Sinking deep, growing strong.

 Lunar Eclipse
April 25, 2013
12:57 PM Pacific
05 degrees Scorpio 46'

The Vision 

With arms stretched outwards, like the wings of an eagle, I expand, breathing deeply, intensely, heart pounding. Engulfed by flames; I melt into my heart chakra, and then, slowly solidify into a levitating mass of opaque stone, shrouded in a wisp of iridescent steam. I am transformation.

The Story

In every life, a transformation takes place. On this deep and permanent level, no soul ever comes back quite the same. Sink into that space, that place of unalterable wisdom. It's like a rock, filled with a tenacity that even the most arduous of experiences will never shake. There is a stone inside of you, a powerful center of such stability and strength; it is a reservoir of great power. Now, imagine, all the mass of great strength beneath your feet. Going deep into the earth, for miles and miles. Feel the slow churning of fossils. The progressive erosion of rock and stone as it mixes, melts, and solidifies. You've come so far to get here, to this very moment. You've pushed through hardship, through pain, and even suffering. In every life, an alchemical process takes place; changing, evolving, transforming.

Saturn conjoins the north nodal lunar eclipse in Scorpio. That's some heavy shit. Breathe deep, and focus on those spots within you where stagnation has taken hold. It's time to look to where you can begin letting go, let it all burn down. When you get past the fear, it's beautiful. It's liberating. It's the doorway to freedom. Life moves on. Everything changes. You know that, I know that, but through it all, we sometimes forget. We become attached; we identify with the impermanent. Every so often, however, life reminds us, that eventually something has got to give. This could very well be one of those times. Work with it. Move with it. Flow with it. It's hard to embrace pain, because it's so damn painful. Who enjoys it? With the exception of some masochistic Scorpios, most of us would rather not go there. But, pain is a message, it's a warning, and essentially, it's there to help us out, believe it or not.

This is a very powerful karmic vortex, it opens a portal to the past like nobody's (er everybody's) business. Feel the doorway to the eternal, the ethereal memories  of lives long gone, which loom like ghosts in the backdrop of the moment. There are powerful lessons here, great feats of learning. Much wisdom to be acquired. Embrace it, digest it. What's bubbling beneath the surface, it needs expression. Those feelings you'd rather keep under the rug for a little while longer; just relieve some of the pressure. All the stuff that makes you so damn uncomfortable, confront it. Whatever it is, it needs a healthy outlet and release, otherwise the scorpion's sting could leave some permanent wounds in its wake. Sinking deep, growing strong. Sit with that.

Key Aspects

Lunar Eclipse trine Neptune: 
Powerful mystical and spiritual insight permeates the collective. Dreams, visions, or maybe a heightened quasi psychedelic perspective allows for a deeper penetration of reality. Ride the wave.

Oppositon Mars/Sun conjunction:
We experienced a rather intense, and albeit, explosive anaretic superior conjunction of the Sun and Mars just last week. The energy was violent, chaotic, and intense. That mingling of fiery forces is still reverberating strongly. In Taurus, some of that slows down and solidifies into a more tangible awareness. The two no longer have free reign to create havoc like before, but, in Taurus the energy can still be rather frustrating, because it has to contend with a much slower and progressive frequency. Don't let a feeling of overall impatience get the best of you. Use this as momentum to slowly, consciously, and carefully build your way out of whatever you find yourself in. Create a strategy, and slowly take the steps to, and make the moves that will get you to where you want to go. Rome wasn't built in a day, and blah blah blah.

Pallas Athena conjunct Venus in Taurus:
This greatly reinforces the advice above. This allows for the progressive development of solutions to problems, and for making decisive and carefully plotted creative connections.

Saturn/Lunar Eclipse inconjunct Uranus
Much anticipated breakthroughs may not come all at once, or as anticipated--leading possibly to a grating sense of frustration. Slow methodical change must strike a deal with sudden spontaneous action. 

Lunar Eclipse ruled by Pluto (square Uranus)
Radical, powerful, and ingenious creative forces exert a cathartic release of energy into the collective. Via the Trine to Neptune, great new visions for the future await us all. It's time to break out of that euclidean mold. Life is an organic process of constant shifting and changing. It's a sign of the times. What hasn't been working, isn't going to. Let it go. Embrace the new. We must redefine the radical. That means what we think of as radical just isn't anymore. What happened in the 60's, happened to bring forth the seeds of a new era and paradigmatic shift. It's time to put it all into a critical restructuring and assimilation process, sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Eclipse Activations
This is when the energy and events associated with this eclipse are experienced most strongly. 

April 19, 2013: Prior to the eclipse event, Venus makes an opposition
April 27, 2013: Mars opposes Eclipse exactly
June  3, 2013: Saturn conjoins Eclipse (retrograde)
August 11, 2013: Saturn conjoins Eclipse (direct)
August 5, 2014: Mars conjoins Eclipse

Take care of yourself.

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Swallowed By The Sun

Mars gets swallowed by the Sun in Aries tomorrow. The solar plexus gets a jump start. Feel what's happening there. Feel that visceral sense of personal power. You have free will; you can direct and influence the events in your life. That reality is both liberating and frightening at the same time. Perhaps some choices must be made, or situations faced. Go down deep into your being, and there you will find a furnace of confidence, and a knowing of what exactly needs to be done. Your heart will lead you there.

Ideally, we are mindful of what arises. Anger, frustration, and violent outbursts permeate the collective ether. Allow such feelings to be, but be weary of their expression. Breathe deep into their essence, allowing the Sun to burn and transmute them as fuel for creative actualization. You are here now. Feel that, it's powerful. The energy here will carry you far, so be conscious of your decisions, they will reverberate for some time to come.

Occurring at the highly critical 28th degree of Aries, the Sun/Mars conjunction tells us that something is about to explode. Like a seething volcano, ready to give way at any second. The pressure is building, and the heat is getting intense. Every cell within you feels it. Something has to give way, it must be actualized, or else it gets internalized, leading to all those unsavory martian traits.

New Moon In Virgo 2012

New Moon @ 23 Virgo 37'
September 15, 2012
10:11 PM Eastern
7:11 PM Pacific

Hello dear readers,

I apologize for this blog being so short, and for the delay in communication recently. I have been dealing with some health/life challenges lately, and I have been finding it difficult to connect fully with astrology. I intend on fully recovering, but my body has its own say in that process, and so time will tell. I was going to skip writing this New Moon, but have decided that I would still write a brief summary of what's been floating about in the heavens.....

The Virgo New Moon is an indication that the heat and intensity of Summer is slowly winding down, and we can feel this strongly down on a celluar level. Virgo has a soft and gentle quality, as well as innate sense of innocence. This is strongly reflected in many of the "softer" aspects included in this lunation (with the exception of the Pluto/Uranus square looming in the background). This soft and gentle quality strikes a strong contrast to some of the heavier, and seemingly darker energies that have been quite active over the past few weeks, and that are still present at this lunation. Fortunately, transiting Mars is making its way out of the "burning way", the section of the zodiac between 15 degrees of Libra and 15 degrees of Scorpio. This New Moon should assist in lifting much of weightiness associated with this dark alley of the zodiac, since Mars and Saturn conjoined in this vicinity back on August 15th.

Many of us are likely to find ourselves dealing with a lot of personal fears right now--and the universe is challenging us to understand just how much we can truly handle. Venus in Leo makes a trine to Uranus and Athena in Aries, offering radical creative insight which can be readily applied to problem solving, and truth seeking. Mercury, ruler of Virgo, widely conjoins the New Moon--and finds itself in the midst of the tension and chaos of the Uranus/Pluto square. Obviously, we are on the brink of a powerful reformation on a global and personal level--these are both challenging, and liberating times. The north node has recently shifted into Scorpio (as of August 30th), asking us to embrace personal and global transformation, to go deep within ourselves, and to truly connect with whats raw and real. There are a lot of "heavy" and challenging energies floating about, but fortunately, many of the aspects this lunation provide much support in dealing with it all.

Pluto goes stationary direct on September 17th, so get ready for this tidal wave of massive collective and personal power, which will gradually emerge over the next few months. It's time to get serious about what we want to transform in our lives--and it's time for each of us to take responsibility for our part in greater scheme of things. This is a time to be exceptionally conscious, to be mindful of your every move, and what's motivating you. Awake and aware we must all be, because we are choosing to dance on shifting sands. Where are we headed? Well, off the precipice of evolution, of course. To quote astrologer Stephanie Austin, in her reading on this lunation: "Evolution means going into the unknown, into chaos". This chaos, as unwelcome as it is to the human mind and ego, is an integral part of our reality; it is something we must all face, and choose to accept, throughout our journey of life.

The sabian symbol reads:

Mary and her white lamb.

This symbol speaks of the innocence and purity of the human spirit, and fits quite nicely with one side of Virgo archetype. Of course, Virgo isn't just the sweet and innocent "virgin", we all know and love. Virgo is the gateway to the chaos each soul experiences in its incarnation on earth, it is the threshold to the abyss. It takes a hefty dose of innocence, as well as naivete, for one to choose to face such an experience--but, face it we must--and what better way than with open and trusting arms, receptive to the unfolding.

New Moon In Leo 2012

New Moon @ 25 degrees Leo 08'
August 17, 2012
8:54 AM Pacific
11:54 AM Eastern

It's been quite a ride, hasn't it? Mercury's transition from retrograde to direct, as of August 7th, signifies the end of that tidal wave of retrograde influx which permeated the collective psyche since January. If you've made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back, or maybe a gold star or two. We are likely to have a little more direction and focus now, and instead of constantly revising plans, expectations, perceptions, beliefs, ideas, etc. etc.....we now have a chance to move forward into more productive and progressive directions.

Whew, well that's a relief. With that said, however, this lunation does not present us with some gilded path strewn with glitter and puffy clouds. This New Moon actually has a few rather challenging constructs, but now that the planets are stronger and more direct, these obstacles will not be so confusing or uncertain as they have been. In fact, if anything, these challenging aspects provide plenty of fuel to get things going and back on course.

Where you've likely experienced a ton of setbacks over the past several months, you will now find that the universe is much more congruent with your plans and expectations (even if that isn't apparent in the immediate moment)--and this will gradually increase over the next month. Do keep in mind, however, that whatever gets launched around this New Moon will require plenty of hard work and dedication to see it through. If you're really serious about it though, you'll find plenty of assistance from others who are just as determined as you are.

The main feature to this New Moon is a striking T-Square with Venus in Cancer and the Pluto/Uranus square. On one end, this definitely stirs up a lot of unpredictable and spontaenous dynamics within relationships. We are invited to open ourselves up to change, and to unusual and unexpected relations with others, maybe even people who challenge our comfort zone. This also stirs up a lot of relationship tension in general, whether romantic, business, or what have you--creating a bit of crisis between inner motivations and suggestions or pressures from others.

Venus has recently moved into Cancer, after spending about four months in Gemini. Venus places her emphasis on domestic concerns now, such as security, and protection. Where we may have really valued information and knowledge to a much greater extent, the collective emphasis is now drawn more inward, and more attention is placed on feelings and intuitions rather than that mental smorgasbord  we've been so consumed by.

That means we are more concerned with how things feel and effect us deeply, as opposed to whether they just sound good. The Venus/Uranus/Pluto T-square, also ignites all those rebellious and revolutionary impulses so inherent to the Pluto/Uranus square. In our personal lives, this lunation is likely to provide a lot of momentum to really get down and dirty, and create some drastic changes.

We are likely to be less tolerant of stagnation, and many of these "challenging" aspects presented here, can be used to kick us into high gear. On the world stage, this signifies plenty more unexpected events which greatly challenge our perceptions, and possibly our much valued security. A Mars/Saturn conjunction in Libra is a pretty heavy symbol, but equally productive. Again, if you're in it for the long haul, then these two powerful forces will be more than willing to help out. On the other end, these two planets can be quite dense in their effect, and many will find themselves facing deeply seated fears and uncertainties.

There is also an obsessive and grating quality to this lunation, which can be useful for really nailing things down, and getting to the bottom of certain problems or dilemmas we've been faced with. Processes we set in motion around the beginning of this year, are going to be strongly tested now, to see if they can really weather the storm. On the light side, however, the Mars/Saturn conjunction sextiles the New Moon, offering more support if we're open to it, as opposed to an intimidating confrontation (unless it's contacting a personal planet in your horoscope, of course, i.e. planets in Libra or Aries).

As this New Moon approaches just keep in mind that a powerful process is in the works, and right now it may seem like a lot of things are coming to an end. As we move and shift into this powerful lunation, there may still be much uncertainty, because so much has shifted over the past several months. We've accumulated a rather heavy load throughout the beginning of this year, and with all the immense retrograde activity, we are now ready to release much of the debris, to begin a new process.

Since Mercury has gone direct in Leo, there is likely this knowing that much of the experimentation and playtime has outlived it usefulness--there is likely a strong feeling of seriousness permeating the air, as if it's now time to get down to business. Again, the past several months allowed us to test the waters, so to speak, and after this lunation, we will find ourselves more driven and focused on seriously implementing things into our reality. 

The New Moon in Leo ignites the power of the human will, the capacity to take charge, and create one's destiny.  It conjures up a surging momentum of great force, which urges us to march forward, fearless and strong, without hesitation. That's the ideal of course. Cross the bridge with confidence, and into the great unknown.


The Sabian symbol for this New Moon reads:

26 degrees Leo: "A Rainbow"


The rainbow is a powerful symbol throughout all cultures and mythologies. To the Judeo-Christian belief, the rainbow is a symbol of God's promise to never the flood the earth again. To the Buddhists, the rainbow symbolizes the highest state achievable before the complete annihilation of consciousness. In Greek mythology, Iris, was goddess of the rainbow, and messenger of the Gods, who flew about with golden wings delivering messages. To Australian tribes, such as the Aborigine peoples, the rainbow serpent is an androgynous creator god, progenitor of the world and all lifeforms.

The rainbow is often symbolic of a bridge from the realm of the physical, to that of the spiritual or "higher" worlds. It is a transitional symbol of moving from one state to the next. Scientifically speaking, everyone perceives a different rainbow, because no two irises are identical. We can look to the rainbow as a divine message, a portal, and bridging point to another level of reality, and one that each of us will experience in his or her own unique and individual way.

Full Moon Aquarius 2012

Full Moon @ 10 Aquarius 15'
August 1, 2012
8:27 PM Pacific
11:27 PM Eastern

So, I've been having some health issues the past several days, which has rendered me quite disinterested in writing an article on the Full Moon this round. I apologize to those whom enjoy and follow my blog--I hope to be up to writing a full article for the New Moon in Leo on August 17th.

The sign of Aquarius is all about community and objectivity, and the Full Moon brings processes and situations to some kind of climax or culmination. In short, the Full Moon in Aquarius is a time in which we can gain a much greater awareness and perspective, and to also reiterate the fact that as human beings, we greatly rely upon a community of others to accomplish our goals, and to ensure our survival. We are all connected to each other, and none of us is truly on our own. Open your eyes to the greater web and network you belong to, and realize that there is probably far more support out there than you've realized. This can create a "unifying" type of energy, and a powerful unconscious drive to seek the support and safety of a larger tribe, community, or organization. Aquarius is also an archetype of acceleration--meaning that this Full Moon can greatly quicken and energize stagnant energies, moving things faster and ideally, more efficiently.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon reads:

"Man tete-a-tete with his inspiration"
A man literally head to head with realization and creativity.

For the Sun:

"Children on a swing in a huge oak tree"

New Moon In Cancer 2012

New Moon @ 26 Cancer 55'
July 18, 2012--9:24 PM Pacific
July 19, 2012--0:24 AM Eastern

Are we there yet?

This month's New Moon provides quite a shift and change of scenery--since we've been experiencing a powerful influx of Gemini lately, the New Moon in Cancer brings in some entirely new archetypal dynamics. We are still in the midst of Mercury's retrograde cycle, until August 7th--however, this New Moon provides loads of new energy potential and is perfect for planning highly significant changes of focus and direction in the future. Wait--what? More planning and waiting?  The key aspect configuration within this lunation is an extremely striking T-square--formed by an opposition with Mars in Libra and Uranus in Aries, square Pluto in Capricorn--so in other words, we are equally dealing with some rather intense and unstable energy patterns here. While coinciding with Mercury's retrograde cycle, this dynamic aspect structure could provide some challenges if not dealt with consciously. The first half of this year was incredibly fermented by the retrograde archetype--and it has probably felt like the world was turning backwards--into rather spontaneous and uncontrollable directions. With this Mars and Uranus opposition, which is rather exact, we may feel a compulsion to really break free of certain restraints and restrictions--which could also lead to argumentativeness and disputes with others if one is not cautious.

This particular configuration also occurs between planets occupying the cardinal signs of the zodiac, so there will be a strong inclination to radically transform solidified structures in our lives--and to truly liberate ourselves from the demands and restrictions placed by others. Further amplifying this construct, Uranus turned retrograde on July 13 (through December 13), just one day prior to Mercury going retrograde as well. So, while it may feel very compelling to make some drastic sweeping changes at this time--because we just can't wait any longer--do keep in mind, this is really more about brainstorming, reflecting, and adjusting than it is about taking decisive action right away. This New Moon presents us with a lot of pressure, which each of us will respond to in varying ways--however, also keep in mind that we are free to take our time here, to really consider options and choices over the next few weeks. There is also a highly creative process that is occurring now, allowing for entirely new ways of doing things to reveal themselves. Collectively and individually, this New Moon brings with it, the realization that something needs to change--that is for sure. At this particular juncture, there is no doubt that there needs to be a critical restructuring--however, we don't need to commit just yet. What is required with this lunation is more a process of nailing it down, and allowing ourselves to make some decisions, which is much welcome after a period of possible intense indecisiveness.

Keep your mind open, sense and feel your way through these seemingly uncertain and turbulent times. There is a powerful transition taking place within all of us, and we can utilize the higher potential if we are more receptive and patient. The asteroid Pallas Athena conjoins this configuration through a conjunction with Uranus in Aries. There may be some sudden and seemingly ingenious new ideas floating about that could strike when we least expect it--so it would be best to remain completely open to radical ideas and progressive realizations. Mid August through October will be a very energizing and far more productive window of time, since we will be clear of the retrograde frenzy which has swept the collective consciousness for roughly the past eight months. Use that time for implementing and launching certain plans and projects that have been simmering for so long on the back burner--you will find less obstacles and challenges standing in the way.

Use any or all frustrution with current circumstances as a powerful creative catalyst which can inspire instead of irritate--and keep emotions from getting carried away. We are reminded here that there is far more potential than we are currently imagining for ourselves and for the world--so break out of the mold, shatter those moribund preconceived notions, and embrace the coming tide of change and transformation which awaits just around the corner. Mars in Libra trines Jupiter in Gemini, and both are sextile, along with Venus in Gemini, to Mercury retrograde in Leo--consider ideas and perspectives from others, they may be incredibly helpful and reveal things you never thought possible. This may imply adjusting our perception of certain relationships, or reconsidering insight and feedback from the past that we may have shrugged off without considering its importance. Collectively, it will be interesting to see what will unfold once Mercury goes direct, especially on the political front. This New Moon feels like a leaky damn, with one crack too many. Once August comes around, watch out for the flood, it's going to be big. For the world, that simply means out with the old, in with the new. For us as individuals, just another step within a creative process--ok, well more like a leap.

 So, just to reiterate, this lunation is ideal for strategizing and formulating various plans of action, and to get clear about the next steps that need to be taken. While many of us will feel just plain fed up with the way things are right now, the next few weeks will assist in bringing to light the best possible course of action. Also, the most critical changes that will take place during Mercury's retrograde cycle will occur entirely within ourselves--with a process of powerful deconditioning. Embrace the potential to really break free of deeply ingrained patterns and limitations which have been holding you back. Another interesting consideration is the fact that we are currently experiencing the peak of solar activity, via several coronal mass ejections. Along with Mercury retrograde, this could possibly accentuate the possibility of mechanical breakdowns and electronic malfunctions--so just be more aware of this. According to astrologer and founder of Matrix Software, Michael Erlewine, high solar flare activity often leads to many changes and transformative processes within ones identity, which can feel as if things are more uncertain and unstable than usual. To quote a facebook post, or blog from Micheal's page:

"One of the more difficult to detect (wake-up-to) signs of real change is the ennui or the dissatisfaction of assessing who I am and where I am at. One day I am just humming along in my little self-driven universe and the next I have somehow fallen out of it. There I sit once again, left high and dry while the tide of my current life apparently has decided to go out for a spell. What went wrong?

This then is where the gag reflex ‘not-to-panic’ comes in. My previous tendency was to madly try to cover up or over my emptiness, the nakedness I feel when I run out of satisfaction or happiness and come to a linear stop – the end of a line. How do I manage to forget each time that life is cyclical and not linear? Somehow it all just goes void and there I am, seemingly without a clue as to what has happened. When solar flares emerge, this experience of void-ness is very likely to occur at some point in the cycle of change."

Michael describes these times as a sort of time-out if you will, in which we are needing to deeply access who we are and rediscover a new path and direction for our lives. Mercury retrograde equally corroborates this advice as well--so don't feel guilty for possibly needing more down time lately, these changes are natural and cyclic.

The sabian symbol for the new moon reads:

27 Cancer: "A storm in a canyon"

This is a rather perfect image to describe the current solar storm activity, as well as the rather unsettling aspect configurations surrounding this lunation. While often chaotic and unexpected, a storm works to break things up and bring about a renewal of energy. A canyon is a natural formation often carved by a river over millions of years. Both a storm, and a canyon, give the sense of a natural disturbance which works to break apart some preexisting structure or formation.

 

NASA

Related Articles:
Mercury Retrograde In Leo 2012

Full Moon In Capricorn 2012

Full Moon @ 12 degrees Capricorn 14'

July 3, 2012
2:52 PM Eastern
11:52 AM Pacific

This month's Full Moon occurs in the tropical sign of Capricorn, closely conjunct that heavy and powerful god of the underworld, Pluto. This brings some dynamic attention to the Uranus/Pallas and Pluto square, which became exact last Sunday. This Full Moon brings a powerful urge to create big changes, to shift gears, and to restructure things in entirely new ways--it also brings a steadfast pursuit of truth--a tearing to the heart of things to find out what's really going on. The sign of Capricorn is usually quite determined to reach its goals, and with this configuration in the mix, it finds itself more rebellious than usual, and less tolerant of the "status quo". At the same time, all this energy fully supports that bottom line--cutting through all the crap to get to what's real. Be mindful of power tripping, pessimism, coldness, harshness, and simply rebelling for the heck of it--without any consideration of the bigger picture.

Mars finally enters Libra the day of the Full Moon, drawing more energy into the Cardinal Axis--and we are likely to feel slightly more momentum and energy going, as Mars moves out of Virgo, the sign of its retrograde cycle. While this is a much welcome change, Mars still isn't entirely comfortable in Libra, the sign of its traditional detriment--which really means that, impulsions to jump forward must contend with the concessions of others. While Mars is in Libra, there is more requirement for feedback, permission, and alternate perspectives--which requires a lot more negotiation and compromise than usual. Blazing trails these days may not work out so well for the lone wolf, so keep your mind open to the possibility for more co-creative ventures. Also, don't forget that we're currently in the midst of Mercury's retrograde shadow, with the actual retrograde beginning July 14th. So, in other words, don't fret about making those big decisions right now, even if it feels as if there's some heavy deadline to meet--because, for the most part, that urgency probably isn't what you think it is.

Another useful tip: Don't take yourself, or anything too seriously for the next few weeks--a lighter and more humorous apporoach will make things a lot more easier for everyone involved. Life is to be experienced--sometimes enjoyed, yes, but never really endured--ideally anyway. The Sabian symbol for the Full Moon reads:

"A fire worshipper" (13 Capricorn)

And, for the opposing degree of the Sun:

"One hand slightly flexed with a very prominent thumb" (13 Cancer)