total Solar Eclipse in the fiery, adventuresome & intrepid sign of Sagittarius; December 4, 2021, @ 1:44, AM CST @ 13*. Take a deep breath in & then as you exhale, consciously let go of everything that is preventing you from living your own truth.

This lunation demonstrates the hopeful possibilities that can ensue when we clear away the blockages from our emotional selves. The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse that we experienced last month paved the way for a fresh outlook devoid of lingering doubts about our own inner sense of what is RIGHT, what is TRUE & what impels us to continue to FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT! As we remember the past, we can more freely begin to build on the present towards a future unencumbered by lingering anxieties & regrets. If we choose NOT “to remember the past then we are condemned to repeat it”. (George Santayana; The Life of Reason; vol.1, ch.12; 1905). Be willing to delve deeply into your own history; identify the toxic patterns; intentionally create strategies to change those patterns. This is working with the energy of shift. Nothing will change if we do not aim to change it.

Awareness of the situation leads to a setting of CLEAR Intention to address elements within the situation which then can lead to Manifestation of positive results from the efforts made. That is the A.I.M. principle.

AWARENESS=====INTENTION=====MANIFESTATION

Simple but not necessarily easy! It requires committed effort on our part. The good news is that Sagittarius energy is EVER HOPEFUL, INTREPID & UNSTOPPABLE in its quest for what is good, true & positive. If you ever have to fight through challenges, make sure you have a Sagittarius to support you! Strongly Sagittarian folk are the best cheerleaders one can have in a pinch!

Mercury is closely aligned to this New Moon, & all three celestial objects, the Sun, the Moon & Mercury are ruled by a now direct moving Jupiter in Aquarius; (direct since October 18, 2021). The call to action is to think boldly about the world that we are all creating on a collective level; to imagine possibility; to speak our individual truth in a positive & compassionate way so as to upbuild & support ALL whom we may encounter, not just those we agree with. Let us all resolve to make a fresh start at seeking common ground, creating fellowship & harmony to the best of our ability.

This is the HIGHEST expression of Aquarian energy—the call to unite despite difference but rather BECAUSE OF difference; to secure common ground from which we can build to a better future based on proactive principles. Diversity is an essential ingredient in the creation of a healthy & productive society. WE DO NOT WANT TO LIVE IN A ONE-NOTE REALITY! That is just another form of eventual non-existence.

Saturn in Aquarius closely aligns to this triple conjunction of Sun/Moon/Mercury. How powerful it is when people unite! There is support to stand in our truth, to stay focused on the highest of ideals as we move forward into our collective future.

As of December 1, 2021, all outers except for Uranus are in Direct Motion. By mid-January, Uranus will also be direct. The time for reflection is temporarily suspended. Hopefully, you will feel a subtle shift of energy as the New Year approaches.

There will be a Venus Retrograde from December 19, 2021-January 29, 2022. This regularly occurring shift of energy (every 18 months), nicely aligns with the forward moving outer planet energy. As we reflect on various past dynamics, the deep unconscious energy within us is ready to enact & create new patterns. Meditate on your values. Tear them down & rebuild them using the powerful lower chakras to support you as you transform your reality. It can feel scary to admit that long-established values no longer are applicable. Whenever we challenge ourselves to review all that we thought was true or valuable, we can experience anxiety & distress. That is especially so at this very chaotic time. We are, all of us, under great duress due to the unusual methods that have been used to control the current global situation. Humans need social interaction. We are a congregating form of life, not inclined to solitary confinement. That is why solitary confinement has been a common form of PUNISHMENT! So, be aware that we have all been PUNISHED for the last 2 years, separated from each other, beaten down & kept in a state of fear & anxiety. It will obviously take its toll. Our job is to counteract as best we can by keeping ourselves strong in body, mind & spirit. Take your vitamins; take in positive & upbuilding information & stop listening overly much to the fear-mongering mainstream media; do your own unique spiritual practice on a daily basis. This current global situation WILL change. Trust that thought.

During the retrograde period of Venus, she will align with Pluto @ 26* Capricorn on December 24, 2021. Be extra cautious around this holiday time to exercise compassion & forgiveness. If old hurts surface, try & see it from the ‘others’ point of view. We all hurt one another as we inter-relate, sometimes intentionally & sometimes unintentionally. How big is our heart energy? How much can we let go of our own ego & be willing to admit our own wrongdoing? Do we HAVE to be right all the time? Pluto energy is, at the highest of expressions, transformative. Be willing to transform on every level & especially in the area of relationship. Exercise gratitude for all that you have received from any of your relationships & be willing to let go of them if they have run their course. Endings are merely the forerunners of beginnings. Hold on to that thought.

Right around the same time, on December 24, 2021, Saturn in Aquarius will form his last square to Uranus in Taurus, bringing to a conclusion this interaction of forces, the struggle to control juxtaposed against the struggle to be free. Oppression versus Liberation. Authority & the Status Quo faced down by individual liberty & freedom of expression. This battle of fundamental principles has been ongoing for most of this current year. Those who hold positions of power have been attempting to establish social norms that THEY deem to be correct while the collective common peoples of the earth have been fighting for their right to express their freedom in their own way & on their own terms. There have been more and more severe crackdowns on Free Speech & Thought, resulting in more and more demonstrations in the streets against these totalitarian actions. Media is also divided with the mainstream media supporting government & more and more alternative media demanding that their voices are also heard. Obviously some kind of concord must be reached if we are to survive as a free & expressive society.

This Moon Cycle climaxes on December 18, 2021 with the Gemini Full Moon. What a breath of FRESH AIR the last Full Moon of this year is! There is a truly beautiful TRINE between the Moon @ 28* Gemini & Jupiter @ 29* Aquarius.  The focus is on clarity of thought, objectivity & detaching from emotional angst. With a stationary Venus conjunct Pluto in Capricorn, we are absolutely resolute as we unravel our emotional hang-ups. We have the intestinal fortitude to face down anything that is causing us distress & carefully analyze our way through the nuances of the situation, whether it is a deeply personal issue, a relational issue, or a monetary issue. Nothing can be fixed unless it is first acknowledged to be broken. Admit to the broken bits of your life, whatever they might be & then methodically proceed to repair what you can, ONE LITTLE PIECE at a time. No rush. This is not a hundred yard dash; it’s a marathon X 1000!

As the nodal axis is set to shift into the Scorpio/Taurus polarity, Mars activates the nodes from the south node point in Sagittarius. One word: Freedom! from the chains of past action. Re-write your personal karma by increasing positive intentional energy in your present actions. Karmic debt is repaid over and over again by what we CHOOSE to do on a daily basis. Every ‘wrong’ thought increases the chains of past karma. Every ‘right’ thought loosens those same chains. Every ‘wrong’ action cements the bricks of past karma around you. Every ‘right’ action breaks those same bricks down. Intentionally choosing to ‘do good’ is a powerful therapeutic for the ills of the past. DO IT! Forgive those who have harmed you. (They will receive all that they gave threefold in their own lives. This is a fundamental law in terms of the way energy moves. Believe it. YOU do not have to take revenge. It is already in the works as soon as evil is born!)

So, act from a place of FAITH. Be bold as you choose to live a conscious intentional life based on positive principles that build those around you up.

 

The Winter Solstice arrives this year on December 21, 2021 @ 9:59 AM CST. As the LIGHT begins to increase in the Northern Hemisphere, we are encouraged to initiate real change in our lives. There is a BRILLIANCE around this Solstice. Watch for my blog on this wondrous energetical shift in the next few weeks!

TAURUS FULL MOON, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 @ 2:59 AM CST

Full moons are a time of both culmination & potential balancing of energy.  The balancing occurs as the culmination arrives. Nowhere is that more dramatic than within the Scorpio/Taurus polarity. Scorpio energy calls out the mystery within us & the partner sign of Taurus brings it into form. It is the axis of EARTH (Taurus) MAGIC (Scorpio). The Taurus Full Moon occurs only once (for the most part) during the yearly cycle when the Sun is transiting the sign of Scorpio. This is a potent time to review intentions & make adjustments to protocols that will further support those intentions. The Moon is at her brightest light during this time bringing illumination to all that we have set into motion. Our job is to be stoic when reviewing all that we have done & take the needed measures that will facilitate our reaching our goals.

Find the Scorpio/Taurus houses in your own chart & consider what, in that area of your life, you would like to alter in some way. What have you recently realized in connection with that part of your life? Have you discovered something that would facilitate you or that you need to remove so that there is more flow? Scorpio is connected to the mystery that can be revealed & under the shimmering light of the Taurus Full Moon, it can become crystal clear.

This particular lunation is also a PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE. This increases the potential balancing impact that it can bring by opening up the ability to release anything that is creating a blockage. Eclipse times are energy vortexes that can give access to portals within the self where we can raise our vibration to more align with truth. Often, realizations occur that drastically alter our perceptions & increase our subjective awareness of what is misaligned within us. This can manifest externally as a seeming loss of something that makes up a part of our reality. And yet, over time, we come to realize that it was no loss at all, but rather, a portal (opening) into something much more desirable or at the very least, something that more accurately reflects our true purpose. It is, of course, up to us to do the work to fully let go of all that no longer fits & to develop that which more closely aligns. We translate change into LOSS when we fail to align to the energy of GROWTH & rather view it as something reactive & even frightening. Do not be afraid if you are being asked to SHIFT. Embrace the invitation & SHIFT UP into faith & optimism, not down into fear & remorse.

So, ask yourself the question:

WHAT IN MY LIFE DO I NO LONGER NEED?

WHAT IS CAUSING ME BLOCKAGE?

WHAT DO I REALLY WANT?

These general questions could jump-start the process that the eclipse promises. Be willing to go deep & into the dark recesses of your inner self. Do not balk if the answer to any of these questions makes you afraid. Understand that the ego-self, that part of you rooted in this present reality matrix, is hell-bent on sustaining a sense of security…EVEN IF IT IS FALSE!!! That’s the deal; safety, hanging on to that which appears to be creating that safety. And yet, the soul self just wants to grow, to evolve, to soar. Often that means that something must be removed, something that is like a chain that is keeping you tied to a weight that is no longer useful or desirable…on a soul level. This can be a tricky & challenging process. It can involve huge life transformations that open the door to an unknown future. That is why, so often, we turn away from the invitation to step into possibility & choose, rather, to remain in what we already know, what is familiar & seemingly reliable. In the end, whatever choice is made will determine the eventual state of the inner emotional body—YOU—as you continue on in your life journey.

Here are a few mantras that you can choose to chant as the Moon reaches fullness based on the polarity houses within your own natal chart that are activated by this Full Moon.

 

Houses1/7: 

I embrace truth & honesty in all of my initiatives & relationships.

 

Houses 2/8: I commit to integrity & treat others as I would like to be treated.

 

Houses 3/9: I stay open mentally & trust my inner ‘truth meter’ when receiving new information.

 

Houses 4/10: I am who I am & I do not hide my truth from others.

 

 

 

Houses 5/11: My heart is open & my dreams are pure.

 

 

 

Houses 6/12: My body is a temple & I stay close to the DIVINE.

 

If the Full Moon falls in your

1st House:  You are a down-to-earth sort of person. You prefer to keep things simple & you love anything that brings you closer to a sense of organic well-being. You probably love to be out in nature but even if you don’t, you likely love to look at nature from the window seat! Give yourself a make-over at this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse. Get rid of anything from your closet that makes you feel dumpy or bored. Try something new on for size! Remember that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again even though you know it isn’t working.

2nd House:  Your budget may need an overhaul! Be willing to review your spending habits & honestly assess if what you have been purchasing is really what you truly need or even want. Sometimes, we get stuck in routines that do not serve us particularly well & become outdated. Are you living in alignment with your internal moral compass? What, if anything, can you do to more closely represent your values in the way that you make your choices?

3rd House: Get ready to lose ideas that no longer resonate with who you have become. CHANGE YOUR MIND. It will make you feel reborn. Remember, after a bit of time, these ‘new‘ ideas will become ‘old’ & in need of change. Go for it & be courageous in your thoughts.

4th House: Take a look around at your personal private environment; at who you are when there’s no one else around. What needs to go? What do you REALLY need? When the curtains are drawn & the lights are off, who is there with you in the dark? Be brave. Be honest about it.

5th House: Sometimes we love by habit. We train ourselves to have affection for people and things just because it seems like the right thing to do. Who do you really love? Who truly thrills you? And what about you? Who do you want to thrill…if anyone? Open the door to your heart & give love a chance.

6th House: Change those nasty habits that fill up your days. Ritual is only sacred if we choose to make it so. Listen to the messages that your body is sending you. Is it time for a cleanse? Are you ready for a purge? Can you change your routines so that they are more reflective of who you have grown to be? This can be one of the more challenging areas when it comes to alterations! Habits are HARD to break, even when we know that we should.

7th House: Relationship only stays alive if we allow it to change & shift with the prevailing energy of the times. Can we outgrow our partners? What should we do if we suddenly find we have outgrown our partners? Are friends forever? How do we leave a relationship that is no longer working the way that it once did? A Full Moon Eclipse in this part of our lives is often difficult to deal with because when “I say goodbye…you say hello…” Better to cherish good memories than to create bad ones.

8th House:

It’s time to unload anything that belongs to the past. Are you hurting over wrongs that happened long ago. Dump them. Look for new approaches to old emotional blockages. It’s time to re-invent how you work your way through your hang-ups & baggage. Pay your debts or they will find you & make you do so. And that’s debt on every level, material, emotional & spiritual. A new chapter begins so close the book on that old chapter once and for all. Will any of this be simple or easy? True emotional healing is never easy & it’s always intense! So, find a damn good energy worker who you TRUST WITH YOUR VERY LIFE & go get some treatments!

9th House:

There’s a longing in your soul & it’s time to follow it. Suddenly things you’ve thought seem outdated & clumsy. Here feels restrictive & there is calling to you to get on the road & get going. A change of perspective hits you like a ton of bricks & your eyes are suddenly opened. You get it; what it all means; what the hidden messages are; what your role is in the broader scheme of things. Wisdom prevails! And you realize that there is no end to acquiring knowledge, an infinite array of possibility to grow; that the world is filled with endless opportunity to explore & learn. Oh Joy, joy, joy!

10th House:

The mask that you have so carefully constructed over the years simply falls off & there you are, revealed in every possible way. If you have been flowing with your own authentic self-understanding, you are good to go. Be prepared to make any necessary adjustments if the mask is removed to reveal something other than the true you. You will either reap the rewards or pay the price. Whichever one it is, change is at hand.

11th House:

Your aspirations are under the laser. What you once thought was important, the goals you nurtured & pursued seem stale, worn out. Take the time to renew your zest for community & cooperative commitments. Maybe a new ‘pay it forward’ undertaking? Possibly joining a new group, finding a new collective enterprise? Joining a choir, finding a new book club, maybe a sewing circle or quilting collective; what about that cooking course? Your old routines feel tedious & you are more than ready to try something new on for size.

12th House:

Suddenly your soul craves to connect to the ‘divine’. Faith could be renewed or overhauled as the case might be. You get extraordinary insights into yourself & you are momentarily amazed. Is this who I really am, you whisper to yourself. Pay close attention to your dreams & intuitions as they can be augmented under an eclipse. Create a personal care schedule for yourself that recharges your spiritual batteries & fortifies you from hidden foes.

The most significant interaction of any celestial event to points within the personal horoscope are the conjunctions & oppositions & with a very tight orb. However, it is also useful to explore what other aspect formations are being activated. So, when assessing the impact of any celestial event within the scope of a personal chart, I take into consideration, with an extremely tight orb, the whole scope of aspects that present. If you are working with your own chart & would like to dig deeply into this upcoming eclipse as it relates to YOU, email me for a personalized session:

[email protected]

The Sabian Symbols for this very potent & important Full Moon are:

28* TAURUS:

A WOMAN PURSUED BY MATURE ROMANCE

 

 

 

28* SCORPIO:

THE KING OF THE FAIRIES APPROACHING HIS DOMAIN

 

Eclipses can either bring ‘second chances’ or ‘just reward’, or both, for that matter. There is a strong sense of renewal & arrival in this combo of images. How sweet it can be to suddenly ‘fall in love’ in later life. It can inspire us & reinvigorate us to at least FEEL young again. And, we savour the renewal all the more since we know how fleeting it could be. We have learned our lessons so we proceed with mindful appreciation! And we are much more certain of all that is happening since we have acquired skill, accomplishment & a measure of personal authority. We are the ‘KING’ or ‘QUEEN’ of our domain & we have every expectation of enjoying the fruits of our hard-won positions. As you sow, so shall you reap…truthfulness begats satisfaction; deceit begats regret.

 

Enjoy the EARTH Magic Moon!

Today I drew an angel card…here is the message it gave…

“I am leading you

toward the answer

to your prayers.

Please listen to & follow the steps

I am communicating

through your intuition, thoughts & dreams.”

 

Scorpio New Moon, November 4, 2021 @ 4:15 pm

We are now fully entered into THE SEASON OF THE WITCH! This Scorpio NEW MOON is exactly opposite Uranus (RX) in Taurus, activating this polarity energy to the max. Whatever is revealed either through external prodding or internal unveiling, has the potential to be explored & integrated if you choose to do the work! At the highest of levels, Uranus is the impulse to INDIVIDUATE, to be singular, unique. What is calling to YOU? What is stirring deep within you that is either causing discomfort or a sense of liberation? The discomfort arises when you are choosing to disregard the call of your higher true self. The sense of liberation is a result of heeding the deepest & most authentic impulses of your nature. Collectively, we are all being asked to FACE THE TRUTH. Look around carefully. What is true? And what actually just stinks to high heaven with deceit?

At this extraordinary seedtime & with the energy of the unexpected facing down the initiation of self-exploration, we are in for a wild ride into potential self-discovery. (Uranus in Taurus RX exactly opposed to the Sun/Moon in Scorpio @ 13 *). Be fearless as you uncover your own inner truths, whatever they might be.

Mars, newly entered into Scorpio is adding fuel to the fire of this lunation with a wide conjunction, having just met with the Balsamic Moon. The call to action here is to be willing to delve into the issues that are hidden deep within you even if it causes irritation & disruption. Healing on any level is associated with a certain amount of discomfort.

The Sabian Symbols for this New Moon are:

SCORPIO—AN INVENTOR EXPERIMENTING

 

 

 

TAURUS—A MAN HANDLING BAGGAGE

It is amazing to me that these images linked to the 360* of the zodiacal wheel appear to align with the prevailing energy of the times. With the configuration of Uranus, Mars & the New Moon, this is prime time for experimentation. It’s prime time to ‘invent’ something totally new that can be used to shift the matrix of your life. If you have been feeling stuck or blocked in any way, allow yourself to access the powerful scorpionic energy of revelation & depth perception that ultimately leads to transformative process. Locate where in your own chart this New Moon falls & consider what, in that part of your personal reality, needs to be re-booted & made new. It doesn’t have to be a big thing; any little effort is an effort well made. So, try things on for size and see how they feel for YOU. And keep in mind, this is all about ‘experimentation’ so if the shoe DOES NOT fit, that is okay. At least now you know it.

The polarity point in Taurus reminds us that we need every tool we can access to ‘handle the baggage’ that we are hauling around. Clever innovation can contribute to creating strategies that will enable us to do exactly that. We all have baggage, some that could be discarded but also some that we might choose to retain. ‘Baggage’ contains all that we have accumulated over the course of our life experience. It can be a useful exercise to spend regular time in meditation and review.  Think back to the way you reacted in the past & compare it with how you react now. Consider past choices & compare them to the choices you have made more recently. This analysis can be useful & shed light on parts of yourself that still need some polishing & even more interestingly, give you some sense of accomplishment. We often underrate ourselves, focusing on what we HAVE NOT managed to attain rather than focusing on the progress that we have made. It’s always a good thing to give yourself a ‘pat on the back’ from time to time.

NOTABLE ENERGETICS

Mercury has completed his retrograde, having turned direct on October 18, 2021, & moving totally out of the ‘shadow’ of the retrograde on November 4, 2021, syncing nicely with the lunation. This is yet another indication that we have a golden opportunity to put our thinking caps on & really zero in on any of the issues that we might be facing. At the time of the lunation, Mercury Direct in Libra forms a 5* applying conjunction to Mars, newly entered into Scorpio, suggesting clarity of thought & purpose aligned to action.

Venus, at 29*SAG 27’, is ready to shift into Capricorn setting the stage for a restructuring of personal ethics & values. In Capricorn, Venus seeks to support responsible choice-making based on integrity & morality. This is no-nonsense energy that demands accountability at every turn.

 

 

Mars is newly entered into Scorpio @ 3*SCO 33’. Intensity of purpose, devotion to honesty in action & the relentless pursuit of excellence are just a few of the characteristics of this energy.

The mid & outer planets are beginning their shift into direct motion which should allow us to feel less fettered & freer in our self-expression. Focus in on your lower chakras. Imagine that they are beating harmoniously like a series of drums, deep, deeper & deepest, giving you impetus, power & stability.

Jupiter stationed direct on October 18, 2021, @ 23* Aquarius while Saturn stationed direct on October 11 @ 7* Aquarius. The Aquarius/Leo axis is fully activated now with both of the mid-range planets resonating there. What is best for the many? How can the ‘one’ contribute to the health & wealth of the collective? Where is this little experiment called humanity headed? Meditate daily on principled LOVE, AGAPE, so that we end up in the ‘garden’ & not at the ‘gates of hell’.

Uranus is in his slowdown to his Station which occurs early in 2022. He has now completed his transit of the first decanate of Taurus, the Taurus/Taurus decanate. In the New Year, he stations direct @ 11* Taurus & continues his journey through the second decanate of that energy, the Taurus/Virgo portion. The natural system of things has been upended. Everything that we thought was reliable has been called into question. We must now begin to sort through the chaos of the last few years & get a sense of what is actually real & what is patently NOT real. We must re-think how we interface with both Nature & one another & yes, once again, find a way back to the garden where we belong & from whence we came. Hang onto your hats, little flowers, it’s going to be a wild ride!

Neptune is almost stationary @ 21* of Pisces. He turns direct on December 1, 2021. At the highest level, this is the energy of sweet purity; the ability to see the rainbow despite the fog around us; the exercise of faith in the face of fear. Trust that you are safe & in the embrace of the Great Divine. We are now in the Scorpio Decanate of the Pisces energy. It is now that we take the spiritual lessons that we have been learning & root them deep into our secret selves so that we cannot be deterred from the truth that is pure & that sustains us in these times of trouble & crisis. Believe with all of your heart, mind & soul that our guides are with us & will not abandon us despite what we see around us.

Pluto, the god of the underworld of secrets, taboos & hidden power, is direct & supportive of the impulse to forge ahead & transform all that is not functional into something that is functional. In order to create that which works, we have to get rid of all that is not working. That can be scary & chaotic but it is necessary. AND, we can do it! Humans have survived for countless eons on this rock hurtling through space. There are eons yet to come!

Happy, happy, happy Scorpio new Moon. Get out your ‘witchy’ gear & fly the skies of knowing…

Be not afraid of the TRUTH that lies beneath the waves of your soul

You are a mighty warrior

You are the master of your life

Open your heart to the power of your integrity

Hold fast to the knowledge that you have uncovered

through trial

through tribulation

through the sorrow

that births THE JOY

Pluto: The Mystery Within

The Sun now begins to move through the mystery of SCORPIO. It is ‘the season of the witch’!

When I was just beginning my journey into astrology, I encountered a fellow who authoritatively informed me that as a Scorpio, he was a ‘fiery’ sort of guy. I wrinkled my brow as I tried to understand how this fixed water sign could be viewed as ‘fiery’. I was just starting my beginner courses so I had to stop & think about what he was saying. Then, suddenly, I got it! He was actually zoning in on the Mars side of Scorpio since that planet ‘co-rules’ this energy. Mars is also linked with the sign of Aries, a cardinal fire sign. That is the energy that he felt within himself, impulsive, instinctive, passionate, intuitive, artistic & independent. It’s there, for sure. The Mars side of Scorpio makes this complex energy even more complex than first imagined. In fact, if the Mars side of Scorpio is not properly integrated into the whole of the energy, it can really mess things up. A developed Scorpio will know when to access the primal thrust of Mars without becoming a victim to its potential chaos. An undeveloped Scorpio will suffer the consequences of that potentially chaotic energy at a far deeper level than any Aries ever will since Aries is much better equipped to instinctively push & thrust his way into manifestation! Scorpio, on the other hand, needs to clearly understand his instincts if he is to successfully manage his Mars side.

The planet associated with Scorpio in modern times, since about 1930, is Pluto, now designated as a ‘dwarf’ planet. Most astrologers rolled their eyes when the secular world decided to downgrade the 9th planet to this status. Call it what you wish, Pluto opens up centers within the self as nothing else can. When Pluto comes into contact with any of your personal energy (& this happens in a multitude of ways!!!), the only thing you can do is take a deep breath & enter the darkness in the cave of your soul to meet your core self, full-frontal…Keep those eyes open, little flower…lol!

That may sound like a scary prospect but it doesn’t have to be. The scary part occurs if you have been living an inauthentic life. Worst case scenario is that the dishonesty upon which you have based your reality structure will begin to tremble & ultimately explode before your very eyes. (Pluto is linked to the atomic bomb—get it?) That, indeed, is scary. What the ego-self seeks is security, safety, a sense of place. Thus, truth-telling can be earth-shaking if your so-called sense of security is based on something that is NOT REAL or even worse, downright deceptive. However, the happy side of this story is that once the lies have been swept away in the tidal force of Pluto’s ‘devastation’, a new day can begin. Gone are all of the old soul-denying elements of your former life. It’s almost like having a blank slate (not quite) to work with. You can begin to fill up the empty places of your SELF with authentic representations of who you are.

An example of this could be something as simple as suddenly realizing that your primary relationship is not an expression of your ‘real’ heart impulse. Maybe you went into it for reasons other than love. Maybe you pretended to be the person you thought your partner wanted. Maybe you had just come out of another relationship that had left you vulnerable & confused. It could well be any number of reasons but the bottom line is that you come to realize that whatever the impulse that led you into the relationship was, it was NOT AUTHENTIC. If you choose to work with the Plutonic energy of TRANSFORMATION, you will have to make some hard choices in regards to your relationship & those choices will inevitably transform your reality. This is not easy but it is always exhilarating.

A real-life example is as follows: A young woman found herself in a ‘dead-end’ relationship even though she desperately wanted to be with someone she could love. Because her motivation was idealistic, (Sagittarius Ascendant), she had overlooked various troubling characteristics that her ‘ideal’ partner displayed. For several years, she worked hard to ‘change’ him (broken wing syndrome), but, of course, that never works. Finally, Pluto began his approach to her ascendant degree & moved into her first house. Suddenly, she reached the end of her rope. The relationship ended (badly). The interesting thing in this experience is that leaving the relationship also triggered further self-assessment which led to her switching careers. Over a few years, she completely altered her public persona through the sheer force of her will (1st house) to do so. Instead of limiting herself to a 9-5 office job, she became a self-employed entrepreneur & eventually gained a reputation solely by word of mouth. Today, though the journey has not been easy, she is well-known and sought after in her ‘new’ field of enterprise. And, just to drive home the point, this all happened when she was well into her 30’s since she had already created a successful career for herself in her prior incarnation. The point is, that it was not easy, it was damn hard, for her to take the leap into re-invention but after the challenges she endured, she came out the other side, less conflicted & more aligned to her own truth. That’s what the combo of Pluto & the 1st house can look like if you just resolve to follow your gut.

Mythologically, Pluto (Greek, Hades), is the God of the Underworld, a member of the pantheon of Gods but happy to dwell in his dark mysterious realm rather than with his brother & sister deities. The mythic stories all center around potential loss, reparation, and action & consequence. The stories can be uncomfortable, dealing with core survival issues & taboo subjects. In one of the primary narratives, the story of the abduction of Prosperina (Greek, Persephone), Pluto is a manipulative conniver, kidnapper, & (horrors!), rapist. And yet, in that same story, he appears to win over his victim & come to terms of agreement with his accusers. Now that’s ‘restorative justice’ at work!!!

And, so it is with the astrological Pluto. When Pluto interacts with natal energy, the effects can be devastating, unthinkable, and seemingly irredeemable but ultimately, rejuvenating, if one holds to one’s inner truth through to the end.

Pluto takes about 250 years to get through all of the 12 signs of the zodiac or, in astronomical terms, to orbit the Sun. Since 2008, he has been transiting the sign of Capricorn & will enter Aquarius in the next few years. Because of the elliptical nature of the Pluto orbit, he can spend from 12-20 ish years in any one sign. He will transit Capricorn for about 16 ish years, (& Aquarius for another 20 ish years). Capricorn refers to everything that holds our current reality together, the overlords, the governments, the laws, the monetary systems, the supply chains, …yes, everything that we have come to know & accept about our current social system. Pluto, however, uncovers the flaw, the lie, the UNTRUTH. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly clear that our current social system with all of its hidden & overt power structures is struggling to maintain itself. People have become both increasingly disenchanted with their ‘overlords’ & strangely, more compliant to those same overlords’ demands. The economic grid is in disarray and yet we, in the so-called ‘first world’, continue to cling to the idea that it works. Over and over, it is revealed just how corrupt the political systems, worldwide, really are. Most of the world is under authoritarian control while the so-called ‘democratic’ countries are increasingly shown to be playing at an ersatz democracy. How many times have we heard about rigged elections in the second & third world? Do you really think it is any different here in the first world? And, even if you still have faith in the electoral process that YOU participate in, who, really is running the government. As an example, there are bureaucrats behind the scenes who ‘advise’ each subsequently elected government who have held their positions for decades though not through a democratic process but rather because of powerful union advocacy that prevents them from losing their jobs. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the man who has, for the last 2 years controlled the U.S. response to the so-called Pandemic, is the highest-paid Federal employee in the U.S. and who controls a budget of over 40 BILLION dollars. In many cases, it is his sole privilege to dispense those funds according to his preference. That is the power to influence and yet he has NEVER been elected by the people for the people. There are many like him in all democracies in the Western world.

Finally, democracy can only work if the people actually go out & vote, not because of an aggressive media campaign but because they have actually informed themselves of the critical issues & arrived at a conscious, logical conclusion in terms of who to elect. This is not a particular partisan statement. If you vote left, do you know why you vote left? Can you make a reasonable, clear argument for your position? If you vote to the right, can you do the same? And, even more importantly, are you willing to sit down with someone who holds opposite views from you? Are you willing to actually have a debate about issues with those who disagree with you? Do you have it in you to look for areas of compromise & agreement rather than focusing on difference & dispute? Sadly, most voters (a fraction of those who actually have the privilege to vote: last Federal election, 62% of the population voted here in Canada), cast their vote based on minute-long ads & 15 second sound bites. And, even more sadly, most voters vote for the candidate who is promising them the biggest entitlement, rather than taking the LONG VIEW & choosing what is best for the collective as a whole. No wonder our leaders continue to lie their way into elected office. One can only hope that there are still some honest politicians who will eventually swell in number.

The transit of the God of the Underworld, when secrets that are held can be suddenly & even violently exposed, through the establishment energy of Capricorn, has forced all of us to re-examine the fundamental construct of the society that we have collectively brought into form. Are we living authentic HUMAN lives? Is this really the way we, as HUMANS, should be existing? We have built cities of steel that reach up into the heavens. Some of us NEVER touch the earth with our bare feet. Some of us have never seen a natural living ecosystem, a FARM, that generates our food. We have to ask ourselves if we are satisfied with this state of affairs. What is the future we are creating as we continue to perpetuate this artificial way of life? That is the question that Pluto is asking as he slowly trudges through the social artifice that is our current reality.

There’s a story in Genesis about a TOWER that a mighty hunter, named Nimrod, built to challenge God himself; to demonstrate his power & superiority over God’s creation. His assertion was that he could live in the heavens just like God. The end of that story was that GOD, (the Divine), intervened & totally undid what Nimrod had been attempting to do. By confusing the language of the people, communication was disrupted & the famous TOWER came to naught. Because they could no longer communicate with one another, the people scattered to the far corners of the earth & had to start all over! Nimrod passed away into oblivion leaving behind the morality tale of what can happen when hubris is demonstrated by one who does not have the capacity to actually follow through on his egotistical claims.

Is this what that old story was talking about? Was it a warning that separating ourselves from NATURE would eventually lead to destruction? The Tower of Babel was a monolithic structure that could also represent the singular systems that have been developed in these dystopian times. The global overlords control all aspects of society from distribution of both natural resources & information dispensation to political/economic systems and even to spiritual disciplines. Their control of these various social constructs ranges from the overtly obvious to the clandestine, secretive & manipulative. It is only now, as Pluto nears the completion of his transit through Capricorn that we are beginning to realize how coordinated & complete this control really is. This is the battle that has been raging for millennia, the little man against the big machine. That ‘big machine’ has morphed throughout the centuries, changed its face, altered its delivery system. What has remained constant is ‘the little man’—you, me, us. Nothing can prevent the force of love & goodness which resides in the heart of the ordinary human being. In the end, LOVE WILL PREVAIL. That is the promise that Pluto makes for his transit of the AQUARIUS/ LEO polarity. If we send LOVE out, we will receive LOVE in return. Of the MANY, for the ONE. The ONE for the MANY. May it be so…

Pluto stationed Direct on October 6, 2021, @ 25* Capricorn. He will remain direct until April 29, 2022, when he stations Retrograde @ 29* Capricorn. These are the last few degrees of the Virgo decanate of Capricorn where the final analysis can be made of all that has been uncovered, brought to light. What shall we hold onto? What is now worthless? Can we really make a fresh start with what is left? Is Transformation possible? Think about it.

If Pluto has activated any of your personals during his transit through Capricorn, you are being asked to re-evaluate yourself.

Pluto/Sun: This is the complete transformation of the ideal self. A re-thinking of your core impulse to re-create yourself. What are your hopes & dreams & how can they better reflect who you have become? Can you be the best version of your potential self?

Pluto/Moon: You have been turned inside out & outside in and over again. Are you in touch with your authentic feelings? Have you been to your confessor (your higher self) & laid bare your sorrows & your grief? Can you touch your inner place of JOY? Are you still confined to inauthentic heart-based expressions? Have you found forgiveness for yourself & for those around you?

Pluto/Mercury: Do not be afraid to think the unthinkable. Step outside the box that has held you a prisoner. Be bold in your thoughts & in the expression of those thoughts. Be a FREE thinker! Go where you have not gone before.

 

Pluto/Venus: Do not be startled if you suddenly realize that what you want is not what you have been trying to get. Give yourself permission to love as you will rather than as you must. Be brave & be true to the values that most accurately reflect who you have become.

Pluto/Mars: Accidents happen to those who take a so-called wrong path. Check your map to be sure that you are heading in the right direction. Stop pushing that square peg into that round hole. They do not fit together. If you are currently in the midst of chaos, hang on tight & carry on. The one constant is change.

As we move into this mysterious & magical ‘season of the witch’, the Sun’s transit through Scorpio, we should take the time to look within, go deep into our secret selves & unearth what lies beneath. Self-assessment is never pleasant, even for those amongst us who appear to have succeeded. There is always more work to be done in the struggle to ‘ascend’, and particularly so during these strange, dystopian times when it appears that many in our human family have lost their way completely. Stand steady. Stay the course. Keep searching for your own authentic expression. Only show love to those who show you hate. Forgive them. Love them to the best of your capacity to do so. And, always, stay close to the divine that keeps you safe; she is your constant protector.

From the  THE WAY OF LIFE: ACCORDING TO LAO TZU

translated by WITTER BYNNER

VERSE 18

When people lost sight of the way to live

Came codes of love and honesty,

Learning came, charity came,

Hypocrisy took charge;

When differences weakened family ties

Came benevolent fathers and dutiful sons;

And when lands were disrupted and misgoverned

Came ministers commended as loyal.

 

HOW I CHOOSE THE VERSES THAT I ADD AT THE END OF THE BLOG:

After I have written my blog, I focus for a moment & pick up my copy of the book that I have chosen to use. In this case it is the one translated by Witter Bynner. I hold it lightly, close my eyes & begin to shuffle through the pages until I feel that I have come to the appropriate one. In every case, once I open my eyes & read the verse, I am astonished at the synchronicity that is evident. So far, this process has yet to disappoint me. Other times, I am moved to do some free flow writing & a poem might emerge.

Full Moon Aries, October 20, 2021 @ 28*

With the Sun in Libra, the Full Moon sparkles & sizzles in Aries, & more so with Mars closely aligned & opposing Eris, the dwarf planet that has been wreaking chaos in her wake! No one ever said that life would be simple or easy, did they? But that is not what we, as spiritually minded seekers of insight, are looking for. Rather, we want to understand the why of things so that we can better align to a higher purpose, a ‘sweeter’ path of becoming. Whatever might be chafing your own soul at this moment, step back and out of the drama. Try to get a perspective so that you can ride the wave rather than be sucked in by the undertow of the emotional current. It’s a Herculean task, for sure, but one that we all must attempt to do.

With Eris so close to the Full Moon, both in Aries, emotions may well be all over the place, uncontrolled, out of bounds, explosive. Our job is to get to the source of any issue that might be front & center & to methodically & relentlessly act to stabilize ourselves.  Pluto, the agent of deep & intrinsic transformation is in square alignment to Eris & the Sun while the Moon & Mars are square to Pluto. This is clearly a seminal time for confronting ‘the beast’ in whatever form it may take. Eris demands that we take another look at everything that we thought we clearly had under control. Remember, Eris is a deep, deep, unconscious force that is at the very core of YOUR soul. Nothing is ‘happening to us’ that we did not first conceive of ourselves.

In Aries, Eris demands that we re-visit EVERYTHING that we thought we knew to be true. This is the time for a fresh start on the collective level. This ‘goddess of chaos’ will be with us until mid-century by which time Pluto will have moved into Pisces, Neptune into Taurus & Uranus into Virgo. We will have the resources to begin from a SPIRITUAL base of transformation (Pluto in Pisces), align our spiritual sense to the living breathing Earth (Neptune in Taurus) & change the way we systematically exist in material reality with a focus on Healing rather than consumption (Uranus in Virgo). Of course, we need not wait until 2050. We must get down to doing all that we can RIGHT NOW. Close your eyes as you read this & envision the reality that you want to exist in. Do this at the start & end of each & every day. The more of us who focus on peace & love, in thought & action, the more likely will it come into being.

So, even it all feels a bit overwhelming at this present moment in time, after chaos comes reparation; after destruction, comes rebuilding; after confusion comes a refocusing of our collective sense of direction. The interplay between Pisces & the earthy energies of Taurus & Virgo will guide us into a deeper connection to reality if we allow it.

Keep Love first & foremost in your mind

&

YOU WILL NOT GO ASTRAY.

But certainly, right now, our collective reality is being rocked to its core. As a collective, we are demanding accountability on every level, from our leaders, from our guides, from our security systems, from our information streams, from each other. It’s becoming more and more clear that the systems that have been put into place over the last ‘time out of mind’, are no longer functioning appropriately. The fact is that they haven’t been functioning all that well for centuries but we are at a point now, today, in the here and now, when we can no longer deny it, repress it, or simply not deal with it. Something has got to change if we are to recreate our human family system into something that more resembles what the DIVINE Spark intended it to be. It truly is up to us. No one else will do it. Will we?

 

The Sabian Symbol for the Aries Full Moon is:

28* Aries—A LARGE DISAPPOINTED AUDIENCE

Something is out of kilter. Whether it is the play that is being presented or the audience that is out of sync with the presentation, an adjustment needs to be made. We must seek to find a common purpose, a universal language that will both bind together & heal the weary soul. Many today have the sense that they are speaking loudly, yet not being heard. In the middle of a screaming mob, no one voice can be distinguished. It’s time to settle down & regroup; stop the cacophony & just listen.  If we can tame the wild beast of chaos & frustration then we will get to:

28* Libra—A MAN IN THE MIDST OF BRIGHTENING INFLUENCES

This is the point of extreme events—to push us to the place where we can begin again. Aries is the birth of all that is new, the resurgence of primal power. In Aries, we can lay down a totally new foundation that will enhance our relationship with one another (Libra).  We can sweep away (Eris) the broken bits of yesterday & open the door to a brighter & better tomorrow. That is the fundamental truth of the evolutionary principle; it is through the agony of transition that we attain a greater perfection of purpose. Suffering leads to refinement & growth if we give ourselves permission to do so. No one will ever change for the better until they acknowledge that they have arrived at the worst. Honestly consider your own circumstances. Are you at your ‘breaking point’? If you feel that you can go no further the way you are, then you are at a turning point, if you want to take it. The promise of rebirth is clearly evident in the joining of these two degrees. It’s quite beautiful, actually.

Eris @ 25* Aries: A DOUBLE PROMISE

And yet again, the oracle reassures us. Yes, it’s tough. Yes, it appears that the world has gone crazy. Yes, the wicked appear to be immune to punishment. And yet, that is NOT the whole of it. Gaia,  at the behest of the Divine, is what is really holding this reality together. We must ‘get back to the garden’ if we are to receive the fruits of the promise which is, essentially, LIFE. So, though these are difficult times, hard to deal with, we must hold the vision, keep clear the channel, stay connected to SOURCE despite it all. If we do, if we are true, if we stay the course, we will receive all that we have earned in the end.

I stand at the gate

Naked & alone

And yet the sun shines down on me

And I see the promise of peace just ahead

I am filled with the glory of everything

I am drenched in the ecstasy of being

Joy is my name

So I dance

crw2021

New Moon in Libra: October 6, 2021 @6:05 AM CDT

Get set for an energy-packed New Moon in Libra! Mars in Libra, exactly aligned to the lunation, infuses this coming month with get up & go, the will to act in full righteousness & the impulse to create superlative harmony & cooperation. Let’s set ALL differences aside & focus on the single common element that binds us together; we are a family of humans regardless our race, creed, or ideology. In UNITY we survive & thrive. In discord, we suffer & perish.

There are significant planetary shifts during October. Are you feeling the nigglings of the current Mercury RX through Libra? Keep in mind that misunderstanding can occur when words are spoken. Use the Libra energy of compromise to repair & renew the connections you have to those around you. Friendship is precious. It’s worth the effort to keep it alive. Mercury stationed RX on September 27, 2021, @ 26* Libra & will station direct on October 18 @ 11* Libra, just prior to the Aries Full Moon. Even though we don’t leave the ‘shadow until November 3, 2021, we should all start to feel a surge of forward movement supported by the shift of the outer planets into direct motion.

The real shift that we will all begin to experience is when the outers begin to turn DIRECT!

October 6, 2021: Pluto stations direct @ 25* Capricorn. It’s time to air things out, discard all that you have reviewed and found to be no longer of use. Keep what is still of worth to you but be willing to assess worth honestly & brutally. On the most literal of levels, clear out those closets of collected stuff from years of stockpiling. What, really, do any of us truly need on the material level? We should, at the very least be willing to ASK ourselves that question. On the most spiritual of levels, Pluto requires ongoing effort to transform ourselves into beings of light & love. The bad stuff occurs when we resist this force that emanates directly from the soul. Again, brutal honesty is necessary if we are to take up the ’sword of the spirit’ & ‘fight the fine fight’ against the forces of darkness around us.

October 11, 2021: Saturn stations direct @ 6* Aquarius. What have you gained from your own inner reflections? How can you be more proactive in the choices that you make? What ‘new’ enterprise could be useful for you? Look at where this degree is in your own natal chart to determine where & how you can personally take charge of your life. If you are a solar, lunar, or rising Aquarius, this shift of energy will give you a new outlook, a fresh start whether in terms of your ideals, emotions or daily activities. And look for that surge of resolve to stick to ‘the plan’!

October 18, 2021: Jupiter stations direct @ 23 * Aquarius. The gates of boundless opportunity open wide. The time to act on your ideals, your visions of the future, your sense of place within the collective is now. By the end of the year, Jupiter will have finally shifted into Pisces, one of his ‘home’ signs. The promise of the 2020 Jupiter/ Aquarius conjunction will take a clearer form. What is your place in a hope for the future? Where do you fit in with the collective vision of what we, as a human race, can be? Find your tribe; support your ideals; be your best!

With these three energies now in full gear, we all have the opportunity to put into action whatever it is that we have been meditating upon. By mid-January, all of the outers will be in direct motion, supporting this sense of forward movement on all possible levels. Let’s put the last 2 years behind us once & for all!

New Moon Meditation

from the TAO TE CHING:  isbn 1 84483 222 

THE WHOLE IS IN EACH PART

Whatever is planted deeply

is not easily uprooted.

Whatever is embraced sincerely

does not crave escape.

Ever since we lost our intuition

as our main guide in life,

these virtues have had to be

consciously cultivated to survive.

Cultivate them in yourself

and they will be genuine.

Cultivate them in your family

and they will surely flourish.

Cultivate them in your community

and they will be long lasting.

Cultivate them in your country

and they will be widely propagated.

Cultivate them in the world

and they will certainly become universal.

In this way you will know others

by what you do yourself.

You will know families

by what you contribute as a family.

You will know the world

by what you do as a planetary citizen.

How do we know all this?

Because we know

that each part is the whole,

and the whole is in each part.

May the love

that is in each of us

grow

and find itself

in the other…

VENUS: INNER PLANET MAGIC

As one of the inner planets, Venus represents aspects of the psyche that are overt or conscious. What we love, how we love it & why we love it are all a part of the Venus function within the self.

Traditionally, astrologers regarded Venus as a ‘benefic’, an energy that was positive. Today, we moderns understand that any energy has both proactive & reactive elements in its make-up. Venus can certainly enhance anything that it touches but, as with anything, there is a dark side to Venus. Love can become obsessive, manipulative, all-encompassing. Desire can turn into militancy if not consciously understood.

Venus is connected to two zodiac signs, Taurus & Libra. The Taurus side of Venus focuses on the internal dynamics of this function while the Libra side externalizes it.

In Libra, Venus seeks to create comfort with others. There is a need for balance which, in the area of inter-relationships often involves negotiation & compromise. When executed successfully, peace is the end result. And so it is, that Venus is often linked both to earthy pleasures, (Taurus) and cooperative conviviality & aesthetic refinement (Libra).

The mythology of Venus, as we understand it, is centered around love, passion, sacrifice, loss & reconciliation for the most part.  We can dip into the Inanna stories, the Demeter/Persephone stories, two of the most commonly known extrapolations of the Venus journey to get a sense of this. However, we can also dig a little deeper & discover a very different understanding of Venus within the Aztec mythology. It’s worth the time & effort to do so. The Aztecs understood the darker side of the Venus principle & regularly made blood sacrifices to this fearsome deity. Ponder that. How is sacrifice, death & sorrow connected to pleasure, love & satisfaction? As mentioned previously, all energy is dualistic in nature. Nothing is all good or all bad.

Part of the Venus cycle, as with most of the planets, involves a period of time when the planet is understood to be moving ‘retrograde’. We have all experienced the sometimes irritable conditions associated with the planet, Mercury’s retrograde movement. That occurs about three times every year. Venus, on the other hand, goes retrograde once every 18 months. This year, in December, we are due for a Venus retrograde!

When Venus retrogrades, the focus on values & deep heart-based impulses is turned inward. We can experience ‘buyer’s remorse’ in regards to established relationships. We might reconsider the essence of our value systems & might reflect on how we could amend our values to better reflect our current state of mind. The most successful humans are those who understand that the only constant is change, & if realized, transformation. After all, the end of the journey is the greatest of all transformations, one so profound that the great thinkers of this reality have spent countless hours pondering it & attempting to articulate it. No matter what your own thoughts on this final transformative process are, you, & for that matter, all of us, will not be able to avoid it. It is one of the two common elements that we all share & experience, birth to life & death into transformation.

The retrograde of Venus can also signal a time when something, either material, emotional, mental, or spiritual may be rekindled; when something ‘lost’ might be found. On the densest of levels, this could be an object of personal worth that resurfaces after a long absence. Emotionally, it could be the rekindling of an old love that heals & completes an unfinished personal drama. Mentally, the cognitive mind might be re-infused with clarity about some long-held but overlooked idea. Spiritually, we might re-dedicate ourselves to an old ritual of worship or service that has been neglected or absent-mindedly laid aside. It’s always interesting to track ourselves & see what it is that we, individually, may have misplaced or forgotten!

Venus begins her retrograde through Capricorn on December 19, 2021, & stations direct on January 29, 2022, covering Capricorn 27-Capricorn 12. Let’s take a lyrical journey through these degrees of the zodiac by examining the Sabian Symbols associated with each degree as Venus retraces her steps.

December 19, 2021 (RX) March 2, 2022 (D)

27* Capricorn: The path we take is our choice to take & in the highest of expressions, it is like “a mountain pilgrimage” where the path, at times, might be steep but the goal is clarity & freedom standing at the top, able to view the grand vista below. Make your feet humble & take the ‘holy road’ into the heart.

December 24, 2021 (RX) February 28, 2022 (D) Venus conjunct Pluto exact (12.24.2021-12.27.2021)**

26* Capricorn: As we follow our path, we must strive to connect with the natural world, with raw energy, with the essence of life. We must polish our intuitive selves so that, just like “a water sprite”, we can easily connect to true knowing, innate wisdom that springs from source & not from man-made artifice.

December 28, 2021 (RX) February 27, 2022 (D)

25* Capricorn: We should surround ourselves with precious things that reflect our values & reinforce what we hold to be dear & true. Just like “an oriental rug dealer”, we must attempt to determine the worth of everything in our lives, test out whether what we hold to be dear is authentic & holds real value or not.

December 30. 2021 (RX) February 26, 2022 (D)

24* Capricorn: There is always a need for times of retreat so that we can refine our senses & draw healing energy. The self needs respite on a regular basis so we must be like “a woman entering a convent” and take time for ourselves, to reconsider, to reflect, to refine, to reinvent all that we are & all that we can be.

January 2, 2022 (RX) February 24, 2022 (D) Venus conjunct Mars in Capricorn exact ***

23* Capricorn: The journey of LIFE can be both fulfilling & arduous in that fulfillment. We can walk with ease when we recognize that any challenge can be met if we cultivate courage & bravery in the face of that challenge. We can then expect “two awards for bravery in war”, one that comes in an external form through victory and honour & one that is realized privately deep within the realized self, an inner sense of having fought the good fight & run the race to the finish.

January 3, 2022 (RX) February 23, 2022 (D) Venus conjunct Mars in Capricorn exact***

22*Capricorn: There is a time for all things under the heavens, a time for victory & a time for defeat. We must refine our inner understanding of where we are in the stream of time. If it is necessary, we must be like “a general accepting defeat gracefully”, knowing that the wheel of circumstance will inevitably turn yet again & our position will also inevitably change from one which acknowledges defeat to one that rejoices in victory. To be humble, to have humility is one of the greatest lessons this life teaches us.

January 5, 2022 (RX) February 22, 2022 (D)

21* Capricorn: In truth, we are running “a relay race”, not a sprint. We must always consider the consequences of our actions, not only in this current lifetime but also in subsequent lifetimes. All actions have equal reactions and so the karmic promise is fulfilled. Do your best to pursue peace & goodness & peace & goodness will follow you & keep you safe. Do wrong & evil will pursue you relentlessly.

January 7, 2022 (RX) February 20, 2022 (D)

20* Capricorn: We are not alone. Whether we subscribe to the knowledge that there exists a spirit realm or we are focused only on this mortal realm, we are many, surrounded by others. For those of us who sense the presence of the spirit realm, we can be assured that support is available; that there is “a hidden choir singing” in the background & the song that they are singing is one filled with blessing for us. There is more to life than merely that which we can see with our physical eyes.

January 9, 2022 (RX) February 18, 2022 (D)

19* Capricorn: We must never become down-hearted with the burdens that we bear. Yes, it is true that at times we feel like “a child of about five with a huge bag of shopping” to carry so that we are overwhelmed with our load. But if we pause and ponder the mystery that is life, we realize that we are never burdened with more than we can bear at any given time. So, whatever the challenge, the sorrow, the difficulty, we can overcome it, we can endure it, we can work through it. In time, all things pass & the path is taken, one step at a time.

January 10, 2022 (RX) February 17, 2022 (D)

18* Capricorn: All in all, we are not alone in this journey called LIFE. How important it is to ‘find our tribe’, like-minded folk who can support us & join us. We humans have always banded together under banners like “the Union Jack” to celebrate alliance, togetherness, commonality. It is a good thing, a thing to be sought & found, this commonality of perspective, principle & purpose.

January 12, 2022 (RX February 15, 2022 (D)

17* Capricorn: Pure & unrefined honesty can be a fearful position for some of us. It’s hard to speak the truth, to be naked in the eyes of others, just as we are and yet, anything less can leave us feeling cheap & deceitful. Perhaps, we need to exercise some judgment, like “a girl surreptitiously bathing in the nude”, and exercise a bit of judgment before we allow others who might not understand our truth to hear the whole of it. Let us be cautious as serpents while still retaining the innocence of doves.

January 14, 2022(RX) February 13, 2022 (D)

16* Capricorn: The self is made up of a variety of layers of being, the physical, the mental, the emotional & the spiritual. We must care diligently for all of these various levels of being since they form the pathway to the soul which is the element that exists both within them all & more importantly beyond them all. We must be like “boys & girls in gymnasium suits”, always at the ready to exercise wisely, to maintain health & well-being on all of these levels so that the channel of energy can flow from soul to self & self to soul unhindered.

January 15, 2022 (RX) February 11, 2022 (D)

15* Capricorn: As we walk this pathway of life, we should cultivate the demeanor of kindness, grace & peace. Say a silent blessing to all who cross your path. Who knows the suffering of any other? Does that other know our own suffering? If we keep in mind that we all have burdens to bear & challenges to face, we will certainly look kindly to those who we encounter. We will be more generous with both our forgiveness & our effort on their behalf. It is the giving spirit that can contribute “many toys in the children’s ward of a hospital” & it is the giving spirit that can exercise itself on behalf of those less fortunate. How can we meet the needs of those who cannot help themselves? There is no one or right response. Each of us must look deep within ourselves to find our own unique answer.

January 17, 2022 (RX) February 8, 2022 (D)

14* Capricorn: Each of us carries within us a lasting legacy that has been built over numerous lives. Or, at the very least over the course of the life that we are all living. It is like “an ancient bas-relief carved in granite”, enduring, impervious to rapid change. What is the theme in our personal ‘bas-relief’? Are we content with this representation of all that we have done, that which we leave behind? In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

                “Lives of great men all remind us

                We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time”

January 20, 2022 (RX) February 5, 2022 (D)

13* Capricorn:  The universe is a powerful ally. We are powerfully allied to this awesome force. Each one of us must be like “a fire worshipper”, passionate, dedicated, focused on that which we know to be authentic, true, just, right. Nothing should deter us from our path; our eyes must stay fixed on the undying flame of creative self-expression. If we choose to deny our inner truth, we will be burned by the very fire that we seek to embody.

January 23-29, 2022 (RX) January 29-February 4, 2022 (D)

12* Capricorn

The end & the beginning of our journey into our deepest nature. What have we discovered from our inner meditation on all that we value, all that we love, all that we pursue with passion & determination? Our journey into the very heart of our being should lead us into a greater understanding of ‘natural law’, of the organics of everything, of how to live in harmony & holistically with NATURE, herself, our mother who gave & gives us life. We must be like “a student of NATURE lecturing” to any & all who would listen. It is imperative that we all seek a better way to be alive in this critical time of shift. What is ONE THING that YOU can do to align yourself more closely with authentic human existence? It’s a question we should all seek the answer to. (Note that Venus lingers at this degree while she is ‘stationary direct’ for several days. Take the time to get your portfolio of wisdom organized & at the ready. We all have a lot of work to do to reset the damage done over the last few years by those who have no regard for honour, truth, or spirit.)

The “homework” you can do based on the above descriptions is to meditate on the Sabian Symbol connected to each degree of Capricorn on the days noted. How does the essence of that lyrical symbol demonstrate itself in YOUR life? Can you concretize any of the ideals contained in each symbol? It’s a fun self-developmental process that can open up the various chakra centers of your being.

** These days (and the weeks or so before and after the specified dates) can be transformative on a spiritual level. You could experience breakthroughs in regards to self-understanding, re-alignment of core values, a deeper understanding of your own inner moral compass & how it operates in the world of material reality. Be tender with yourself during this time period & especially be forgiving of those around you. Turn the other cheek instead of putting up your fists!

***These days & a few on either side can be rocket charged when it comes to passion & love. Give yourself permission to let your hair down. Take a leap into a new relationship or re-ignite some passion in an old one. Be sexy, be loving, be willing…have some fun!

 

 

The Venus Affirmation

I embrace the goddess of love

In every way

On every day

And my heart is healed & happy

Blessed Be