Amelia’s Blog

“The day I saw beneath dark clouds
The passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before
Life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.

It is the opening of eyes long closed.
it is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.” David Whyte 

Mercury retrograde heads up! Mercury will station retrograde on March 5 at 29 degrees of Pisces. The retrograde period will last through March 29th when it will station direct at 16 Pisces.  Do make sure any important materials are backed up and any necessary repairs are made in advance of this time to avoid the possible need to go back and redo.

After a mostly seven year stint in Pisces, Chiron the asteroid of the Wounded Healer enters the sign of Aries on Monday.  If you’re looking for ways to improve your courage, your determination and  your ability to assert yourself  this can be a fruitful time when the wind is at your back. The sign of Aries is associated with beginnings and it bodes well to look at how you initiate things. In general it’s a good time to improve the way  you use and direct your energy towards what you would like to accomplish.

Mars, the ruler of Aries is a fiery sign and can be hot headed at times as well as impulsive.

Chiron will transit the sign of Aries for the next seven years.

The Moon waxes Full Tuesday at 0 degrees of Virgo. This is a good time to look at how well your daily life supports your health and well being. If improvements need to be made this is a good time to design about a step – by -step process that can be put into place. Mercury  is conjunct Neptune now so creating a creative picture of your aspirations for your life in this area would be beneficial- a vision board, for example.

Venus is in Capricorn now and moving up to a conjunction with Saturn and Pluto this week. This is a good time for preparing your taxes, organizing financial matters and thinking seriously about where change needs to occur in this area. It can be a serious time for relationships and a good time to understand  issues in need of transformation on a deeper level. Keep the aspirations high in any discussions and be willing to “chop wood and carry water” to improve things.

Mars has moved into Taurus which is good for perseverance and steadiness. It can be frustrating time-wise if you are in a rush. It’s akin to the Seven of Pentacles in the Tarot deck. This is sometimes called the card of the gardener and is a reminder to remember to grow things slowly and steadily in accordance with the cycles of natural world. Often landscapers have Mars in Taurus.

Mercury is moving up to a conjunction with Neptune this week as the Sun enters the sign of Pisces. Do keep communications clear and make some time for dreaming.

The Sabian symbol for this week’s Full Moon is,” In a portrait the best of a person’s traits are idealized.”

Sabian symbols from Lynda Hill

 

“The trouble with anger is that it makes us overstate our case and prevents us from reaching awareness. We often damage our case by anger.” Anais Nin

“Only with winter patience can we bring the deep desired, long awaited spring.” Anne Morrow Lindburgh

Pallas Athene the asteroid goddess of compassionate justice is a strong influence in astrology this week – being in late Libra and in opposition to the fiery Mars /Uranus conjunction in late Aries. This indicates that issues of justice and fairness may be front and center this week in relationships of all kinds. The influence of the Mars/Uranus conjunction can  create a time when there is a strong, insistent desire to push for change and when the tendency towards impulsive behavior is strong. Tempers can more easily be tested.

It’s a good week in general to nurture the nervous system, provide for extra down time and practice patience. As my friend the astrologer Dietrich Pessin said, “be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

It’s a good week to minimize screen time.

Pallas Athene was known for her great diplomatic skills and she brought the knowledge of  conflict resolution to the gods and goddesses . The Mars/ Uranus conjunction can ramp up nervous tension which can easily lead to testy interactions. It’s best to take a step back and think things through rather than responding impulsively if these kinds of situations arise. Pallas Athene is in the sign of Libra now and this sign throughout history has been associated with the people who signed peace accords and ended wars. But, as Isabelle Hickey once noted, it is often Libras who have started the wars.

Mercury has now entered the sign of Pisces meaning it is a good time for heightened intuition, creative and spiritual growth and symbolic sight. It’s a good week to look at things from a larger perspective – the kind of perspective poetry can often provide.

Mercury is also conjunct Vesta, the asteroid of the sacred fire. This indicates it is a good time to draw on inspiration and bring more light into the way you are looking at things.

Mars will move out of the fiery sign of Aries and into the earth sign of Taurus on Thursday. Taurus is the sign of the Bull and known for its steadiness and perseverance.

The world is in the midst of a lot of change as we enter the Age of Aquarius and its wise to stay in tune with your higher aspirations for the planet’s future.

One of the Sabian symbols for the Mars/Uranus conjunction is, “A duck pond and its young brood.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

“Your dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you.” Marsha Norman

The Moon waxes new on Monday February 4 at 15 degrees of Aquarius at 4:04 PM EST. There is quite a bit of high energy with Mars, Pluto and Uranus involved at this time. Do put it to good use – with too much frittering it can turn to irritability – all week long.

Do take extra care when driving or moving around as the tendency towards impulsiveness is strong and nerves can be frayed all week. There is the tendency to feel “tired and wired” under the influence of the Mars/Uranus conjunction.

There is an excitement about this energy too – taking action on new endeavors is a good way to connect with it. Projects will benefit from cooperation and collaboration now under the influence of the Sun conjunct the new Moon in Aquarius.

Lena Stevens wrote about it this way,”This new moon is an excellent time to revisit your boundaries, your rules and reconnect with what you have a true passion for. Spend a bit of time remembering what it felt like to be passionate about your dreams. What did you dream about when the world was one big possibility for you? Bring that inspiration back as fuel for a new version of the same passion.” Lena Stevens

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Two lovebirds sitting on a fence and singing happily.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“In my beginning is my end. In succession
Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended,
Are removed, restored or in their place
Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass.
Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires,
Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth.” TS Eliot

“Redeem the time
Redeem
The unread vision in the higher dream
While jeweled unicorns draw by the gilded hearse.” TS Eliot

When Pluto is a strong force in the sky- as it has been for several years – the themes of endings, beginnings and transformation are about both personally and collectively. Pluto rules the many forms and ways that the life/death/life cycle occurs throughout our lives.

David Tresemer, professor and author of the book  on anthroposophical counseling, The Counselor, As if Soul and Spirit Matter, was at one time Catholic monk.   He has written that one of the ways he thinks Catholicism has gone astray philosophically is that it has evolved by overly emphasizing the importance of the crucifixion rather than the resurrection.

This is about Pluto’s territory and his dark realm. In mythology Pluto kidnapped Persephone to his Underworld.  Her journey there did not contain any light – she was forced to walk through the darkness of unknowing – not knowing if or when her journey  there would end.

Very often when Pluto is a strong force either in the birth chart or by transit  these types of experiences – of walking through the darkness of unknowing occur- often through some kind of loss. The way to navigate this territory is to learn to cultivate your own inner  light.  Eventually, when the knowing or understanding comes ( symbolized by the coming of spring and rebirth in the myth) it signals a time to  let go of the past and the pain of the past through a deeper knowing or understanding. This is similar to the idea of focusing on the resurrection or potential for rebith.

Pluto is conjunct the South Node now indicating that challenges in your own life – those that came down through the ancestral or blood line  – may be arising in a familiar or unfamiliar form. It’s a good time to cultivate courage and keep the inner fires of inspiration burning bright.

Pluto is at 21 degrees of Capricorn and one of the Sabian symbols for this is,” A general gracefully accepting defeat.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

 

 

 

This is from Lynn Bell who is an astrologer, writer and who teaches at the Center for Psychological Astrology in London,
“Civilizations are sometimes broken by outside aggressions. At the moment changes have rumbled up from inside, whether Brexit or Venezuela, France’s street protests, Italy’s populists, or the government shutdown in the US, imposed from the top down. Change is rippling through the western world reflective of powerful transformations waiting to be born.”

“The real voyage of discovery consists in not seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls the butterfly.” Richard Bach

There are some intriguing alignments in the sky this week. Mercury is moving up to a conjunction to the South Node indicating that it’s wise to raise awareness  about the significance of a message emerging about the past.

This message could have to do with thoughts or beliefs originating in the ancestral lines, the family of origin and the culture. With the close alignment to Pluto, it can be a game changer in terms of its being something you have always assumed was true but is not, necessarily. Believing in it may have been blocking  or limiting your way forward.

This aspect is also related to reclaiming power lost in the past. Moving in a direction of personal authenticity is very much on the front burner at this time.

Jupiter and Venus are in a favorable alignment indicating  a good time to expand your ideas about what abundance means to you and attracting it into your life. This duo has always been considered a lucky alignment for love, self esteem and financial growth. It brings optimism and hope for a better day. The conjunction is in the sign of Sagittarius indicating there is an element of discovery here – an element of being in new territory – so do follow up any new intentions with new concrete steps – however small.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”A nature spirit dancing in the mist of a waterfall.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill

“The sign Leo is the sign of integrity, recognition, romance, affection, creativity, and play. When this sign is emphasized, we show kindness and generosity to others. We fall in love, and put our hearts into whatever we are doing.” Brenda Brush

“There is a songbird in the alley,
And I listen as she wakes the day,
In my mind I feel it dawning,
A brand new understanding of my way.” Jessie Colin Young

The Lunar Eclipse which will start on Sunday at 10:30 PM EST will be exact in the wee hours of Monday morning at 12:16 AM. It may be visible here in New England if our storm clouds clear. The eclipse is at 0 degrees of Leo

In astrology eclipses are evolutionary doorways which usher in a new era. The sign of Leo is associated with the Sun in the Tarot Card deck. This card shows a small child riding bare back on a white horse. The child looks joyful and the horse is moving away from a tall stone wall behind them. The wall symbolizes things which are unnecessarily limiting or burdensome. Near the wall grow some sunflowers.

The symbolism of this card has to do with clarity and moving in a direction of freedom – away from things in life that are unnecessarily restrictive – including thoughts and feelings. The sunflowers represent happiness and the child moves forward in a trusting, joyful way. 

Alignments with Uranus and Chiron, the asteroid of the Wounded Healer,  indicate an opportunity for accelerated personal growth and healing.

With the Sun conjunct the South Node it is a good time to move away from old aspects of your identity which no longer serve you. It’s a good time to define yourself in a more  authentic and expansive way and call back your power from wherever it doesn’t belong.

Collaboration and cooperation will lead the way to successful evolution.

The sign of Leo rules royalty and in ancient times an eclipse in Leo was said to presage the downfall of a king.

One of the Sabian symbols for the eclipse is,”An unexpected thunderstorm.”

Sabian symbol from Linda Hill

 

 

 

 

 

“The crisis is in our consciousness, not in the world.” Jiddu Krishnamurti

“It is no longer possible to deny our thoughts and desires might influence our environment. The most recent cosmologies all include consciousness as an active participating factor in reality. The new explanations of how the world works are strangely like the old beliefs of non-literate people everywhere.” Lyall Watson

I had a poetic Irish father and when someone at a party got very caught up in the revelry and imbibed too much alcohol,  my father would say they were “reclining in the arms of Bacchus.” Bacchus was the Roman god of wine and  Dionysus was  his Greek counterpart.

Dionysus had some followers – a group of nymphs who had nursed him when he was young. As he grew they became fierce protectors of Dionysus, preparing his wine and using it to attain a state of ecstacy in combination with ecstatic dance. Sometimes in paintings the Maenads are depicted as holding swords as they whirl in ecstatic dancing.

This Jupiter/Neptune aspect is about our dreams and it is a good time to look at your dreams now – both sleeping and waking -to see what  your soul’s yearnings are and what former dreams need to be severed to create room for new growth.

The  Sufis also use ecstatic dance as a way to attain a higher consciousness or to contact the Divine. In ritual many indigenous traditions use psychoactive preparations to attain a higher state of consciousness and have visions.

Perhaps it is true that throughout time there has been a use and abuse issue with alcohol and these kinds of substances, but we certainly see it now in a widespread way in our time.

Sometimes alcoholism is defined as a “derailed spiritual journey” and this is very much the territory we are in now with the boundless, boundry- less energy of this alignment.

It is wise to use this time to grow spiritually and to commit to taking  the high road – not only in thought but in action.

Under this influence there may be ecstatic highs and shattering disillusionments and a sense of chaos or lack of order. But it’s wise to remember that the forces of illusion are very strong now too and it can be difficult to understand and integrate what is going on at the time. Best to commit to keeping an even keel while allowing more downtime for the sorting through and integration of information.

Take your time with any information that surfaces now.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,” A sword once used in many battles is now in a museum.”

“Miracles occur all the time. Something is wrong when they don’t happen.” Carolyn Myss

“Magicians have always been masters of the space between-times like sunrise and sunset, when the boundaries between the worlds are not firm, when gods can walk the earth and humans can touch the sky.” J.E. Cirlot

We are moving into a time when it is possible to tap into increased optimism with Venus- now in Sagittarius – moving up to a conjunction with Jupiter the planet of expansion.  It is a time which bodes well for learning more about something you love. It is a time for good cheer, increased pleasure and happiness. It bodes well for financial growth.  This aspect will be with us though late in the month.

The Jupiter/ Neptune alignment will be in effect throughout the year – making its exact aspect three times. This planetary duo,in effect now,  reminds me of the Tarot Card, the Ten of Pentacles in the Waite  deck. The card shows a castle behind a tall gate. The gate is open and inside you can see two royal  figures talking with each other and a small child.  At the gate stands a Magus – a magician – with a long grey beard wearing a cloak embroidered with occult symbols. Two of the castle dogs have come to greet him.

The symbolism of the card is about being able to see magic and mystery of life – represented by the Magus. The children and the dogs see the Magus but the adults do not. It is a reminder that the qualities of innocence, trust and openness can lead to a more inspired vision.

The influence of the Neptune/Jupiter  influence is likely to come in waves. It is wise to keep moderation in mind in order to avoid disillusionment.

One of the Sabian symbols for the Jupiter/Neptune square is,”In a quiet moment, a creative individual experiences the flow of inspiration.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill