Year: 2017

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

“The feeling – I won’t call it a belief- that I had a sudden opening, had seen through a window, as it were, distant realities that incomprehensibly belonged with my own life, was so acute that I cannot shake it off today.” William James

Jupiter made its third and  final square to Pluto on Friday 8/4. This influence has been ongoing since November of 2016 and will continue to be widely in influence through the beginning of September.  In general this aspect can indicate a time when there can be a need for an “attitude adjustment” or a need to  deepen or update the philosophy, belief system or spiritual system that provides meaning, inspiration and guidance in your life.

Beliefs over time can become crystallized to the point of rigid dogma which no longer allows room for mystery, change or growth.

We are now in Eclipse season – the first of which is Monday August 7 – a Lunar Eclipse at 15 of Aquarius. Eclipses are evolutionary doorways and under their influence there is always the opportunity to overcome no longer needed influences from the past and to move forward in a new, expansive  or evolved direction in your own life.

Aquarius is the planet of the future and in some systems has two rulers – Uranus- the futuristic, innovative, and humanitarian planet and Saturn- the planet of tradition and the  status quo. It’s a good time to look at how these two elements are balanced in your life. One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “A  big business man at his desk” and another is, “Two lovebirds sitting on a fence and singing happily.”

The second eclipse – a Solar Eclipse on August 21 is at 28 degrees of Leo. There is a great deal of buzz about this eclipse as the path falls directly across the continental US – a rare occurrence. The Sabian symbol for this time is “The storm ended, all nature rejoices in brilliant sunshine,” with the keynote, “The surge of life and love after a major crisis.”

Sabian symbol from Dane Rudhyar

“The storm ended, all nature rejoices in brilliant sunshine,” with the keynote, “The surge of life and love after a major crisis.” Dane Rudhyar

“Epiphany is an unveiling of reality. What in Greek was called ‘epiphaneia’ meant the appearance, the arrival, of a divinity among mortals or its recognition in the familiar shape of a man or woman. Epiphany thus interrupts the everyday flow of time and enters as one privileged moment when we intuitively grasp a deeper more essential reality hidden in persons and things.” Czeslaw Milosz

The ancient Romans had a  saying: “Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.” It meant called or not called, the god will be there.

There is an ongoing transit which will continue to be in and out of influence for some time – Uranus – the planet of sudden awakening aligning with  Chiron, the asteroid of the Wounded Healer. Uranus is the planet of illumination, sudden realization and the planet of futuristic vision. Chiron is the asteroid related to the process of growth and evolution which occurs as a result of the pattern of wounding and healing throughout our lives.

This aspect is exact this coming Saturday and with Uranus in Aries and Chiron in Pisces there can be a sudden awakening to a more profound perspective about the mental and emotional patterning from the past that can keep us trapped in the present. How you deal with things depends on the way you think about them and what your beliefs are about them and if they have become too crystallized they can inhibit growth and opportunity.

Uranus governs lightning – and lightning breaks up the crystallization of form – for example when it hits a house and burns it to the ground. It is a good time to revist and rethink where your perceptions and emotions may have become overly rigid – and be aware of the possibility of a shift in the paradigm.

Often a good tool for dealing with anger or wounding from the past is forgiveness of self and others. As John O’Donohue so eloquently wrote,”When you forgive some deeper, divine generosity takes you over… When you cannot forgive you are a prisoner of the hurt done to you.”

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “The Music of the Spheres”

“I am on a lonely road and I am traveling,
Looking for the key to set me free.
Oh the jealousy, the greed is the unraveling,
It’s the unraveling
And it undoes all the joy that could be…

I want to have fun, I want to shine like the sun
I want to be the one that you want to see
I want to knit you a sweater
Want to write you a love letter
I want to make you feel better
I want to make you feel free.” Joni Mitchell

In the Tarot deck the sign  of Leo is associated with the card of the Sun. It depicts a small child happily riding bareback on a white horse. The overall feeling of the image  is one of joy, trust, innocence and freedom- as the horse and its little, smiling rider move away from a wall, which embodies rigidity and restriction. In the background there are sunflowers – symbolizing warmth,  joy and happiness.

As the Sun moves into the sign of Leo it joins Mercury, Mars and the North Node as well as the upcoming eclipse. Leo is the sign of re- creation, of creativity (taking a creative approach to life), romance and fun. It is also a sign of leadership and courage. It is a good time to consider your passion, your purpose and what you have been putting your energy into in this realm

In astrology Leo is associated with the fifth house and romance – the beginning of relationships – which often is the most creative, fun and romantic part. It is wise as we enter the Age if Aquarius to factor in the need for innovation in relationships as rigid roles often call for updating to a more egalitarian model.

Leo is also associated with gold,  warmth and with light. In some anthroposophical formulas for healing certain conditions, gold is added to increase inner warmth and inner Light to aid in the process.

Leo is the sign of royalty and appreciates respect and likes to feel appreciated and special. Look to the house in your astrology chart to see where this planetary activity is taking place – a new chapter is opening here for you if you are open to it.

One of the Sabian symbols associated with this time is,”An unexpected thunderstorm.”

Sabian symbol reference from Lynda Hill.

Dior’s new Resort Collection is inspired by Vicki Noble and Karen Vogel’s feminist Tarot Card deck. Vicki Noble is one of the innovators of the feminist spirituality movement in this country.. The deck she designed is round and evolves the mostly patriarchal and Christian archetypes of the Waite deck to images of women of diverse backgrounds and spiritual beliefs. She has taught on the undergrad and grad levels about various aspects of female shamanism and goddess/female archetypes which expand the roles for women and womens spirituality in contemporary life. I had the good fortune to meet and work with Vicki at Rosemary Gladstar’s Women’s Herbal Conference when she was the speaker and I was the Astrologer and Tarot Card reader.

http://www.vogue.com/article/dior-resort-2018-motherpeace

“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” Emily Dickinson
“When anger arises, think of the consequences.” Confucius

In general the planet Uranus holds sway in our time and it is a particularly strong influence in the sky this week – as it aligns with Mars and the Sun in a fractious way.

In the old texts they would caution to “expect the unexpected” when there is a strong Uranian influence. Uranus governs lightning and electricity. There can be a very erratic nature to Uranus – as there is with lightning strikes or electrical current running through the frayed cord of a lamp which unpredictably turns on and off. The potential for trouble is described in the lyrics  of the Joni  Mitchell song, “Electricity” – one verse being,

“We once loved together
And we floodlit that time
Input, output, electricity.
But the lines overloaded
And the sparks started flying
And the loose wires were
Lashing out at me.
She’s not going to fix it
too easy.”

Entering this week it bodes well to factor in more patience than usual as nerves can be frayed, tempers short and behavior impulsive  – all of which can lead to a more accident prone time.

Mars will leave the sign of Cancer this week and enter the sign of Leo. The Sabian symbol for this time is,” A person is under emotional stress and blood rushes to their head.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“We can easily become loyal to our suffering … but it’s not the end of the path.” – Jack Kornfield

The Moon waxes full this Sunday EDT at 17 degrees of Capricorn – conjunct the Lord of Transformation, Pluto. If you are in the process of effecting transformation in your life, harnessing the energy of this time is the way to go.

The Jungian analyst and “keeper of the old stories”, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, has written that one of the things as a culture we have lost touch with is the awareness of life/death cycles – not death in a literal sense always – but the beginnings and endings present in all life. This includes psychological and emotional cycles as well as events we experience in the manifest world.

Everyone has experienced the death of a  loved one, the death of a cherished dream and the death of circumstances in life that they cared deeply about. The loss can be  profound and life- changing and the grief process for these kind of events is not a one time thing – it is more like peeling the layers of an onion over time. When the grief process is not fully honored throughout time, a form of crystallization can occur in the realm of thoughts and feelings which can result in settling on a bitter and limited view of life’s potentials and opportunities. It can result in repeating old unproductive patterns which can inhibit the path of personal growth and evolution.

Under the light of this Full Moon it bodes well to look at what these times taught you from a wise perspective and to see whether they caused you to shut down or open up to life. If necessary it is a good time to rewrite your life’s story from a more empowered perspective about what you learned and how you grew and evolved as a result. This kind of process frees up blocked power and will create a clearer path forward.

“Synchronistic events are the clues that point to the existence of an underlying connecting priciple.” Jean Shinoda Bolen

Venus is in Gemini now- a sign ruled by Mercury. Mercury in astrology governs the realms of thought, speech and communication. In mythology Mercury would don costumes and disguises and could gain access to realms the other gods could not. He could forge agreements through his agile use of language. He was a trickster of sorts and because of the sign’s association with duality – he is associated with synchronicity – the co-incidence of two seemingly unrelated events.

As an example of this, I was recently writing a letter to the editor about levels of Mercury in the water supply. This required some research on my part – research which had both legal and scientific aspects to it. I decided to take a break from it and think about it while driving over the mountain to the natural foods market.

Once there I picked up what needed and when I approached the woman behind the counter to ring up my purchase she said to me,”Do you write about Mercury?”

I was kind of stunned and speechless for a moment – thinking how could she have possibly known about that? And then I said,”Oh you are talking about astrology- right?”

And she said yes- that she had read one of my recent posts about the planet Mercury and that it had helped her in her thinking and that she had taken it to a group she is a member of and shared it.

Moments of synchronicity can restore a sense of the magic and mystery of life.  With Venus in Gemini now it is wise to consider things related to love, beauty, abundance and pleasure in your life from a variety perspectives – like light through a prism.

One of the Sabian symbols for Venus’s entrance into Gemini is,”A glass bottomed boat reveals undersea wonders.”

“Newness is the energy of the edge of chaos, the place where the familiar and the unexpected and unpredictable meet, the place of life and emergence.” David Spangler

“Love is a verb.” Stephen R. Covey

Chiron, the asteroid of the Wounded Healer stations retrograde this weekend making its influence prominent in the sky. In mythology Chiron was a centaur known for his renowned healing abilities. He brought the knowledge of homeopathic medicine to the gods and goddesses.

Chiron’s influence can be seen in our time in the growth of natural healing modalities in dealing with wounds of the body, mind and spirit. Wherever Chiron is placed in your natal astrology chart indicates where this journey of wounding and healing goes on throughout your life. This placement provides a valuable key in understanding your personal journey of evolution as old wounds -unless properly tended – can block perceptions and opportunities for change and growth.

Venus is in Taurus now and squaring the Nodes of destiny and fate indicating a choice point about how you go forward in the area of love, pleasure and relationships of all kinds. With the Nodes and Venus so prominent in the sky there is a challenge in the relationship sphere – to either fall back on old unproductive patterns or to move forward with a more authentic, innovative and evolved perspective. It is best to avoid “group think” or too much conformity in this sphere.

This Nodal pattern can bring up a conflict between head and heart in how you approach relationships. The South Node in Aquarius indicates a good way forward is to integrate more of the warmth of the Leo heart force and not get stuck in your head.  This does not mean being overly accommodating to someone else’s wishes in a way that feels inauthentic, but acting from your own center with appropriate boundaries and what the truth is for you – in a loving way.

We are living in a time when many of the traditional models for defining relationship have been outgrown.

The Sabian symbol for Chiron’s station is,” Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“The death of a dream can in fact serve as the vehicle that endows it with new form, with reinvigorated substance, a fresh flow of ideas, and splendidly revitalized color. In short, the power of a certain kind of dream is such that death need not indicate finality at all but rather signify a metaphysical and metaphorical leap forward.”  Aberjhani

The Moon waxes new on Friday 6/23 at 2 degrees of Cancer at 10:31 pm EDT. Coming so soon after the Summer Solstice, this upcoming lunar cycle – through 7/23- holds great power. It is wise to approach this time with clear intentions and in particular, intentions related to your soul’s yearnings. Pluto is trining Venus in the concrete and pragmatic signs of Capricorn and Taurus. This is a very good combination for getting back in touch with what holds great value in your life and can bring a sense of rebirth and renewal starting off this cycle if you are willing to let go of what no longer works.

The Pluto/Venus aspect is good for making amends – especially if you are open to more  innovative approaches and avoid limited and unproductive perceptions and behavior of the past.

With the  Sun and New Moon together in Cancer it is wise to strengthen your determination and will forces and to provide protection for your dreams and aspirations with the use of appropriate boundaries. Often will forces are weakened and determination eroded by soliciting advice from others about plans or by talking and speculating about them needlessly. Occult traditions teach that powering your intention with thought and minimizing speech is a better way.

Two of the Sabian symbols of this time are: “On a ship sailors lower an old flag and raise a new one” and “A person on a magic carpet observes vast vistas below.”

Pluto/Venus cycles indicate the end of an old cycle and the beginning of a new and potentially powerful one. It is a good time to provide extra time for reflection and renewal and to be open to new possibilities.

One of the other Sabian symbols for this New Moon is,”A cat arguing with a mouse.” It is easy now with all the changes taking place to incite others. It is best to temper speech and emphasize clarity in communication.

Sabian symbols fromLynda Hill

“I could erect a temple to my life’s relics. A child born. A thigh deep snowfall. An old blue Toyota crossing the brown wheat fields of Kansas in the middle of the night. A page of a journal. A willow tree shot up through the asphalt. A thin, brown- eyed man with bent posture in a shaggy coat. These are my memory’s flotsam. Things wash up on the river bank, their crevices filled with mud-lost things, precious and useless things. I am tumbled agate pushed along by the waters, going on, worn smooth, a mixture of colors.”  Normandi Ellis 

Today, Neptune the planet of the watery Sea God, stations retrograde. A prominent Neptune is often found in the charts of poets, of artists, of spiritual seekers and also in the charts of people prone to addiction-  in the sense of addiction as  a derailed spiritual journey.

Neptune is strong in the sky now with the awkward alignment to Jupiter -the planet of expansion. This can create a kind of fog around the ability to keep things straight and to understand what is going on. This alignment suggests the ongoing need for adjustment in perception and will be present throughout the summer.

A bit of interesting advice for this time from the gifted writer and astrologer, Amanda Painter, is to “look to see what is shimmering just below the surface” of your dreams and aspirations. We are living in a time of great flux and change when old modes of thinking and being are being challenged by evolutionary forces.

Neptune will station direct in late November. One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “A sword used in many battles is now in a museum.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill