New Moon in Aries - March 22, 2012

Is it just me or does time seem to be moving faster and faster? I try to keep up with these New and Full Moons, but they usually go by so fast I am not able to do it. Of course, this time, the New Moon is in Aries and conjunct Uranus so that might also have something to do with it.

Meanwhile, Mercury is retrograde conjuncting this New Moon and Mars is still retrograde in Virgo making for challenging times at best. I have been having a hard time thinking straight, talking and not crashing into everything in my environment. While, yes, it could be related to the aging process (shut up you), I feel it is connected to Uranus in Aries.

Aries tends to be really good at rushing around without a lot of thought and thus leads to accidents, so BE CAREFUL!

Even though it's in my 8th house (other people's money) I sure don't want to get it from an insurance company.

An amazing thing about this New Moon is that it opposes the Super Galactic Center (SGC) at 2 degrees Libra - the black hole around which our Milky Way galaxy and many other galaxies revolve.

According to Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer "The stellar transmissions emanating from the SGC function as a spiritual beacon, triggering memories of our cosmic origins and destiny. Streaming across millions of light years, they impel us to embody the talents and tasks encoded in our birth charts." Heady stuff!

Problem is... most people have no idea what their birth charts mean, let alone seeing the 'talents and tasks' encoded there.This is where you need the 'talents and tasks' of an astrologer, trained to read that chart. I am available for in person or telephone readings. Contact me via email to set up an appointment.

This New Moon coming just 3 days after the Spring Equinox is the perfect time to set your course for the year. It is considered the beginning of the year and corresponds to New Year is some calendars.

Next week, March 28 - through April 1 is the final 5 day month (wayeb) of the Mayan Haab or solar calendar. In that system, April 2 will be New Year's Day 0 Pop. See my 2012 blog for more on this.

You may not be able to act on your goals quite yet...until we get through this Mars retrograde ending April 13, and this Mercury retrograde, ending April 4, but you can prepare for your Spring forward.

Since I teach a course on the Mayan Calendar and 2012 at a local Junior College, many people ask what will happen on December 21, 2012.

Part of my answer is, what is happening now? And how are you dealing with it? Is your life and that of those around you falling apart? Are you in denial or are you actively seeking to solve your problems? If there were 'an answer', what difference would it make? If you can't follow through on the daily goals you set yourself, can't control your addictions, can't control your behavior....you will still be at the mercy of events rather than the master of your Universe.

We are in the thick of it now folks. What you do and think moment by moment creates your reality and sets the tone for the rest of the year and even the rest of your life.

As for the 'end of the world'...well, does the world look anything like it did even a year ago? Things end and begin constantly. Life is change at all levels. Get used to it. Learn resilience. Challenge yourself by going outside your usual boundaries of behavior.

Pluto in Capricorn is in the process of destroying and rebuilding the structures of the consensus world. If you are willing to risk, you could become a pioneer in a whole different field. But it won't happen if you sit and
wait. What that will bring is loss and destruction.

This New Moon is about starting new things. You don't have to finish....just start. Experimentation, trying new ways of being. Be ready to let them go if they don't work out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...an old adage, but still true.

Imagine yourself a little child, eager, curious, active, in wonder at the creation. Running after butterflies, picking up this and that. Not a care in the world. Delighted to be alive. New Moon in Aries.

Full Moon in Virgo March 8, 2012

Things are really jumping! Last night I happened to be watching a DVD of "Through the Wormhole", hosted by Morgan Freeman. In one segment they spoke about the effects of Solar Flares and how they could totally wipe out our electro-magnetic system, shut down all electricity and communication systems. Apparently they now have a way of predicting when they will happen, so they can prepare for it somewhat. I went to bed thinking about how our world would be affected if this happened. How would it be if all the electricity and communications were down all over the world..even for a few hours? To read about it click here.

I turned on the computer this morning to see that we did have a huge one! One of the benefits of no TV, no newspaper and very little contact with 'media' is that I don't know what's happening. I do feel things, but I don't always know what the feeling is about.

I really had a hard time sleeping last night, which is common for me during Full Moons. But this one was more difficult as I tossed and turned. My cat had strategically placed herself so that I had little room to move and when I would turn over, I would lose my blankets, so I was irritated throughout the night. Now I see why. I must have felt that flare. I am getting more sensitive with Neptune in Pisces.

About a week ago I went with friends to Mevlevi zikr. I have been a semazen (whirling dervish) for 17 years. After my mom died in 2005, I went to Konya for Rumi's Urs and after that trip, even though it was wonderful and I loved Turkey, I turned away from my Sufi groups. I felt that I needed to see what had 'stuck'. That is, what had I gotten from all the hours of teachings, practices, prayers etc. Had it changed me? Had I grown? Was any of it in me...or was I just in a habit of going? At Rumi's tomb surrounded by fellow pilgrims, I heard his words about not looking for him in the tomb but in the hearts of his followers. For me that meant it was time to move away from the teachers and groups and spend my time with 'regular' people.
To learn more about the Mevlevi Order of America, click here.

I did not 'burn any bridges,' so I always knew I could go back anytime I wanted. Last Saturday, the Mevlevi teacher from Turkey was in town and I wanted to see him and my old friends. I thought of it as a family reunion, which could include both painful and joyful moments. Now that my mother is gone, I have felt I had no more family. I have many cousins and one aunt left on my mother's side, but compared to the huge extended family I grew up in...I feel alone. These Mevlevi brothers and sisters are part of the family I created and chose for myself and I had not seen them in years.

It was more than wonderful to go back. I was able to turn despite years of not doing it. It was blissful.

I felt so much gratitude and appreciation for the teacher. What he had accomplished with Americans. The most precious things I learned from him were learned by watching and feeling. Few words were spoken, yet he guided us into a practice in which we could totally entrain with each other. Where we could begin to breathe as one, our heartbeats in sync. He taught us to see with the heart. It took being away to fully appreciate it; to spend all my time 'in the world' to truly know the difference. When I went all the time, it became second nature, but now I realize what I have been hungering for since I left.

I am not sure of my next move - whether I will get active in the group again. Right now, as Mars is still retrograde, I just want to experience things, then make my moves when out of the shadow of the retrograde.

So what does all this have to do with the Full Moon in Virgo?

Well for one thing, it is conjunct to Mars retrograde and thus emphasizes that theme of slowing down, taking time to think and feel. Time for evaluating, rather than acting. Out here on the West Coast, it feels like Spring just can't wait to burst forth, although the daily shifting from sunshine to freezing cold tells us all that we are still in winter, such as it is. Little rain, freezing temperatures.

It is important to take the time to evaluate what you're doing now while you still can. This is a time for big changes. It can be seen from many perspectives, I vote for the positive. It can only be positive, however, if you take the time to do your inner work. Then, no matter what happens, you will be fine. The key right now is to develop Resilience. That includes keeping the physical body hydrated. With Uranus in Aries, we all need to make sure we do not dehydrate. One of the effects of dehydration is that the dendrites in the brain cannot effectively function. Water conducts electricity, dissolves toxins, washes them out of our system and keeps everything lubricated. DRINK LOTS OF WATER. Try to get clean pure water, but don't obsess about it. If you think the water is less than perfect, pray over it - bless it - thank it and ask forgiveness for your role in polluting it.

I suggest you eat a little honey everyday. It will help with resilience. You can put it in tea or on toast or just eat it. About a tablespoon is enough. Eating it just before bedtime is best, since I heard that one reason we wake up in the night is that our body needs fuel. The honey can help you sleep through the night. Try it and see. Honey has many health benefits. The more natural the better.

We need to remain flexible during these times of change.

One woman I know whose landlord decided to sell the house she was renting considers herself 'home full' because she has so many friends who want her to visit or house sit, she is having a great time being free to move around. In the 60s, people bragged about being 'on the road', traveling, street people. We might think about a new form of nomadism. As Janis Joplin once said, "if you have nothing, you have nothing to lose."

In a materialist society like ours this sounds like a disaster, but if this is happening to you...think of the freedom you now have to create a totally new life for yourself. Reframing is another key word now. Change your attitude about what's happening. Try to see things from a completely new perspective. What else can you do? If you feel stuck...maybe you are. But the one thing you can do, is change how you think and feel about your circumstances.

When I was a young girl my mother used to read every book that came out about the Holocaust and concentration camps. I don't know why, we were not Jewish, but somehow she was obsessed about trying to understand what happened and why. I read the books too. One book that I read during this time made such an impression that I would have to say, it served as my spiritual teaching throughout my life. "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. It tells of his life in a Nazi concentration camp and how people coped, died, survived. He believed that it was the mind that often kept people alive, despite circumstances and saw how powerful our thoughts can be. For me, just knowing that people could survive and then when free, thrive, even though they had lived through unimaginable horrors, showed me that probably nothing in my life would be unbearable.

 

Caroline Myss talks about developing a 'backbone' rather than a 'wishbone'. For years, we have lived in a fantasy, fed by Hollywood, media, advertising, TV, the consumer economy. We have bought into it. But just remember, all of this comes from the mind of man/woman. Someone created all these things. It is not part of nature. It is only as real as you allow it to be.

 

This is the perfect time to plan and strategize. Dream a new world into being. Develop your imagination then use it to see that new world manifested. Don't worry about how....think only of what and why. Focus on what is meaningful, beautiful and inspiring. With Vesta conjunct Uranus right now.... what you focus on, you can manifest. Vesta the Goddess of the Hearth. In Roman times, the hearth was the center of the home - the focal point of family life. The Latin word for 'fireplace' is 'focus'. So...Vesta is the Goddess of Focus. She was the one who kept the sacred fire going. Her followers, known as vestal virgins, kept the fires in the temples. Put another way, they kept the attention focused on the sacred aspects of life.

 

Some say, that Vesta should rule Virgo rather than Mercury, because of its emphasis on the sacred nature of service. Rather than wallowing in your own misery....go volunteer somewhere. They always need people to put books away at the library, pet cats or walk dogs at the shelter, distribute food or clothing at foodbanks and homeless shelters. There is plenty to do. How can you be unemployed when there is so much work to be done? Don't worry, "Dios le pagaré," (God will repay you) Spanish. Trust me.