Year: 2017

“We tense up where Saturn is in our charts and would remain frozen there if it wasn’t for the transits, which repeatedly knock on the door, suggesting that we face our fears and engage with this great god of time and limitation… Saturn transits give us an opportunity to go back and engage with thresholds we were not able to cross before. To lay old ghosts.” Clare Martin

“Let us be glad for the work that must be done.” Joanna Macy

Saturn is the planet of duty and obligation. It governs our responsibility to ourselves, our personal evolution, our responsibility to others and to the world at large. Saturn will enter the sign of Capricorn on Dec 20  and transit through this sign through 2020. Saturn in Capricorn is about mastery and power. It is wise to keep the idea of service to others and to the world during this time and to keep joy in the doing.

“And the caravan is on its way
I can hear the merry gypsies play,
Gypsy Robin, Sweet Emma Rose
Tell me everything I need to know.” Van Morrison

I was reading an astrology forecast this morning from Eric Linter. He is an astrologer who I knew awhile back when he lived in a rustic stone cabin on a remote, beautiful hillside near a pristine granite quarry. In winter we would skate on the quarry and on hot summer days we would dive off the cliffs and swim there.

As Christmas approached one year and my little daughter was hoping for a dollhouse, Eric built a beautiful one for us. It was three stories high with cedar shingles on the roof, a star carved on the front door and a shiny brass doorknob.

There was always something  kind of magical and mysterious to me  about Eric and his friends that shared the cabin with him. They were a bit nomadic and seemed to be free and in touch with things that were important – a life away from the more burdensome aspects of  contemporary American society.  They each played an instrument and lived close to the earth. There was a woman with two small daughters –  one who had long red hair like her mother.  One day the daughter came home from school and was upset because a classmate had been mean to her. Her mother smiled and said,  “People like that need love.”

In his recent forecast Eric was writing about the Moon conjunct the North Node. In a birth chart this aspect is associated with destiny and life mission and indicates that there will be a lot of twists and turns in getting where one needs to go in this lifetime. Eric’s suggestion about it was,”Live from your joyful essence.” Perhaps the ability to look at life this way is one of the reasons why Eric and his friends seemed so mysterious and wise to me.

“Even my best friends
Even my best friends
They don’t know
That my job is turning lead into gold.

Up in the morning
Up in the morning on the road
My job is searching for
The Philosopher’s Stone.” Van Morrison

So much of the ability to move freely forward in life has to do with the ability to transform perceptions of the past. The ancient alchemists spoke of this transformational process symbolically in their striving to turn lead into gold. In other words to change something heavy and burdensome into something of great value. Gold symbolizes heart warmth as well and often this process has to do with integrating more love, compassion and forgiveness into the old perception in order to understand it more deeply and release it in the old form.

This kind of process can be ongoing in nature but there are particularly auspicious times indicated by the movement of the celestial bodies in anyone’s chart. Full Moons are astrologically one of the times these crossroads can present themselves – particularly when a full moon occurs around twenty years after a significant event in your life. At that time the Moon will wax full at the same degree and sign as twenty years prior. If memories of that time or event occur to you or if someone enters your life who triggers those memories in some form, it could indicate that this is happening in your chart. The reason for the re-occurence is to offer another level of release of the original event in its old form and move forward in a more empowered, wiser way.

Today’s Full Moon at at 11 degrees of  Taurus. This Full Moon cycle will be in effect through the Full Moon on Dec 3rd.

This week both Mercury and Venus change signs. Mercury will ingress into Sagittarius and Venus into Scorpio. This placement of Mercury offers the opportunity to broaden perspective and brings in new info. Venus is Scorpio deepens passion and increases intensity in relationship. I have a good friend, a therapist in Ireland who used to say,”The two biggest issues in any relationship are sex and money.” This duo can be on the table now as well as the desire to break free of restrictions in relationship, the desire to move relationships in a more innovative direction and love at first sight occurrences.

The Sabian symbols for Mercury and Venus at this time are,” The ocean covered with white caps” and “A sight- seeing bus filled with tourists.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

“The obstacles along the way sometimes
might feel so tremendous,
There are guides and spirits all along the way
Who will befriend us. ” Van Morrison

“Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of the gods.” Emerson

The author Clare Martin has described the Lunar Nodes in the astrology chart as representing, “a doorway or magical threshold between this and other worlds.”

Another way to describe this is “meetings at the edge.” The author Stephen Levine, in his book by that title, evolved contemporary thinking about the path of being with someone who is dying. He described the kind of intimacy  that can develop between people when one of them is preparing to transition. It is a very inspired work.

Cycles of birth and death accompany us throughout our lives as we move forward and leave things behind.  “Meetings at the edge” can also be present at threshold times – when we might feel stuck but are actually at a crossroad waiting for information or direction. People may show up or experiences occur which clarify or affirm our way forward. It can be something that’s read in a passage of book, heard on a train from a stranger three seats back or can come in a dream or moment of inspiration and recognition.

In general the Nodes in an astrology chart describe which parts of ourselves we need to work on and evolve during this lifetime.

The Lunar Nodes are constantly in motion while the birth chart is stationary and captures a moment in time. This means that throughout time you are likely to encounter guidance in the sphere of life being targeted by transiting Nodes. For example if the Nodes are transiting the first and seventh houses, guidance can come through relationships that bring up the question of the balance between our identity and who we are  in partnership with others. Someone can show up at a time like this and clarify or evolve who we are in this area through their interaction with us.

The people who come into our lives at these times – in one form or another -put us in touch with a missing piece of the puzzle. They may be strangers or liminal people – people who come into our lives to transmit information or contribute to an experience that sets us on our way. Often they do not stay.

In the sixth and twelfth houses guidance can come through experiences in the daily routine, health, work and from the realm of dreams, ancestors and spirit guides. For example is a health related challenge asking us to change our daily life’s routine or our relationship to the Mysteries? Is work pushing us in another direction? Are the anscestors calling us to live out some side of the anscestral lines that they were not able to in their time and place?

Alot of people are looking for direction now- in this topsy turvy time we are living in. The Lunar Nodes can be helpful in this realm.

 

“Behind our existence lies something else that becomes accessible to us only by shaking off the world.” Arthur Schopenhauer

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find that it is hitched to everything else in the universe.” John Muir

This week Mercury aligns with the Lunar Nodes which govern destiny and  life path. The Lunar Nodes are indicators of incarnational purpose or life mission in anyone’s birth chart.

Proactively, this alignment provides a good time to be open to information that may lead down another path towards resolving long standing or  challenging areas of your life. Best to put customary beliefs and responses aside for the time being and remain open to options.

It bodes well to raise awareness and provide quiet time when intuitive messages can be heard or come through.

One of the Sabian symbols for this alignment is, “A carrier pigeon fulfilling its mission.” Throughout time and in many metaphysical systems, birds have symbolized the arrival of messages. The four Pages in the Tarot deck symbolize this as well.

An astrologer or Tarot Card reader should be a trusted ally on your life’s path.

 

“Molnar believes that the wise men were, in fact, very wise and mathematically-adept astrologers. They also knew about the Old Testament prophecy that a new king would be born of the family of David. Most likely, they had been watching the heavens for years, waiting for alignments that would foretell the birth of this king. When they identified a powerful set of astrological portents, they decided the time was right to set out to find the prophesied leader.” David A Weintraub 

“All wisdom is given to us on loan.” Thomas Aquinas

Over the years there has been a considerable amount of speculation in both the astrological and astronomical communities about which planetary alignment the Wise Men or Magi of old were following in order to find a newly born king and bestow gifts upon him. There is always one constant in the speculations – whether it was Jupiter /Venus or Jupiter /Saturn or others, the planet Jupiter is always involved.

Jupiter the planet of wisdom, hope, expansion, benevolence and generosity is making powerful alignments in the sky this week. This gives the opportunity to expand understanding, vision and compassion. It can be a very growth oriented time and can open doors of opporuntity for  progress and transformation in partnership and relationship. Do proceed thoughtfully and carefully though, with any endeavors like this as there is powerful energy about with the sign of Scorpio involved.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Neighbors help in a house-raising party in a small village.’

“We die with the same chart we were born with, so the question is, what if anything, happened? Have we lived our life or has life lived us? Jung’s conviction that the psyche has an inherent urge towards wholeness and integration, urges us to jump onto the wheel of fortune, to grapple and engage fully with all the struggles and joys, and to live our lives to the full. Otherwise, as Gurdjieff said, “the future will be the same as the past- how could it be otherwise?” Clare Martin

“if you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want your children to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” Albert Einstein

In the ancient Celtic tale of the Selkie Woman, there was one day of the year when a seal would shed her skin and become human. She would could be seen sitting on the rocks by the shore singing in the sunshine. One year a fisherman saw the Selkie Woman and instantly fell in love with her. He found her sealskin where she had hidden it, and took it-  making it impossible for her return to the sea and making it inevitable that she live out her human side as long as he had it in his possession. He took her home and made her his wife. He was not unkind to her but his actions separated her from her home and children in the sea which she longed for.

In our time the loss of the seal skin is akin to the loss or fragmentation of the True Self due to over accomodation to parental, ancestral, cultural and religious influences. Much of the evolutionary journey towards recapturing wholeness- like the Selkie getting her skin back –  has to do with freeing the soul from undesired influences and living a more authentic life in terms of personal authenticity and  personal evolution.

The New Moon in Libra on Thursday is a good time to respond to old problems in a new, more innovative way as Uranus – the planet of suprises and sudden occurences – opposes the Sun and Moon. Mercury is now in Scorpio providing depth and insight in looking at your relationships with others, who you are in this realm and who you aspire to become.

Jupiter is in Scorpio too, providing a broader perspective on where  personal initiatives may have become stalled out. This can help move foward in a freer,  less encumbered way by developing a different strategy.

Venus just entered Libra – bringing a good time to look at the kind of relationships you have and what kind of relationships you would like. It is a good time to brainstorm ways to evolve relationships in a way that is more authentic. As Eric Francis wrote,” It’s a good time to look at where the relationships you are involved in now started.” Fairness and diplomacy are always key elements in moving things forward with the sign of Libra involved. You just need to watch for overly accomodating the needs of others and losing the sense of yourself in the process.

One of the  Sabian symbols for this New Moon is, “An eagle and a large white dove turning constantly into each other” and another is.” A man alone in deep gloom. Unnoticed, angels are coming to his aid.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill.

 

“For Plato the universe was a single, living, rhythmic organism subject to the two opposing principles of strife and love, and it was the tension between these two principles which created life itself. The number 36 was the key number of change, and the universe breathed in for 36,000 years during which there was an increase of Strife and breathed out for 36,000 years during which there was an increase of  Love, with each complete cycle being 72,000 years long. Like the Assyrians before him, Plato believed that the crisis or turning points in these cycles coincided with powerful conjunctions occuring on the Cancer/Capricorn axis”  (which has been very active for several years in our time).”It was humanity’s task to align and harmonize with these great rhythms, to help the universe balance itself.” Clare Martin

“Our ancestors acknowledged doubt while practicing faith. We moderns are drawn to faith while practicing doubt.” Adam Gopnick

“Faith is not merely a way of knowing, it is also a way of participating.” Robert Ellwood.

Jupiter the planet of abundance, of faith, hope and optimism just moved into the sign of Scorpio – the sign of the Mysteries, of life, death and transformation. Jupiter will travel through the sign of Scorpio for the next year bringing opportunities for expansion and growth in the area of life indicated by the house with Scorpio on the cusp in your astrology chart.

This transit provides a good time in general to expand and deepen your belief system and to explore the Mysteries. The sign of Scorpio has a profound nature to it. It is wise to explore shadow issues under this influence as well.

Sometimes when I meet someone who looks like the old fashioned images of  a benevolent Santa Claus – with his joviality – it reminds me of Jupiter. Jupiter rules good times – when hope and optimism prevail. Santa Claus comes shortly after the Winter Solstice and what Robert Frost called,”The darkest evening of the year.”

In mythology Jupiter loved pleasure and good times and  this often led to trouble with his more traditional wife, Juno.

It’s a good time to enjoy life while keeping equilibrium in mind.

In describing his system for understanding the great cycles of time, Plato believed that at times of challenge on the planet, there is an opportunity for humanity to help the universe balance itself. Hope and optimism play a significant part in this.

The Sabian symbol for the ingress  of Jupiter into Scorpio is,” A broken bottle of spilled perfume.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“Anger is loaded with information and energy…We cannot let our fear of anger to deflect us nor seduce us into settling for anything less than the hard work of excavating honesty.” Audre Lorde

The Harvest Moon is full on Thursday the 5th of October at 12 degrees of Aries. The pressure cooker energy continues under this influence and in a proactive way it provides good timing to form a more healthy relationship to anger.

With the Sun in Libra conjunct Vesta the focus is on how you communicate and relate to others. It is a good time to look at unprocessed anger -and the effect it has on relationships. It is wise to factor in that we are still under the influence of the Saturn/Chiron square which brings up issues of core wounding. This applies personally to each of us as individuals, it applies to relationships and it applies to the planet and the environment – being  reflected in the many painful events we see around us.

Recently the astrologer and writer, Amanda Painter suggested that when people lash out at you, it is wise to consider that it comes from the place of their own personal wounding.

The Moon is squaring Pluto at the time of the Full Moon indicating there is a higher level of self mastery that can be attained with the willingness to work with and tranform these dynamics.

It is wise now to provide healthy outlets for excess energy and anger and to defuse situations rather than letting them get out of control – which will be more likely now. It’s wise to remember that anger can cause more damage than anticipated.

Lynda Hill’s  Sabian symbol for this time is, ” A bomb which failed to explode is now safely hidden from discovery” and she defines it this way, “This Symbol shows that often in one’s life explosive elements need discharging. Pressure cooker energy needs to be released, but it often needs to be done slowly and carefully. By keeping a sense of control, one can handle situations, elements or people without things getting out of hand. Be an example to others of how calmness and quiet can take the charge out of things.”

An astrologer or Tarot card reader should be a trusted ally on your life’s path.