As Above So Below

Aquarius New Moon - January 22-23, 2012

2012-01-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

In general, New Moons are times of new beginnings. This is doubly true with this one since it is also Chinese New Year - a Dragon Year at that!

One of the qualities of Aquarius that you might find helpful right now...they can be VERY objective...even about themselves. They have the ability to change their lives in radical ways and not look back. This might be a useful thing to keep in mind these days. Learn to reframe 'loss' into 'making room for something new'. Learn to regard 'change' into something to look forward to and embrace, rather than something that upsets your apple cart.

With Uranus in Aries and Mars stationing retrograde in Virgo, the energy is challenging: full speed ahead/slow way down at the same time. This could lead to a very frustrating situation especially those with a lot of fire in their charts. Don't burn up your motor!

Rather take this Mars retrograde time to strategize and plan, so that when it goes direct April 13, you can leap ahead. You could make more progress in a shorter time, if you act with precision - one of the greatest qualities of Virgo. With laser-like focus, all your energy is put to its best use. No waste. So slow down to accomplish more.

Let this New Moon show you where you want to focus that laser in your life. The new beginning that you want to manifest in the next phase of your life.

This New Moon forms a T-square with Jupiter and Saturn which are asking you to check-in with your moral compass when you set your intentions. We are in a time when everything that you do and say has an effect on the future. Karma no longer takes lifetimes. We get it back in minutes now. Therefore, don't think you can get away with anything anymore. You must walk your talk; be the person you strive to be now; and get real.

While we may have the tendency to complain...and there's a lot to complain about... open your 'magic backpack' (another clever invention of Caroline Casey) and look for solutions... to your own problems and those of your 'peeps'. See how resourceful you can be rather than waiting for someone to rescue you.

Don't waste any time on fear or worry. Stay in present time so when the solution comes (and it will) you are paying attention and can recognize it.

Remember that old Chinese proverbs offer this blessing: "May you live in interesting times". That is putting it mildly. These are indeed, interesting times.

Full Moon Eclipse Dec 10, 2011

2011-12-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

Coulda, shoulda woulda.. written this earlier, but in the FLOW of NOW which the power of entrenched paradigms to control our perceptions of reality while the NEW dimensions are shimmering right below the surface ready to bring forth a new way of being.

The importance of not succumbing to the illusion of 'no way' is becoming so clear to me. To the extent of my ability to walk my talk and practice what I preach (do I preach?)...things work.
I would love to be able to get up early to see this eclipse, but as cold as it is right now, I don't know if that will happen.

Eclipses open portals for souls to come and go. They are also times for reprogramming. This one is no different.
The Universe has been demonstrating indisputably to me lately that we have infinite power to create the world we want to live in. If you are like me, you get loads of emails about seminars to help us deal with our blocks to abundance, blah, blah, blah. Don't you get sick of it? Everyone talks about how are natural state is happy, loving, living in abundance etc. but the news is all about lack, anger, frustration, and fear. So what's the problem?

We all know at least one thing we could do that would improve our lives...lose weight, stop smoking, meditate, talk a walk, the list goes on and on. But do we do it? At the same time we complain about this or that. We want something to change, get better, whatever, yet we don't do the ONE THING that would make it better. The fact is, if we did that one small thing, everything else would be different too. I KNOW THIS IS TRUE!

The amazing effect of doing that one small thing that we know about is that other things improve as well. The reason is that by doing that one small thing, we are both strengthening our will power and working against self-sabotage. We change our energetic makeup completely. The other seemingly unrelated changes we want to see are thus available to us. We change our image of ourselves as this person who does not follow through to a being with integrity. The block is our self-image - as a person who does not follow through. The Universe responds to our self image. When we stop self-sabotage, the Universe responds.

Consensus reality is still operating from the old paradigm: hard work=success. What the Occupy Movement is about is that the old paradigm does not work anymore. They are only dealing with part of it and if I may say so, only the surface of the issue. We have to go deeper than whether someone has a job or not to the concept of having a job in the first place. Questioning the paradigms is about much more than that. Why are we here in the first place? To get a job? Buy a house? Pay our bills?

These are the REAL QUESTIONS the Occupy Movement is never going to ask because it, too, is just part of the existing paradigm - the other side of the same old coin. To make real change, each individual has to do the inner work. The work you only can do alone. Only a few people are going to do that. The real 1%!

We can get so used to "struggling, fighting" that we have no idea how to function in its absence. What would we do if all our dreams just came true overnight? Could we handle it? Or would we still see the old situation? Isn't it just possible that the world we want is already here, but that we just can't see it?

On Dec. 10, Uranus, the Awakener goes direct in Aries, then 3 days later, on Dec. 13, Mercury goes direct in Sagittarius, the Truth Seeker. We are living in amazing times, when the veils are being lifted. Are you ready to see the truth?

Dec. 13 is also Feast of Santa Lucia, patron saint of the blind. Lucia, who lived from 283-304 AD in Sicily, was a Christian who refused to marry a pagan. She had her dowry distributed to the poor.
Her name means "light" and it is believed she can bring sight back. May Santa Lucia shine her light and help us to see the truth of who we are and why we are here.

2012 is the Year of Astrology

2011-12-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

Time to get a reading to see what is in store for you for the coming year! There are so many significant transits going on, there is no way you will not be affected.

Pluto in Capricorn forms exact squares with Uranus twice next year.
Uranus (revolution, rapid-unexpected change) will be in Aries (god of war, pioneer, explorer), for the next 7 years.
Neptune (dreams, spirituality, mysticism) in Pisces (Source, unity), it's home sign.
Pluto (god of death and rebirth, transformation) in Capricorn (government, economics, corporate control).

So while there will continue to be upsets in the world, there also will be the opportunity for spiritual awakening and connection to the Divine and inspired creativity on a grand scale.

Your chart represents the sky when you were born. It is like a map of your life showing past influences, present circumstances and directions for future growth and progress towards your mission.

With a focus on Pluto (soul's purpose), the lunar nodes (past and future), Neptune (your spiritual nature) and Uranus (past-life memory and unresolved issues), my readings help you see the big picture of your life - helping you write or if necessary, re-write the story of your life.

To support intentions you set for the next year, I can make you a personal flower essence blend, for an additional charge.

An astrology reading is a great gift for the 'person who has everything', if you know anyone like that. I sure don't but...everyone can benefit from an astrology reading. An unusual gift for those odd balls in your life!

Pay in advance through Paypal leaving your email or phone # and I will contact you to schedule either an in-person reading or a phone reading.

I highly recommend the new Pluto book by Mark Jones, "Healing the Soul: Pluto, Uranus and the Lunar Nodes". See sidebar to order. Mark Jones from the UK combines his psychotherapy practice with astrology, hypnotherapy and other modalities. He was part of the Evolutionary Astrology conference on "Astrology, Reincarnation and the Soul", which took place in Denver, 2010. His work on identifying trauma signatures in the chart was paradigm changing. My practice has been raised to a higher level after receiving this information. My increased understanding of myself and the effects of past-life trauma has been healing. I am now writing a book on the transformational potential of trauma. Get this book!

New Moon Eclipse in Sagittarius - November 24-25

2011-11-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is a very powerful celestial event for a number of reasons.

1) New Moons are seen as times for beginning new things. The days of darkness when the moon is not visible can be times for gestating that which wishes to be born. It is birthed at the New Moon.

2) Eclipses - alignments of Sun and Moon - are portals through which souls enter and leave this dimension. Our alignment with the ultimate portal - the Galactic Center further emphasizes the potential of this alignment. This Eclipse is 25 degrees from the GC, considered to be too far to be a conjunction in astrology, but not that far to have an effect. So.. the portal created by the alignment of our Sun and Moon is connected to the portal (black hole) at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy which was seen, by the ancients Mayans, as the place of death and rebirth adding further power to this New Moon Eclipse. See my 2012 blog for more on this.

3) Venus is only 1 degree from the GC during this New Moon Eclipse. The cultures of ancient Mesoamerica saw Venus as the god of war. They timed their 'star wars' according to the cycle of Venus. This particular transit of Venus will pass right in front of the Sun, a very rare alignment.

4) The sign of Sagittarius represents the Spiritual Seeker, the one who searches for higher meaning and truth. The Archer aims its arrow at the highest potential available to each one of us no matter our current circumstances.

5) In Evolutionary Astrology, a system brought forth by Jeffrey Wolf Green, Sagittarius and the ninth house represent what is called 'natural law' as contrasted with man-made law.

Since many of the man-made institutions are collapsing during this time, this New Moon Eclipse in Sagittarius might be the ideal time to DO something that is in alignment with the life you want.
Alberto Villoldo says:

"The only way to end this dreadful reality is to awaken to the fact that it, too, is a dream, and recognize our ability to write a better story, one that the Universe will work with us to manifest. The nature of the cosmos is such that whatever dream you have about yourself and the world will become reality."

We need to focus on the world we want to live in then dream it into being by keeping the vision before us.

The Occupy Movement seems to be focusing on what is wrong and needs to change. Unfortunately there are few goals. One of the things that bothered me in the 60s when I was actively protesting the Vietnam War
etc, was that few had suggestions about what we would do if we won our battles with the system. What would we replace it with?

I see a similar problem now. We have gotten so dependent on the infrastructure, the system, even the government. What do we actually want to do? Is the goal merely to be allowed to have tent cities in
every town? I doubt it.

Because we have been encouraged to seek solutions outside ourselves, we don't realize we have to look inside first. The shift has to happen inside before you will ever see it on the outside. If we withdrew our
participation - stop spending your money at corporate-owned businesses, we would have more effect than camping out in the street. Every time we buy stuff at big box stores we fund the corporations.

People are frustrated, angry, scared. We are living a life of projection and blame. In some ways it is easier to yell at someone than to change our own behavior. If everyone quit smoking, that would put the tobacco companies (among the richest and most powerful influences in the world today) out of business. But instead, we want to keep our habit and make them pay more taxes. We expect the system to go against itself and do things against their self-interest.

How many of the Occupy people are using cell phones? Are they thinking about all the electro-magnetic pollution they are causing? or how the people who make the phones are living at the lowest economic levels in the world? Are they thinking about the risk to their own health? the possibility of brain cancer? Who will they blame if it happens? They want their cell phone and to end economic exploitation too.

The fact is... I hate to say it...but most of the people yelling the loudest are angry because they want it all. They want to be part of the 1% and are pissed off because they just found out the American Dream is not true anymore. Actually, it never was. It was always a way to get people to buy things. "You too can own a home, drive a new car every year, have it all...." It was a marketing scheme folks. Dreamed up by Madison
Avenue. Speaking of which, why is no one occupying Madison Avenue? That is the real culprit. Madison Avenue invented the American Dream. Much more so than Wall street. The money made on Wall Street was used to buy stuff promoted on Madison Avenue.

I challenge everyone to not buy anything this Christmas from anyone except a local craftsperson. Or better yet, make all your own gifts. Make homemade jam, cookies, or flavored vinegars. Package and decorate yourself. There is plenty of time before Christmas if you start now. Take all that pent-up anger and frustration at the system and use it creatively. That way, you will manifest beauty with your energy rather than destruction. Use the money you saved when you quit buying cigarettes, coffee at Starbuck's, a new cell phone.

Nov. 10, 2011 Full Moon in Taurus

2011-11-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

One day before the 11.11.11 date. Personally, I don't understand what that is about, but there are those who consider it extremely significant. Is this another doomsday? or another chance to ascend? Whew, with all these major transformations possible...you'd better get it together. That's the message I get from all this and what this Full Moon is all about.

If found this online and it seems to sum 11:11:11 up fairly well, so I am quoting it. It comes from a website featuring newspaper articles from Ontario, Canada.

"According to Ancient Secrets Revealed, 11 is a master psychic’s number that means spiritual truth, intuition and ideals. It is viewed as a conduit to higher vibrational energy and wisdom. For that reason, there will be a tremendous number of ceremonies and celebrations around the world on November 11, 2011 or 11.11.11 including a major event in Toronto, Ontario.
The number 1 by itself can mean either the positive aspects of self-awareness and consciousness or selfishness, arrogance and aggression. The number 11 in astrological terms means you should pay attention to your intuition. Then the 11.11 connection suggests living as a more evolved person and taking responsibility for your actions.
When it comes to 11.11.11, which when added equals 6, it relates to home, family and stability as well as making the correct decision, being a good role model and viewing the world with an open mind. It also denotes getting rid of old thoughts and feelings that are detrimental emotionally, physically and spiritually."

I also like this article on Ancient Secrets Revealed

Be that as it may, the day before is a Full Moon in Taurus. Taurus encourages us to live in balance on the plane of matter. Taurus is concerned with survival, the realm of the senses (and the sensual), land, and values in relation to material wealth among other things. VERY IMPORTANT right now. And definitely 'up'. The Occupy movement is a rebellion of the 'people' the 99% against those who own most of the wealth. A classic struggle between the haves and those who want more. I won't call them the have nots because that is not really true. Few of the people protesting are have nots....they are people who want more. For more on this see my post on one of my other blogs.

Back to this Full Moon. Three important celestial bodies go direct around this one: Neptune, Ceres and Chiron. Ceres and Chiron go direct in Pisces, Neptune in the last degrees of Aquarius repairing for its ingress into its home sign.

Neptune in Pisces for the next 14 or so years is the real harbinger of spiritual evolution. I have discussed this in relation to 2012 on my CD program for sale on my 2012 blog.

During the next 14 years, transcendental experiences will be happening to everyone - even if just for a few moments. Everyone will have the chance to awaken - at least a little.

I think this quote sums it all up:
"The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away." (Pablo Picasso)
taken from The Mountain Astrologer, Oct/Nov 2011, p.105

I think this Full Moon on the axis of Taurus and Scorpio, asks us to examine our values and what we value. Do we value relationships or possessions? Do we determine what is important in our lives or do we follow the beliefs or dictates of others. Are we self-affirming or do we need feedback from others to establish our self-worth?

This Full Moon happens to be in wide conjunction to my natal nodes. It is also coincident that I am currently in a mode of re-evaluation and examination of my talents and abilities in relation to the needs of those I hope to serve. Lately, I have been feeling that no one wants what I have to offer. Should I change what I do to correspond to the market? or should I maintain my own goals. It boils down to - should I change my 'product' so that people will buy it? Interestingly, as I write this, the answer is clear. If I am truly following my heart's desire, it doesn't matter if anyone else values it or not. I am inspired by God/Goddess who provides for all my needs.

What is success? It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you are on a spiritual path, success may look very different from a person who is a Wall Street trader.

We are all being asked to examine our values and this Full Moon highlights that process.

Signs like almost everything, exist in a world of polarity, thus they have 'light' and 'dark' sides. Rio Olesky would call this 'centered' and 'uncentered'. Sometimes it is easier to see the 'centered' aspect by looking at the 'uncentered' side. Rio has a great new book called A Manual for the Modern Mystic: How to Practice Being in the Presence of God. (see sidebar to purchase) I highly recommend it. This is how it is described on his website:

"This book discusses 12 universal laws, each one associated with a sign of the zodiac. Rio uses stories and personal anecdotes as well as quotes or references to mystics throughout history. He discusses ways of working with these laws to enhance spiritual growth and consciousness development."

He will be one of the speakers at Astrology Day March 17, 2012 in San Francisco. His talk entitled: The Upside of Downtimes sound fascinating. The website is http://ncgrsanfrancisco.org/IADSF2012.html

The uncentered, dark, or shadow side of Taurus is materialistic, simplistic and unwilling to change. I would add stubborn. Uncentered Scorpio is manipulative, obsessive and unable to trust.

Perhaps it is time to see how our society has been operating from the Dark side for quite a long time. This Full Moon, thinning the veils between the visible and invisible can help us see the truth and then perhaps we can change it.

Scorpio New Moon October 26, 2011

2011-10-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

As often happens, I don't remember in advance, then something comes up and I don't post the "moons" until they are over. But... what also often happens is that I get an inspiration during the "moon" that relates...so here is the New Moon download...

Went to see the most recent Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II, which I think is the last one. I saw it at the bargain show which features films that are no longer in the main theater around the corner (for way too much money), but still sought after. But the timing was perfect, of course...New Moon in Scorpio! Something ends (after much drama of course) and you are left standing, bloodied, in the rubble ready for a new life. But what shall you do now? Indeed. Have you ever felt like that?

I sat up close, which I normally don't do, but this time I wanted to be totally immersed. When I walked out of the theater, I was dizzy and feeling like I was in an altered state. The sky was dark and light at the same time. It was around 5:15 pm and there was an imminent luminescence to it...kind of like a solar eclipse. I had the feeling that indeed, Lord Voldemort was dead and a new world was possible. I felt hope! A heaviness I had been carrying for a long time was suddenly gone. I felt a new world was/is possible.

My mind immediately edited "wait a minute, that was just a movie!" Or was it? The first Harry Potter book came out June 30, 1997. As they were released, they were a publishing phenomenon. Bookstores scheduled huge events anticipating the next release. People lined up in the street for hours to get them. There were religious leaders who banned them. Schools designed curricula around them. They had a huge effect on the collective psyche.

While in Salt Lake City in 2004, I read a headline story in the newspaper about how a local teacher had been having more success with his students after re-designing his curriculum in terms of Hogwarts. Chemistry is much more interesting when renamed "Potions".

Knitting became the latest rage...and has since diminished.

And how does this relate to Scorpio? The major theme of the series according to J.K. Rowling, "My books are largely about death. They open with the death of Harry's parents. There is Voldemort's obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone with magic. I so understand why Voldemort wants to conquer death. We're all frightened of it."

I would add power. Death and power, two major Scorpionic themes.

Read more about Harry Potter at the wikipedia entry here.

So just like Harry and his friends, here we are, the world is in ruins around us (literally true in much of the world) and this is a new day. What does the world you want to see look like? Do you want to reconstruct what has been destroyed? or create something totally new. It's up to you.

In general, New Moons are times of beginnings. The Fall Season is a time of completion, moving toward the time of going within. So how can we integrate these two energies? With the New Moon in Scorpio, sign of death and rebirth, deep process and transformation, we can begin a process of reviewing the recent past to determine what progress we have made in our personal goals, investigate ways we could improve our 'performance', then develop a strategy for making changes.

We might realize we need more education or training, or that we need to start an exercise program, or change our eating habits. This process could take the next few months, but by Spring, we should be totally on board with it. This might seen as a 'retrograde' time in which we review, re-evaluate, re-frame.... integrating what worked, releasing what doesn't, so that we are ready for 2012.

It is very important that we listen for guidance and with Neptune going direct in two weeks, Spirit is readily available to provide it. The veils are thin and getting thinner. Many societies honor this time of the year with ceremony and ritual. All Soul's Eve, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos are just a few. This is the time when the Shadow dances in the street.

According to Stephanie Austin, "Our shadow holds not only our less desirable qualities, but also anything that has been repressed--our gifts, our truth, our light. When we identify with one side of a polarity, we unconsciously project its opposite outward, imprisoning ourselves in separation and suffering."

Time to work towards wholeness by embracing and accepting all parts of ourselves. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. What this means to me is that our past traumas may become the source of our highest inspiration.

I have been called to write a book. After many years and suggestions by many friends and acquaintances, I have surrendered to doing it. Many topics have run through my mind... my interests and travels, but the one topic that probably has most value is the one I have avoided talking about. Few people who know me, know this part of my life, but.... I think it has therapeutic value, so I am going to do it.

Just today, I had another message from Source that this is the topic. It concerns healing from the trauma of domestic violence. Still a taboo topic, even here in the 'enlightened' west.

With my Sun in Gemini in the 10th house, and my South Node in Scorpio conjunct Chiron in the 3rd house...North Node in Taurus in the 9th, I feel that my ultimate healing from this part of my life, will come with the telling of my story.

Dr. Christiane Northrup says, "All healing comes from the story you tell yourself." But, I also think you have to tell your story to others, both to heal yourself, and to help them heal themselves. Silence resulting from shame or fear of rejection, causes trauma to fester becoming more damaging. It becomes more and more toxic.

Out in the light of day the trauma has less power over us... like bringing the vampires into the sunshine. They shrivel and die, losing their hold over their victims and finally being put to rest. Our hidden secrets of abuse, like vampires which come out at night and disturb our sleep, keeping us hyped up and stressed out, cannot live when brought into the limelight of Truth.

Full Moon in Aries - October 2011: Learning from the Slime Molds

2011-10-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

This Full Moon lies on the 'relationship' axis - Aries/Libra - first/seventh houses. The first house and Aries, represents our relationship to ourselves ie our self-image whereas the seventh house and Libra represent relationships to others. Much of the discontent that is occurring in the world today is due to issues of self-image and relationship.

How so?

Capitalism and consumerism, which have led to destruction of the planet, flourish when people become convinced that they need something outside themselves to be okay. I want to emphasize SOMETHING. We DO need each other to survive. No question of that. BUT we don't need a new cell phone, car, pair of designer shoes.

By convincing us that we need stuff to be happy and acceptable, the advertising industry, at the service of corporations, has succeeded in making us weak, numb and/or addicted, so that we seek fulfillment by buying whatever they decide we need.

This is not by accident. It was by design. The advertising industry was employed by the government after the Great Depression to bolster consumer confidence, so that rather than holding on to their money, people would begin to spend again. Our economy and that of the world now in a 'global economy' depends on constant growth. Much like cancer, it cannot live unless it continues to expand.

Prior to the Depression, they worked on the hearts and minds of recent immigrants. Rather, they worked on the children of immigrants, encouraging them to buy stuff in order to appear modern and more American. Those teenagers, like those of today, were susceptible too. They were taught to reject their parents, traditions: religious and cultural, and thus become more part of the 'melting pot'. In other words, lose your history and individuality to 'fit-in better'.

This trend led to alienation from the matrix of family, religion, culture, resulting in 'the nuclear family', an isolated, independent entity that does not exist anywhere in the animal kingdom. Oh yes, did we forget that we, too, are animals? We cannot live in isolation. The nuclear family led to increased domestic violence, child-abuse, incest and many of the psychological traumas that we suffer from.

While we are encouraged to think in terms of 'abundance' especially in New Age movements, many of the resources of the Earth, such as water and land, are finite. There is a lot, but it is not infinite. Use it up, poison and pollute it and it is destroyed for centuries, perhaps forever. Constant growth is unnatural. Nature manifests in cycles of birth, growth, death and decay. Each part of the process leads to the next. Even decay feeds the next cycle - the rationale behind composting.

So, back to this Full Moon. Relationship is among the lessons we are here to learn on planet Earth. Libra is usually considered the sign of balance and harmony. What it really means is that these are the lessons to be learned. Balance can only occur between equals.

Our Bill of Rights says: all men are created equal. A condescension really. What it doesn't say is: while you may be created equal, the State, its policies, and the system that results from those policies, will make sure that you are neither born equal nor that you will ever have an equal shot at the brass ring.

While we are taught that this country was founded on religious freedom, make no mistake, this country was actually founded on the ambitions of the growing capitalists who wanted the freedom from the old entrenched social systems of Europe where kings and traditional elites, including those of the Church would not allow merchants turned capitalists to prosper beyond a certain level. Those who created this country wanted to freedom to exploit the resources of the newly discovered lands, without taxation or regulation by kings, etc. They sugar-coated it by including 'religious freedom'. The new religion of the founding fathers was capitalism.

So here we are. Occupy XXXXX! For the first time ever, people are realizing that we are unified on an issue that affects us all...or at least 99% of us. WE are all suffering the effects of the economic meltdown. All except the 1% for whom there is nothing going on. They are not even experiencing a blip. Rather than red states, blue states; radical or conservative; Christian or Pagan...We are seeing that we are ALL losing.

With Saturn conjunct the Sun in Libra right now, we are changing the structure of our consciousness to include the Other, realizing that we are all ONE - even in our diversity.

Even slime molds know this. Composed of individual cells which can exist completely on their own, they unite when necessary for survival. Once they have solved their problems, they revert to their separate existences. They have survived threats that resulted in mass extinctions for most other species. Can slime molds be more intelligent that US the great human race? Let's use this opportunity to go beyond the "distinctions and differences that divide" to unify behind the banner of 'Occupy Wall Street' and any other street that keeps us in fear, separation and despair.

A Time for Deep Listening - Fall Equinox

2011-09-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of September, I spent a week in the Catskills at the Deep Memory Process Level 1 training with Patricia Walsh and Kim Marie (Evolutionary Astrology Network). Patricia wrote the incredible book: "Understanding Karmic Complexes: Evolutionary Astrology and Regression Therapy". (See book in sidebar)

Planned months in advance, it was almost cancelled due to flooding in the town of Windham, NY and nearby areas. The river that runs through Windham was swollen to flood levels by Hurricane Irene and the breaking of a dam. The town received 15 feet of water and many homes and businesses were destroyed. They had cleaned up the roads enough so that we could get there.

The Windham Retreat Center was spared since it sits up on a hill above the river. The whole time we were there investigating and re-experiencing our past lives and the traumatic deaths we had suffered which had left
scars on our souls, emergency vehicles, National Guard, FEMA personnel and all the able-bodied local men, worked day and night to restore order around us. There was an 8pm curfew, but nowhere to go at night anyway, since it had all been either destroyed or seriously affected by the water. We were isolated. I saw it as an oasis of the light of consciousness in a desert of the darkness of ignorance.

While we screamed and kicked ourselves out of the restricting cocoons of past life traumas, trucks filled with
debris whizzed around us down on the roads below. One night thunder and lightning echoed our wails and shouts. High drama!

While most of us at the training are moving toward creating a new world, those around us were doing all they could to restore the old. Clearly, life as we knew it was over, but rather than embracing the changes and seeking new solutions, people were trying to re-establish what they knew - security.

I kept hearing these words:

“Sit, be still, and listen,
because you're drunk
and we're at
the edge of the roof.” ― Rumi

I wanted to tell people it might be better to sit down and contemplate building a whole new world, rather than to rush into reviving the old, worn-out paradigm. They were merely prolonging the life of something bound to die, like putting someone on life support for an indeterminate amount of time who had suffered brain damage. Why? because of fear of the unknown. I could imagine them just sitting down amidst the rubble realizing that things were never going to be the same, and being okay with that. Taking the time to think about how they could truly change their lives rather than rushing ahead to rebuild the cage of consensus reality.
A new world is possible, but not if we spend our time shoring up the old.

Full Moon in Aquarius - August 13, 2011

2011-08-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Full Moon again. Didn't we just have one? Seems like things are going faster and faster. Does that mean I'm getting old? With all that is going on... I'm late in posting this. However, since the effects of the Full Moon operate for awhile, it is still relevant.

This Full Moon in Leo is especially potent. Venus and Mercury are conjunct the Sun, while Neptune retrograde is conjunct the Moon. In addition, Mars opposes Pluto, which is square to Uranus, making a T Square and ultimately a Grand Cross is you bring in Saturn. Whew!

Now tell me this, there is nothing going on here on Earth that mirrors all this activity in the Sky. The sky picture indicates huge, transformational changes which any look at the news will validate. Uranus (revolution/freedom) square Pluto (transformation/rebirth) and Mars (the will to make it happen).

All these changes are not only happening 'in the world' but also inside us. Although many of us tend to focus more on the external than the internal, I suggest you take the time to see what is going on 'in your world'.

I have a strong sense of optimism that many would see as foolish. I truly believe and am living from the perspective, that anything is possible. I refuse to be dragged down by the forces of doom and gloom, because the more we buy into what they are saying, the more we strengthen them. We feed them when we
accept what they say as the truth. I choose to feed joy, optimism, creativity, imagination. I feel happier than I've been in a long time and see my world improving day by day. Since 'my world' radiates out from me...I see everything improving.

Now, more than ever, your capacity to imagine the world you want to live in is crucial. See yourself living the life you want for yourself and others. Rather than worrying about dire circumstances, use the power of your thought to manifest the positive. What have you got to lose? At least you will be generating positive energy rather than negative and that in itself produces better outcomes.

The 'revolution' within, known in Islam as the Greater Jihad, is more difficult because it requires that you first imagine that another way of thinking and being is possible. We think we are stable and that the world around us is changing. But notice how different YOU are when everything is going the way you want, when you are in love, when you receive good news etc. then contrast that with how you feel when you are afraid, jealous,
angry, tired, sick. You are not always the same. Your thoughts and emotions are constantly in flux. In fact, your inner state is more changeable than anything else in your life.Gurdjieff said that in fact, there is no 'I' inside you but hundreds of 'I's' competing for the stage. Spiritual work such as meditation and observation helps you see the many 'I's' so that at least you can know who is speaking at any given time.

Don't believe this? Just try to quit smoking. The 'I' who wants to stop smoking doesn't know the one
who needs a cigarette right now and in fact, thinks you deserve to have one because you have been so good and have not smoked for a whole day. Or you start dieting, then because you lost 2 pounds, you think it is okay to have 'only a small bag' of chips as a reward.

This happens to everyone all the time. Observation is the first step and a very important one. It is also true that once you begin to see the chaos within, you could get depressed about it. But remember, this is the human condition.

With the Sun conjunct Venus and Mercury right now, we have the added benefit of Love, Harmony and Beauty (Venus) and the Messenger of the Gods (Mercury) to bring our dreams into focus and send them out into the world.

Have a Happy Life!

New Moon in Leo - July 30, 2011

2011-07-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Once again we are in the time of the New Moon - a time of new beginnings. With things changing as rapidly as they are, some of us are not necessarily wanting anything new...Let's just keep what we have for awhile!

Yet, this New Moon in Leo conjunct Venus, trine Uranus - combines Creativity and Love with Values. Innovation and Courage to put our Creations out into the world. We have the energy now to create what we love and care most about. Take some time to think about what is most important to you, but don't just think about it - DO SOMETHING!!!

For me, one flower can brighten my day, or the sound of a certain bird that only sings early in the morning and at dusk and only during the early Summer. I don't know where that bird goes the rest of the year, but it is only here at these specific times.

I know this because I have lived in the same house now for 17 years and am finally becoming familiar with the beings I share this land with. Recently I have been thinking about selling my house, using to money to
improve my daily life. But then I heard that bird. I knew that I would lose that if I moved into town. What is the value of that bird song to me? It soothes my heart, brightens my soul. Priceless.

Can I create what I need right here so that I don't have to move? This New Moon in Leo conjunct Venus challenges us to find ways to create what we love and value. If not now, when? We have nothing to lose. we need to just go for it.

Today it seems that we base our self worth on not who we are but what we have..how much money, how much stuff. we feel we are failures if we have not 'succeeded' in achieving financial stability or wealth. With all that is occurring with the economy these days, there are few who are 'successful' or stay that way for long. Even those who once had it all are losing it.

The challenge is to not take it personally....one way or the other. We forget that 'we' are a drop in the ocean.. no better or worse than any other drop.

Often our success or failure depends on the decision of another person over whom we have no control. We get the fantastic job or we get laid off and our lives are affected deeply. We think we 'did' something.

The shadow of Leo is taking credit for everything. Thinking we are all powerful and that we are entitled to special treatment. The Pluto in Leo generation, now seniors, is really having a hard time with this. Some of us think that we deserve to have it all even if we did not put in the effort to have it. I am so grateful for the social security check I get each month. I marvel at it really. At the same time, I look at my circumstances and ask myself "How did this happen?" It's like I woke up one day shocked at my situation.

For me, this is the 'proof' of karma. There is no other explanation. Our past lives DO affect our present.
However, I have also found that any work done in the present to heal the past, has repercussions forward and backward in time. We heal not only our present life, but all that has come before and all that will follow.

The healing occurs in an instant. The work to facilitate that healing can take years. And yet it is worth it.

In September I will begin the training in Deep Memory Process (DMP) created by Roger Woolger, facilitated by Patricia Walsh. I have sacrificed a lot to be able to do this training.

Right now I am searching for ways to pay for the airline ticket. I have paid for the training in New York and need to fly there in one month. As of this moment, I don't have the money for the ticket.

Some would say this is an extravagance I cannot afford. I have prayed and meditated over it and I am certain that I am called to do this work. My entire life has been leading me to this. Like all pilgrimages, there are
challenges and dangers. I was recently diagnosed with Lyme Disease and am currently in treatment for it. I was experiencing the worst pain of my life. I knew it was part of the shamanic healing process and that it is 'now or never'. I must heal my past life traumas. I must finally deal with my issues so that I am totally available to help others through these difficult times.

More and more people are coming to me for answers. My astrology and flower essence practice is growing. I cannot afford NOT to go to this training.

I am seeking donations for my airline ticket.If you are wiling to donate, go to Paypal, enter my email address and give a personal gift. Any amount would be appreciated. I must raise around $800.00 in a week. I trust Spirit to take care of it for me.

I love this quote from Clarissa Pinkola Estes taken from the Mountain Astrologer, June/July 2011 issue:
"One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul. Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times. The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch fire. To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these--to be fierce and to show mercy toward others; both are acts of immense bravery and greatest necessity."

Priceless!

Capricorn Full Moon July 14/15, 2011

2011-07-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Capricorn, ruled by Saturn represents slow, deliberate and planned action. Representing paternal energy and naturally opposed to maternal - Cancer...this Full Moon is a sort of reversal. That is, the Moon (ruler of Cancer/mother) is in Capricorn, whereas the Sun (another 'male' symbol) is in Cancer.
No wonder we are confused!

In Evolutionary Astrology, this axis is featured in gender shifts... the idea being that through time we will all experience both the genders so as to achieve balance.

While I long awaited the summer light and heat after what seemed like an endless wet and cold winter under the redwoods, I find myself so lethargic I can't get anything done. I see myself lying on a beach chair next to a swimming pool, with an umbrella'd bright pink cocktail on the low lying table beside me. I know some people actually get to do that. Not a care in the world.

Capricorn also represent authority. Who has the authority in your life? The word authority contains the word 'author'. So we can say it this way - who is the author of your life story? You or someone else? The shadow side of Capricorn is domination and control.

By contrast, the other side of the axis, also highlighted in this Full Moon, is Cancer. Cancer is a relational sign dealing with home and family ties, nurturing. The shadow side of Cancer is over-dependence on others and blaming others for the failures in your life.

Do we give others credit for our successes? We tend to think we succeed by our efforts alone, but others ruin us. Interesting. We need to work on balance. Realizing our connections to others and how we need each other, but also taking responsibility for our actions and have the courage to act alone when appropriate.

The Capricorn/Cancer axis truly reflects the relationship between outer and inner worlds. Our life in the world - career (10th house Capricorn) and our inner life - home (4th house Cancer). With the Sun in Cancer and the Moon in Capricorn, this theme is highlighted.

In this culture (a Cancerian word) we tend to be oriented to the outer - who we are in the world, how others see us, what we do, etc., but this reversal - Moon in Capricorn/Sun in Cancer might be a good time to see that they are connected. One reflects the other. 'Right livelihood' is grounded in a healthy relationship to one's inner nature.

For too long, we have been encouraged to 'leave our feelings at home' when we go to work. This allows people to do inhuman things while on the job. We are seeing the effects of that all around us. I have often asked myself, "Don't the guys who manufacture weapons ever wonder if their own children will be harmed by them? Don't the polluters of water and air think they will get cancer? Do they think their money and profits will save them?" The excuse: "I was only following order" is no excuse anymore. When I was a child and told my mother I wanted what other kids at school had. I wanted to fit in. She would always say,"If they jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, would you want to do it too?" This is another way of saying, "I was only following orders."

Who's is in charge here? Isn't this YOUR life?

More and more we know that our world is interconnected. "We are all Japanese" is something Dennis Bernstein on KPFA has been saying since the nuclear disaster in Japan. We are all suffering the effects of the radiation that is being released from all these nuclear disasters going on. To think otherwise is foolish.

Everything is moving faster and faster. We need to stay centered within our own being. There are many techniques we can use to do so: meditation, yoga, breath practices, tai chi, or even long distance running. It is not only recommended, it is crucial if we are to navigate these times.

We can see that the so-called 'authories' have no idea what they are doing. They are neither experts nor competent. Why listen to them? Time to be the author of your one precious life.

Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer refers to the Sabian symbols for this Full Moon in this way: (They) accept the need for both cooperative efforts and individual courage. For the Sun at 23 Cancer: "The meeting of a literary society." For the Moon at 23 Capricorn: "A soldier receiving two awards for bravery in combat." We live in extraordinary times, which call for exceptional courage and compassion. If you are feeling overwhelmed or exhausted, spend time in nature -- by water, woods, wherever you feel nurtured or inspired.

We are in the midst of a collective spiritual initiation: "If the initiation holds, we never go back to the old forms or the old reality; we are now incapable of doing so. We have been reconstituted so that we can live now in this different universe, or entire system attuned to a different set of laws." (Deena Metzger)"

July 1, 2011 Cancer Solar Eclipse

2011-07-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the midst of another eclipse. July 1, 2011 a New Moon Solar Eclipse and a Grand Cross involving Pluto in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Uranus in Aries and the Sun and Moon in Cancer.

Cancer is the sign of home, family, nurturing, the cultural matrix in which we currently live and the one we were born into. Natural ruler of the fourth house and ruled by the Moon, it is generally associated with the Mother or the primary nurturer in our childhood, which may have been our Father or even another male.

At the 'bottom' of the chart, it is the basis of our consciousness: foundational, innate and often unconscious.
I am feeling paralyzed with exhaustion. It is blazing hot and although I was supposed to be at the Rohnert Park Farmer's Market, the thought of getting in the car and driving one more place became overwhelming, so I decided to nurture myself and stay home.

I have been working with more and more people lately and often self-nurturing is something they neglect. Somehow we feel that we must force ourselves to do things because of someone else, but what about us? Who will take care of us if we don't do it ourselves?

Sometimes we have not learned self-care because of the selfishness of those who raised us. They dragged us around with them on their shopping trips, socializing, etc., when we would have preferred doing something else. If we rebelled, we got punished. We were not allowed to be ourselves or express ourselves, so now as adults, we don't know who we are. We are lost unless someone is 'directing our play'.

Yesterday I decided to go to the de Young Museum in San Francisco to see the Balenciaga exhibit, which ends this weekend. I knew it might prove to be exhausting and it was, primarily because it took 3 hours to drive home. I forgot that for most people, this is a holiday weekend and everyone was headed out of the the Bay Area/SF to destinations north.

It was worth it, however. It was marvelous to see all the gowns, suits, hats etc. that were popular when I was a young woman. Most of those at the exhibit were women - my age and older and it was fun to listen to their stories about the prom dress they had that was like this or that dress in the exhibit. Two unrelated women told me how they used to make their own clothes (as I did) and that their favorite fabric was pique. I, too, loved pique. They don't even make it anymore.

I realize I was honoring my Venus in Cancer which is currently conjunct this Eclipse! My natal Venus went
retrograde by progression when I was around 4 and direct when I was around 47! No wonder my 'love life' was so challenging. In the past year, I have reconnected through Facebook with some of my former partners.

It has truly been a healing experience. An opportunity for me complete karma and move into Present Time.

With Pluto opposing this eclipse moving into a square with Uranus in Aries we are in for even more challenges. Eclipses are portals between dimensions. This portal in Cancer provides us with insights about what we need to nurture ourselves and those around us during this time of intense transformation.

Do we need to sleep more, change what or how much we eat? Drink more water? Spend more time with loved ones? Or do we get our nurturing in nature? Living in the woods as I do... near to a vacation destination, I watch the cars driving in on holiday weekends, realizing "I don't have to go anywhere. I live here!" While this area has its challenges.... possible flooding, long periods of being damp and cold etc. I am blessed to see green out of every window all year round! I know that I need green.

Take this opportunity to find out what you really need. What nurtures you, renews you, enlightens your being.

Sagittarius Lunar Eclipse - June 15, 2011

2011-06-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

So here we go into another eclipse, the second of three during this season. This one is a lunar eclipse the other two are solar eclipses. It will be in Sagittarius on June 15.

Some astrologers say that the eclipses that occurred while one was in the womb affect the entire life. For me, there was a solar eclipse just 3 weeks before I was born - in Taurus, close to my North Node in Taurus in the 9th house.I have devoted my life to the study of languages (Gemini Sun), cultures and religions (Pisces Moon).

I was ordained as an Interfaith minister through the Sufi Ruhaniat International after lifetimes of training. I have been on my pilgrimage journeys with spiritual teachers to Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Crete, Mexico and India and in each place experienced past-life memories.

In general, eclipses are portals through which souls come in and leave the planet. But they are also portals for those who know how to use them, moving to other dimensions at will. This is increasingly available now with Neptune in Pisces and as we approach 2012.

One of the requirements for 'time and space travel' is that we are able to be totally in the present. Fantasizing or reminiscing indicate that our minds are out of control. While they both can be pleasant (or terrifying depending on what we are imagining), they are most often passively achieved. That is...they happen to us. It takes some effort to stay present. You have to learn to control thought.

A daily practice of meditation can assist in developing the mind-control muscle. Learning to stop thoughts (written about by Carlos Castaneda in the '60s book: The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui way of Knowledge) is a very effective way to stay in the present, in gratitude and out of fear.

The Maya, too, saw eclipses as powerful times and in the Dresden Codex there is a perpetual eclipse table that has been shown to be incredibly accurate.

A significant feature of this eclipse is that it is within 3 degrees of conjunction to the Galactic Center, the Black Hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy...the ultimate portal. What we have then is a lining up of portals on at least two dimensions.

Mercury is conjunct the Sun and South Node in Gemini. As the messenger of the gods, Mercury (which is associated with our state of consciousness, communication and 'lower mind'), assists us in moving between dimensions. Often called the 'trickster' which I feel has a negative connotation, I see its role more as a shape-shifter, able to adjust to circumstances as needed. In order to communicate with beings on different dimensions, we may need to alter our form. This is not a bad thing, it is an accommodation for the sake of being better able to understand.

It is not enough to just speak louder when talking to a person who speaks a different language than ours...we have to speak their language. This often means we have to change our mindset. Some things are just not translatable. It is true that the categories of meaning are different in each language. The world view of someone living in dense jungle must necessarily be different than someone raised in the Sahara. Think about it! This is why travel is so enlightening. You find out that not everyone thinks like a person from San Francisco, California, USA. Ha ha!

The North Node is also within orb of the GC and the eclipse and shows us where we collectively need to be moving. Where it occurs in your chart shows where you can be aiming the centaur's arrow for yourself.

North Node in Sagittarius - in general represents Higher Mind, Truth with a big T, and the search for it. Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality. Higher Educations. Ruled by Jupiter, the grand guru of the universe - the teacher. It also represents travel on long journeys inner or outer, pilgrimage, foreign lands and cultures.

I think we are coming into a period where we see all earth beings as part of one family of man/woman. Diverse and united. The many and the one. We are called to travel on different dimensions now - the macro and the micro. Perhaps beyond this Universe.

It is time to stop fighting and learn to work together for the good of all. Otherwise, we will all go down.

The numerous natural and man-made disasters we have been experiencing lately should be waking us up to the dire situation we are in. The corporations keep us distracted from what we really need to focus on so that they can continue making money as the ship goes down. With Jupiter in Taurus we need to find what is really important and work to nurture and sustain it. Jupiter in Taurus for the next year will be teaching us what really matters for the survival of the Earth and its inhabitants. We have to start looking at our kinship with animals and plants, without whom we cannot live.

Taurus an earth sign is ruled by Venus. It deals with the earthly comforts: food, shelter, clothing (as protection from heat and cold), pleasure, love, and other resources we need to sustain life. Many of these things have been taken for granted here in the West and now that they are threatened by the economic downturn, we realize that we cannot live the way we want without them. "It's hard to be spiritual when you are worried about paying the rent."

Many of us are being forced to whittle down our lives to what is absolutely necessary. The challenge is to see that we are more than our stuff and that our 'value' as a person is more than how much money we make. In Alice in Wonderland the caterpillar asks Alice "who are you?" and so I (as the resident caterpillar of this blog) now as you the same question: "WHO ARE YOU?"

Full Moon in Scorpio - May 17, 2011

2011-05-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was supposed to participate in a Health Fair Sampler with Songbird Community Healing Center. I was going to offer flower essence readings and promote my classes and readings.

I woke up with a lot of resistance, my knee still aching, and my energy low. I thought about how little money I have been making at shows and events lately as people seem less willing to part with their declining funds.

On the other hand, I had not paid for the booth and so would lose nothing, except the gas to get there, even if I made nothing. I went through the usual inner conversation of 'yes and no' - which doesn't seem to get better, despite my efforts.

At some point, a new idea popped in, probably because I have been meditating more lately. Why not see it not as a chance to make money, but rather as a time to have fun. View it as a party I was invited to, a chance to see my friends and meet new people. This way, I didn't need to make money because it was a social activity.

Amazingly, this gave me renewed energy to get ready and go.

Let me say that this was the most financially successful day I have had in months! I scheduled and was paid for a reading and sold aromatherapy products. Effortlessly, I had made 4X what I had hoped I would make! I felt like a miracle had happened. In a sense, it had.

This showed me something very important which relates to this Full Moon in Scorpio, which asks that we shift the way we do things. By viewing the show as 'work' it became drudgery like many of the jobs I have had in my life.

I got into making herbal products and giving astrology readings because I loved it. I had made into to a chore by "needing to make money" at it. When I shifted my attitude, my energy changed. This, of course, is related to the Law of Attraction. People were willing to give me their resources (money) because they liked the energy I was radiating.

Many agree that things are falling apart and shifting. Rather than scrambling to rebuild the old and replace the outworn, let's use this as an opportunity to create and manifest our bliss.

Many years ago I worked at a women's shelter. Despite the fact that every one's life had been led them to their current circumstances, all were doing everything they could to restore that dysfunctional life minus their abuser. No one saw the whole pattern, their role in the dysfunction, the fact that it was their attitudes about themselves and the world that had, in part, created the scenario they found themselves in. No one saw they had to change everything, including themselves. I used to encourage them to see their stay in the shelter as the greatest opportunity they might ever have to totally change their lives. Some wanted to believe me, but feared the unknown. They opted for the security they knew, despite the fact that it led to misery. Of course, some did manage to make improvements, but most just changed the particulars, not the causes.

Let us not make the same mistake. If you find yourself with more time on your hands, why not use it to do inner work? Read, meditate, walk, work in your garden. Change your patterns. What else do you have to do? Perhaps, with this opening in your life, you will create something even better than that job you resented every day. One thing that all this proves is that there is no such thing as 'security' except that which comes from within.

I love this quote Stephanie Austin offers this month from Joseph Campbell:
"The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the Universe, to match your nature with Nature."

By the way, my class Ek'Waynal, the Galactic Center and 2012 is now available on CD. This narrated slide show connects the end of the Mayan calendar, the alignment with the Galactic Center and astrological events. How does the ingress of Neptune in Pisces relate to 2012? Go to my Maya and 2012 blog to purchase.

New Moon in Taurus May 2011

2011-05-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

New Moon in Taurus. Five planets in Aries including Venus, how might we look at this combination? Aries initiates, Taurus makes it real. Fire and Earth. Active and Passive.
Business as usual is not an option anymore. Whether we like it or not, our lives are changing. Better to let go than to try to cling to the past. Discomfort is actually lessened by 'going with the flow' than by resisting stubbornly.

I was speaking to a woman yesterday with a stellium in Cancer, opposed by Pluto in Capricorn. She indicated that her life was falling apart and that she had no idea what to do, and yet, she was closed and dismissive. It was one of those 'yes, but' situations.

She would ask for my thoughts on her situation, but would not listen to my response. After a few exchanges of this nature, I decided to stop playing her game, seeing how much I was attached to 'trying to help'. I asked her how she had dealt with issues in the past and she said she had never had any difficulties until now.

On the one hand I thought her fortunate that her life had been so perfect until now, but I also saw that she had no practice in dealing with challenges.

If you feel your life has always been difficult, consider yourself lucky. You know how to survive tough times. Your survival muscles are well-developed and you know options exist, even if you can't yet see them. Just that knowledge puts you ahead of the game.

Aries advises that we DO something rather than thinking too much. As for what to do, Taurus New Moon suggests that we act in accordance with our values. What do you love? What brings you joy? What do you care about?

We have been made to believe by society that money is of utmost importance and that without it we are powerless. Remember that human beings lived for millenia without money.

Stephanie Austin in the Mountain Astrologer asks the question: "If you had one year to live, how would you spend it? What were your childhood dreams?"

I suggest you take a little time during this New Moon to consider these questions and then move forward on the path that reveals itself.

Astrology Day 2011 SF

2011-03-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Despite the pouring rain, the early hour and the fact that I still had a cold hanging on...I made it to the 2011 Astrology Day event in San Francisco. Thankfully, I had made arrangements to get a ride, so I didn't even have to drive and sharing expenses 3 ways, bringing my lunch and the fact that they had no books for sale (ha! ha!) made it even better.
My favorite talk was the keynote address by Steven Forrest titled: "Bring on the Human Future" He covered Uranus square Pluto, Jupiter opposing Saturn, the Cardinal Cross and as usual, did not pull any punches. Said it straight, but as also usual, with humor and humanity. Forrest is a master of saying even the hardest stuff in a way that makes it palatable, even funny.

He said that with all the hard astrological challenges, its easy to forget Neptune, which will go into its own sign, Pisces on April 4. Neptune is one of the BIG PLAYERS in the astrological game too! But Neptune's message is so different from all the rest that is happening.

Neptune's cycle is 165 years long, so Neptune remains in a sign for 13/14 years. Forrest said that during this transit, "escapism will be raised to an art form" and that "virtual reality will provide an easy escape from a
worsening reality". On the other hand he said, "there will be a massive leap in consciousness", and that "the angels will notice that even the most hard-hearted people will have moments when they are gazing at a rose
in wonder." We will be in the "collective well of magic", and that we will all have greater metaphysical experiences," no matter who we are. This sound great to me!

He went on to give a brief history of Neptune in Pisces in human culture, saying that typically during Neptune in Aquarius, "the magic drained out of the metaphor" and the old systems were dry and empty. Because the people were starving, the ground was fertile for a new message. The Qur'an speaks of this in the same way. "We sent a messenger from among you..."

When Neptune went into Pisces, what often happened was that there was "a visitation of energy" and a new "(spiritual) teacher appeared with the juice bringing in magic and transformation". He equates this to returning
"back to the Well of Life". But he also quoted someone as having said: "Religion makes good people better and bad people worse." So there you are.

According to the Dalai Lama, "the world is drunk on anger", and Forrest says there is one thing on which ALL people of the world including Sara Palin (not sure if it's spelled right and I don't really care) and any terrorist would agree: "everything sucks and it cannot continue like this!" ha! ha! so true....I love Steven Forrest!!

We can certainly see that we are at a log jam, everything seems to be falling apart and most of us feel a loss of meaning in life. Forrest says that at times like these, the Universe will answer and there will be a spiritual renewal.

He says that this past year when the movie, Avatar came out, correlated to when Jupiter made a short ingress into Pisces before going retrograde back into Aquarius. It reminded people of the time when we were connected to Nature and to each other on a deep psychic level. It touched that memory within us. Forrest mentioned an article in Psychology Today, January 2010, (which I have yet to read, but will look for) that says there was a high incidence of suicidal thought reported in the population as people realized what they had lost and thought gone forever.

This was a taste of what is coming. Forrest said that Neptune's ingress into Pisces on April 4 for four months, before it turns retrograde then direct again, will give us a preview of what we will be experiencing for the next 14 years.

I think we will go through a period of deep grieving - which has already begun - for the death and destruction that has been wrought by our human greed, ignorance, jealousy, possessiveness and insensitivity. We need to
do this. We need to mourn the dead. We need to cry out in anguish. We cannot stuff it and cover it up with drugs, alcohol or any other pain-killer. We need to feel this pain so that we will know we are still human
beings with hearts. As the Sufis say...."the Sufi is the one with a broken heart". Only when we have admitted what we have done, will this thing be over and we can begin to heal and change. This is the basis of all therapy, AA groups, confession etc. We have to take responsibility for the pain we have caused others.

Another presenter at Astrology Day, Ralfee Finn, got us all in tears when she showed the picture of that little dog who stayed with his dog friend until he could get help. She labeled the picture "The Hero", showing us
the model of what we need to aspire to - love, service, - whatever it takes to help our fellow beings in need. Here's link to that video. Not sure if will work, but you can try.

Neptune's 'power' on the collective and on the personal level is most potent when it is in it's own sign. If you have Pisces in the your 12th house, lucky you! You will get the maximum benefit of Neptune in Pisces!

In general, Neptune dissolves whatever it touches.... often leading to confusion and a sense of being lost.
Neptune deals with the realm of the invisibles and connects us to the Infinite, the Source of being. It is the planet of mystics and artists, musicians, poets, dreamers. It rules the imagination, the dream world.
For those who love this part of life, it is delightful. For those who fear it, it is strange, uncomfortable and unreal.

It is amazing to me how this corresponds to the end date of the Mayan Long Count calendar period of 5,125 years. In the Popol Vuh, the Creation myth of the Maya, the world has been created and destroyed by the Gods, who originally created beings so that they could be praised. Each creation failed to do so, partly because in the form they were in, they could not. It can be viewed as a set up because they were destroyed due to something they were incapable of doing: could not praise because they could not talk for example.

However, our form has the ability to praise and yet it does not, because it 'forgets' or 'looses interest', 'gets
distracted by life', whatever. So...we could be destroyed. Perhaps we, too, are not capable of praising God.

By the way, the Aztec stories say this creation ends by 'movement' that is, earthquake.

If what has been going on in the world has not gotten your attention, you are indeed beyond the pale. How many people have prayed lately who have not ever prayed in their lives? How many have cried at the sight of dead people, whales, birds, dogs, children? God/Gods are doing whatever they can to wake us up to the spiritual side of life, which actually lies at the base of everything.

Another interesting thing in the Mayan story is that Creation comes from the 'watery world below' which is seen at the night sky when the worlds are reversed - and is often depicted as the sea and its creatures. This
corresponds to the first presentation entitled "2011 and Beyond: A Brave New World Emerging from the Sea", by Dale O'Brien.

Last, but not least, the one text we have which speaks directly about the up coming completion of 13 baktuns (12/21/2012) says that the nine gods (the nine lords of the night) will descend (from the night sky - read watery world - read ocean) to the place of transformation (a type of sweat house). The rest of the text is either missing or destroyed.

My guess is that we will have a visitation from beyond that will assist us in our evolution to the next level. As Ralfee Finn said, "not everyone succeeds on the hero's journey. Some don't survive the descent. Some are
dismembered."

My feeling is that ultimately, we will all make the hero's journey, survive it and come back with our gift. Maybe not in this lifetime, but eventually, just because we were created. That is the proof. There are
those who don't want to do the inner work this time. That's okay. This is where FREE WILL comes in.

For more on 2012 go see my Maya blog

For more on the conference and healing go see my herb blog.

A great explanation of Neptune Transits through the houses can be found at Cafe Astrology

Full Moon in Virgo - March 19, 2011

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Many of us will be attending the International Astrology Day events in San Francisco this coming Saturday. It is the day before the Spring Equinox and the day of another Power Full Moon.
The second of six SuperMoons this year, it will exert a stronger pull on the Earth's oceans, tectonic plates and energy grids than 'normal' Full Moons. Not exactly what we need right now!

A psychic I know said the west coast of California could have a huge earthquake between March 19 and 27. Apparently, California is on the other side of the same fault that caused the recent earthquake in Japan.

Another element of this upcoming Full Moon is that the alignment of the Earth's equator with the Sun at the equinox causes a reduction of the Earth's magnetic field, which according to Stephanie Austin, "facilitates switching channels and increasing access to higher dimensions and new information".

Since this Full Moon (opposition of the Sun and Moon) is square the nodal axis (currently in Sagittarius and Gemini), we have a Grand Cross - the the Sagittarius NN conjunct the Galactic Center. The Galactic Center is a black hole at the center of our galaxy. It is a super transmitter of energy and radiation which effects the electromagnetic field of the Earth. So we have two conditions which could shift our magnetic field, not to mention whatever effects were caused by this recent huge earthquake.

I have discussed the meaning of the Galactic Center a bit here and on my 2012 blog.

Equinoxes are considered cosmic gateways by many ancient cultures. Spring and Fall Equinoxes are when the Cosmic Serpent at Chichen Itza moves down the sides of El Castillo and slithers off to his home in the Underworld via the portal of the Sacred Cenote. Hope to be there this September.

This Full Moon occurs at the final degrees of Pisces and Virgo, potent degrees as we are challenged to 'get the message' of the sign before the planetary body moves on.

So what are we to do? Nothing. There is nothing to DO. It is time to BE! Rather than be a human doing, become a human being. Being occurs when live in our hearts. As we get better at staying in our heart, then no matter what happens, it will be okay.

The Sabian symbols for this Full Moon are potent.
Sun 29 degrees of Pisces - "Light breaking into many colors as it passes through a prism."
Moon 29 degrees of Virgo - "A seeker after occult knowledge is reading an ancient scroll which illumines his mind."

Kim Marie of the Evolutionary Astrology Network suggests that we pray for all those who have passed due to this earthquake and tsunami so that they can realize their situation and move on to the Light. Whenever there is a mass trauma like this with a huge loss of life, souls can be trapped because they get confused.

Now that we are moving towards Pisces in Neptune (April 4) the veils will be thinner. Perhaps these large numbers of people who have passed in the last couple of years are actually 'immigrants' to the new world - going ahead to prepare the next level for the rest of us. Maybe their soul contract included being emissaries to the new dimension.

It was a tragedy from our perspective, but we may not know the whole story. Because we are unable to accept a concept such as 'ascension', we have to have 'an earthquake' so that a large number of people could leave and their departure would fit into our paradigm.

If we shift our consciousness, we might just be able to ascend without blowing anything up first. We can leave without trauma. It's a naughty child who destroys his toys before he leaves so that no one else can play with them.

Astrology classes I am offering.

2011-02-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

An Introduction to Astrology course offered at San Joaquin Delta College through Community Education on Monday nights starting March 7, 6:30-8:30pm for 6 weeks.
This is for beginners... the basics. Signs, houses, planets etc. Learn what are they talking about when they say "mercury retrograde" or "saturn return"? Go to their website to register.

At Songbird Community Healing Center in Cotati, CA

Pluto and the Evolution of the Soul a class which presents the basics of the evolutionary astrology method as created by Jeffrey Wolf Green. The focus is on Pluto and the Lunar Nodes. This is a stand-alone class, but, is the pre-requisite for the up-coming 4 week course - Pluto Through the Houses which starts in April.

The one day Pluto class is offered on Sunday, February 27 from 2-4pm, then again on Saturday, March 5 from 2-4pm. We plan to offer it one more time before the 4 week class begins.

The four week class Pluto Through the Houses will be On the first and third Saturday in April (2 and 16) and first and third Saturday in May (7 and 21). You must have taken the Pluto and the Evolution of the Soul to sign up for this.

You may take the whole 4 week course or just the part that pertains to you. There is a reduced fee for the entire course.

Register here on this blog or at the Songbird website.

Come in from the Cold - Full Moon in Leo February 18, 2011

2011-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

I felt the pull and saw the light of the beginning of the Full Moon in Leo last night. For me it lasts for 3 days. One day before and one after the 'actual' day. Since I have a skylight in my bedroom, (it was there when I moved in), the light of the Full Moon, not to mention the energy, can keep me awake.
Coupled with the sound of the rain pounding overhead, I had a wakeful night. I found myself, once again, beginning the litany of concerns about this or that. Instead, I shifted my mind to counting my blessings. A warm cozy bed, a full stomach, a roof, my sweet little white cat Melody at the end of the bed, a peaceful life.

The world is upheaval. The revolution in Egypt was remarkable. I wonder if anyone noticed that a million plus people were out in the streets for nearly 3 weeks and there was no destruction of property and very little violence (except on the part of the government). The so-called down-trodden Muslim women in their headscarves, were shouting as loud as the men. This people's revolt would never, no could never happen here. We are too fat and happy.

Rather than demonstrating in the streets that we are not happy that the richest people in the country continue to make more money while people are without work, losing their homes, paying more for everything everyday.... we sit and watch T.V., drink our poisonous softdrinks and eat our GMO-based snacks.

Did you know that almost every type of prepared food has corn in it? In some form or another? Whether it be corn syrup to sweeten, cornstarch to make it seem creamy or hold it together. And that corn is all GMO. Did it ever occur to you that part of the modification might be designed to do something to you? (Sounds like a conspiracy. Now she's really becoming a nut job). Well, it's my blog and I can say what I want. Hmmm did anyone ever notice how many obese people we have here in the good ole USA?

When I was a child in school there was only one 'fatty' in the whole school. Now, almost everyone is overweight or starving themselves to stay from getting there. I know this is not PC, but folks, obesity is a PROBLEM! It's not okay. Yes, you should still love yourself, but love yourself more and do something about it! It does affect your health.

And now that most of us cannot afford medical insurance, myself included, and the government will not offer Medicare for all, we are facing a real crisis. I am not blaming 'the victim'. I AM blaming the advertising industry, corporations, and the food industry. In order to make cheaper, faster food, they have engineered this 'plastic' food. But it contains elements that not only are starving people so that they have to eat more, but also addicts them, so they want to eat more. Healthy whole food is satisfying.

So how does this relate to astrology you might well be asking at this time. The signs and planets have been anthropomorphized for centuries. Named after gods and goddesses, they interacted just like we do. Many of the mythologies of the world are based on the stories associated with the heavenly bodies.

Right now, the Moon in Leo is out there by itself except for Saturn (not exactly the warmest of planets). And we all know that Leo craves, nay requires, love and attention. I learned years ago, that one way to see this need in the Leo is to imagine that in a past life the Leo was left alone sleeping in a cave, while the mother went to forage for food. While the mother was gone, there was an earthquake and the entrance to the cave got buried. The child wakes up, and sees that it has been 'buried alive' and eventually starves and dies thinking all along that the mother abandoned it and left it to die. Never understanding the truth. Meanwhile, the mother scratches her fingers to the bone trying to dig out the child. Bleeding and crying, she succumbs to the elements and also starves and dies. A sad tale, yes.

This Leo Moon feels abandonded by the rest of the gang which is having a party together over there in Aquarius and Capricorn. Yikes! I can't imagine a more boring party than that! But in the mind of the Leo - THEY are all whooping it up over there on the other side of the sky while he/she is shivering to death alone.

I suggest that you bring your Leo 'abandoned child' in from the cold. Make him/her some warm homemade soup, using a real chicken and some real vegetables. Rather than stressing and worrying, do something constructive. A whole chicken is cheaper than cut up parts. Cut it up yourself. Take the neck, back and other 'non-useful parts' and make a broth. Freeze the legs, wings, thighs and breasts for other meals. Anyone can learn to cut up a chicken. Fresh celery, onions, carrots, and fresh herbs from the garden outside, can make it delicious.

After you have made a pot of soup, invite your friends over. Maybe someone knows how to make bread from scratch....not some frozen preservative-laden dough from the store that you heat and serve. The homemade jam someone got as a Christmas gift makes that bread a delicious treat.

Share your skills, learn new ones.

Everyone laughs at the 'back to the land' movement of the 60s, but many of us 'elders' know how to do things that will help us all through this time of change.

We need to learn to use all parts of the chicken.

New Moon in Aquarius - Feb. 2-3, 2011 The Winds of Change are Upon Us

2011-02-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

Aquarius is associated with equality, humanity and new ideas. It has two rulers: Uranus, god of change, revolution and disruption; and Saturn, god of time, karma and structure. It is an air sign, although it's symbol is the water-bearer. Some say this represents the Egyptian god who flooded the Nile every year.
Isn't it amazing that Egypt is in turmoil at this time of the New Moon? Ancient Egypt was one of the early high cultures of the world and the place where astrology was developed into an art and a science. Islam came early to Egypt since it is so close to Arabia and it has been a stable country for decades. Egypt has been a friend of the U.S. for quite a long time. Considered a stable Islamic country with a secular government. A major tourist destination. Now what?
Everyone is in the streets, demanding change. What's going on? Why, after nearly 30 years of leading the country must the leader go NOW! Uranus! Soon to be in Aries. The co-ruler of Aquarius, says NOW! Change must occur NOW! The kind of change Uranus and Aquarius demand often means trauma for many people. Not content with gradual change, when Uranus gets a bug up its behind, gotta change NOW!

Not only are the Sun and Moon in Aquarius, but also Chiron, Mars, Neptune and Ceres. No doubt these added players are creating more pressure to change the status quo.

I suggest you take the time to breathe, have a cup of tea and take the time to relax in the next couple days, until this is over. With Jupiter in Aries and Uranus at the final degrees of Pisces, about to go into Aries as well, one could easily go into overwhelm.

The chart for this New Moon, in addition to all those planets and asteroids in Aquarius, has the North Node, Pluto, Mercury, Vesta, and Pallas Athene in Capricorn. Clearly, the forces of change are lined up against the forces of resistance...a little too much strife for me.

In addition, Uranus and Jupiter are making a T Square to the nodes. Best to lie low as much as you can.

On the other hand, all this energy might be just what you need to get moving and accomplish a lot. It depends on your nature. As to how it affects you, that depends on how centered you are. Meditate, pray, do whatever you do to set your intentions, then GO!

If you have a plan, you can accomplish a lot, if you don't you'll just be spinning your wheels and getting frustrated.

Where there is life, there is change, No change equals stagnation, death. My feeling is that you either consciously face change and accept it gracefully or have it forced upon you in ways you don't want.

You Are What You Eat - Full Moon in Cancer

2011-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

This up-coming Full Moon in Cancer, January 19, sort of crept up on me. Although it is still officially winter, I can feel the energy of Spring. I think it is due to the up-coming ingress of two planets into Aries - Jupiter January 22, Uranus March 12.

Time is moving faster as Jupiter moves into Aries, soon to be followed by Uranus.

Projects that I have had on a back burner for months are suddenly manifesting. My Virgo ascendant keeps saying "not ready! wait! stop!" But my progressed New Moon in Gemini in the 10th house is ready to roll.

First new offering is my Pluto Through the Houses Course. A four week course featuring Pluto as viewed through the Evolutionary Astrology perspective.

Each week we will cover three house/sign archetypes. You have the option of taking the whole course for a discounted price, or just the one/ones that relate to you.

Everyone must take the Introductory class, which covers the basic principles of Evolutionary Astrology and the role Pluto plays in the chart. It will be offered three times so that you have a chance to take it before the Course starts in April.

The dates for the Introductory Class are:

Sunday, February 27, 2-4
Saturday, March 5, 2-4

They will be offered at the Songbird Community Healing Center in Cotati.

The four week Course will be first and third Saturdays of April and first and third Saturdays in May. April 2 and 16, 2-4pm and Saturday May 7 and 21, 2-4pm.
Each class is $25.00 or $90.00 for all four.
The Introductory Class is $15-$25 sliding scale

Register here at the PayPal button in the sidebar or through the Songbird Center website.

Now on to this Full Moon. Cancer, ruled by the Moon often represents the Mother or the Nurturer. That which sustains life so that it can reach maturity (Capricorn).

Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer says, "The first water sign (Cancer) teaches about feelings, family and food; how emotions function as our spiritual GPS; the importance of where, how, and with whom we live; and what helps us to grow."

It is important that she connects spirituality to emotions. In the West at least, we often connect spirituality with thought and the mind. We believe, often unconsciously, that emotions are connected with the body, which in the Christian tradition, is often considered the source of evil. Actually you cannot separate any of it. It is all a system - the body affects the mind, the mind the emotions, the emotions the body. What came first - the chicken or the egg?

Spiritual technologies that seek to control the mind and thought often leave out the next crucial part. It is not the thoughts themselves that affect us, but their relationship to emotions. If you have a thought and it is neutral...then no effect. But if a thought sparks an emotion (which it often does) then you have a bodily response and that can be detrimental to your health and well-being.

It might sound indulgent to say that being happy is good for you... but it's true! Being happy can be a result of gratitude, it does not mean you just bought a new Lexus!

Happiness is not dependent on your status or accomplishments although Hollywood and Madison Avenue have learned how to manipulate us so well, we now associate happiness with whatever they tell us we should have, be or do. They learned early on how to control us and they do. Most people are totally unaware of this type of programming.

Lately I have been watching T.V. a lot because I have been visiting an elderly relative. I have not had T.V. in my home for nearly 17 years because of where I live. I had heard horror stories about what has been going on there, but I had no idea how bad it had gotten. After a couple nights of watching T.V. I began to have an uncontrollable desire to eat. Being the analytical person I am, I sought an explanation for this insatiable hunger. I realized that it was due to frustration. Watching T.V. made me feel powerless. The one thing I could do, was run to the kitchen during every commercial break and grab something, ANYTHING to eat. I was eating stale crackers!

Why frustrated? One thing was the flashing images... they have speeded everything up. There was no time to process what I was seeing. Just as I would begin to wrap my mind around something, the image changed. I never got to see what the result was or even what happened next. Some shows were extremely bad. The worst I saw was Inside Edition. They spent more time saying what they were going to cover than actually covering it. It was hard to tell what was the content of the show and what was an advertisement. After awhile, it didn't matter. It was all sound and action bites, which left me 'hungry' for the meal....which was in the kitchen.

So we have come full circle to Cancer (which rules the stomach) and food...that which nourishes us.

We have to learn to eat what is good for us, not what is dished out by the media. We need to turn the electronics off. We don't have to take it in. We need to feel the effects of the things we consume...whether it be ideas, food, images, sounds - whatever. Limit or reject that which feels toxic, because it probably is to you. So what if people say "you are too sensitive." How can you be too sensitive? Especially if you have to 'toughen up' to withstand it?

"You are what you eat" was a slogan that came out at the end of the 50s. It was probably part of a T.V. ad (ha!ha!). But it is true. And it refers not only to food but to all forms of energy that enters your body.

It is especially important now that we are going through this huge energetic shift to feel the effects of everything and anything you are exposed to and to limit or stop contact with whatever makes you feel sick.

Learn to take care of yourself. Don't ingest poison in any form.

Between the Eclipses - January 4, 2011

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The Solstice Lunar Eclipse in the early hours of December 21, was a very powerful experience for me. I went out to Bodega Head on the Sonoma Coast. The ocean was turbulent. The weather alternated between heavy rain/overcast to open sky. I got to see it all.
As I stood looking straight up at the sky, I saw the Mayan Sacred Tree in the sky with the Three Stone Place of Creation. The Moon was right on my natal Uranus, the Sun (under my feet) was conjunct the Galactic Center and my natal Jupiter. I truly felt aligned with the Cosmos. I saw how my life has been guided my the Maya for some 40 years. They first called to me in 1970 when I was an anthropology major.

In February I will give my talk on Ek'Waynal at Songbird Center. Check out their website and calendar for details. Go to my 2012 blog to read more about the Maya and their calendar.

The up-coming Solar Eclipse on January 4 at 13 degrees Capricorn squares Saturn (the ruler of Capricorn) at 16 degrees Libra. This signals a need to establish new goals that include justice and above all, fairness. With so many people suffering economic loss, how can our government continue to favor the rich? I found out that a government agency laid off 80% of its staff, who are now collecting unemployment while no one is in the office to do the work. Does it make sense to pay people not to work when there is so much work to be done? What is the point to that? Most people would prefer working rather than being 'on the dole'. It affects self-esteem and mental health.

I witnessed a total Solar Eclipse while living in New Orleans in the 80s. When the Sun was totally occulted, the atmosphere became magical. The light quality was like just after sunset, but it sparkled with silver spangles and no, I was not "under the influence". It was an experience I have never forgotten.

Solar Eclipses occur in 19 year cycles, so the last one we had a this degree of Capricorn was on January 4, 1992. Think about what you were doing then (who can remember that long ago?), to see what is coming up again for completion or advancement.

This Solar Eclipse is also conjunct Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky. Approximately 14,000 years ago, it was the Northern Pole Star. The Babylonians called Vega the "Messenger of Light". In ancient Egyptian cosmology, Vega was associated with Maat, the goddess of divine wisdom, balance and order. Our words "mother", "matter" and "material" all come from Maat, who resides over Divine Order. After death, Maat used a feather to weight the hearts of deceased souls to determine their readiness to evolve to the next dimension.

Could it be that, just as in ancient Egypt, Maat will be the one who moves us to the next dimension as prophesied by the ancient Maya? Moving us through the wormholes of the two eclipses. If so, then we must 'lighten our hearts' so that they are not heavier than a feather. This means ridding ourselves of resentment, fear, hatred, doubt, grudges etc. Forgiving all that has happened to us and accepting that it all occurred for the progress of our soul.

The Sabian symbol for this eclipse at 14 degrees Capricorn states that "An ancient bas-relief carved in granite remains a witness to a long-forgotten culture; the will to unearth, in our culture as well as in any culture, what has permanent values, and to let go of non-essentials."

I want to leave you with a quote I got off Facebook which is in line with this eclipse: "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come." Joseph Campbell

There Are No Coincidences - Full Moon in Aries September 23, 2010

2010-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Full Moon this month is on Sept.23, 6 hours after the Fall Equinox. It is said that times like these energetic gateways are opened. I call them portals.

At zero degrees Aries, it is the beginning point of the zodiac and thus is the start of a new cycle.

Just today, I scheduled my first Astrology class at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. It will take place next (Spring) semester. I have been wanting to leap into teaching astrology and was invited to do so today. This is a new beginning for me and I look forward to it joyfully.

It turns out that the Sun on this Full Moon is only 2 degrees from the Super Galactic Center (SGC) at 2 degrees Libra around which our Milky Way Galaxy turns. Saturday, September 25, I will be teaching a class on the Galactic Center (GC) according to Mayan belief. When I scheduled the class, I did not 'know' we were at that point. So, a class on the GC just a couple of days after passing by the SGC! WOW talk about portals.

Although the Sun crosses the point of the SGC every year, it is extremely rare for this to coincide with a Full Moon and in connection with four outer planets.

Stephanie Austin says, "The SGC functions as a homing beacon, a transmission of stellar intelligence streaming across millions of light years, impelling us to embody the energies encoded in our birth charts."

It takes courage to do that and Aries is all about courage. Consensus reality controls us more that we would like to admit. Even our rebellion against it is conditioned by it. What would we do if we were truly free? If we had unlimited choice?

The work I am doing now, after the recent Evolutionary Astrology conference in Denver, includes identifying those hidden fears and beliefs that keep us from our best manifestation. Jeffrey Wolf Green says that nearly all of us are born with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to past life trauma or trauma experienced in the womb. The rest experience trauma some time in their early childhood years. This trauma serves both to condition us and to teach us. When acknowledged and processed, it can lead us to our greatest gifts. It is one of the factors that leads to evolution... the soul's purpose on Earth.

Another coincidence is that I am currently working on a chart reading for a person whose natal Sun is conjunct the Super Galactic Center. I likened his situation to that of a butterfly ready to leave the safety of the cocoon he has lived in for most of his life, spread his wings in the Sun and fly free and beautiful.

Stephanie Austin in her article in this month's The Mountain Astrologer (which I read after I received the image), quotes the Sabian symbol for this Full Moon: "In a collection of perfect specimens of many biological forms, a butterfly displays the beauty of its wings, its body impaled by a fine dart; the immortal archetypal reality that a perfect and dedicated life reveals." Well, I can do without the impaling part, but the rest is inspiring. In fact, impaling is part of what we need to shed at this time.

My client's birthday is September 26 and his life has been one of dedicated service to family and friends. He strives for beauty and harmony in all areas of his life.

There are so many indicators that this is the time for transformation for all of us. The Grand Cross we are all being affected by includes Jupiter/Uranus/Moon in Pisces/Aries on one corner, Sun/Saturn in Libra opposing, Pluto/North Node/Ceres in Capricorn squaring with South Node in Cancer opposing - 8 oppositions and 15 squares. Only the inner planets are not involved, although Mercury in Virgo trines Pluto and the North Node.

We are coming to the end of the Piscean Age, where we were taught to believe that we must suffer in order to grow, that being spiritually oriented meant we had to be poor and alone. Those days are over.

Full Moon in Pisces - August 24: The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn

2010-08-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

As we approach the upcoming Full Moon in Pisces on August 24, I'd like to tell you about the astrology conference I went to last week in Denver, Colorado. Last time I was there in '08 was for the UAC conference. I guess it is a desirable place for conferences as it is situated in the heart of the U.S.

Sponsored by the Evolutionary Astrology Network, the theme was Astrology, Reincarnation and the Soul. Pretty deep stuff! And it was. The speakers were: Kim Marie, who spoke about The Shifting Reality of the Soul (Pluto and Saturn); Mark Jones, who spoke about Trauma and Healing (Uranus); and Patricia Walsh, who spoke about Understanding Karmic Complexes (Pluto and the Nodes). We learned about three sign/house combinations a day for four days.

The material, as you can guess from the titles, was both intense and transformative.

One night Patricia demonstrated her method of past life regression and working with past lives, known as Deep Memory Process/Regression Therapy created by Roger Woolger PhD. All of us were deeply affected by watching her work with the brave soul who volunteered. Some were so triggered by it that they had to leave the room. Many were crying. It stayed with us throughout the conference.

Mark Jones spoke about the Aquarius/11th house/Uranus relationship to Trauma that Jeffrey Wolf Green brought through in his Pluto: The Evolutionary Journey of the Soul books I and II published in the '80s, and in his many workshops and seminars.

JWG said that 85% of the population is born with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome due to past life trauma, trauma in utero or at the time of birth. This is reflected in the astrological chart by Aquarius/11th house/Uranus and planets in hard aspect to these archetypes.

This is a radical idea but can be explained briefly like this. Society (Saturn) seeks stability and security for its members. In general, change is seen as disruptive, so there is a desire to restrict change. At the same time, the souls of the individuals living in a society seek evolution. If there is no way for people to grow and evolve, or if the natural impulse is constrained or restricted, there will be a build up of pressure leading to revolution. In a sense, revolution leads to evolution.

The same thing occurs at all levels from the individual to the collective. Evolution is the natural impulse and it either occurs at a slow but constant rate, like growth of a plant, or it occurs suddenly and precipitously and is interpreted as a crisis. Crisis - sudden radical action forces change. This can cause trauma to the psyche.

Another way of looking at it is that if we refuse to 'do our soul's work' something in our life will happen to 'force' us to do it or die.

Other sources of trauma include war, natural disaster, violent death, etc. These things leave resonances in the soul and are re-experienced in the current life.

Traumas that occur in the current life get replayed and thus re-experienced, in the mind and can affect us in all areas of our life. They, in effect, create 'buttons' that can be triggered in any number of ways.

Uranus is associated with long term memory and includes memory stored in the soul over lifetimes.

I was so intrigued by Mark's teaching that I had a reading from him the day of departure. I have had many astrological readings by numerous people over the years. Since I have been a student of astrology for nearly 40 years in addition to doing readings for other people myself, I have studied my own chart a lot. Mark's reading explained the core challenge of my life. It totally shook me up. His words touched me deeply. No reading or interpretation of my chart has ever had such a profound effect on me.

I'm sure you have had people say 'you have to get out of your own way'. What does that mean? Or - 'you always sabotage yourself.' Great! But how? Why? What can I do about it?

Sometimes others see the effect that trauma has had on us, but cannot help us understand what the trauma was, nor how to heal it.

Looking for the 'trauma signature' in a chart, if there is one (and remember 85% of people are born with PTSD according to this method), we can begin the process of deep healing.

This brings me back to the upcoming Full Moon in Pisces.

Jesus brought in the Piscean Age. The Pisces/Virgo axis has to do with victim/perpetrator consciousness. Through lifetimes, we have been on one side or the other.

When we look around at the world today, we see both. On one level, there is an incredible amount of suffering going on. The daily news is full of catastrophes, wars, disasters etc. All these victims, all these perpetrators. It's constant.

At a higher level, there is no trauma. This is all illusion, since it has to do with life on the planet, and not the soul level.

Have you ever heard the expression, 'the darkest hour is just before dawn'? We are on the verge of the Aquarian Age. The paradigms are about to shift radically. New archetypes are manifesting. But just in case you didn't get the message about 'victim consciousness,' the gods want to give everyone one last chance to experience it. This is the message I get from all that is happening.

If you wish to stay in victim consciousness there is ample opportunity. But if you are ready to ascend to the next level of evolution, you can. Understand that there is a higher purpose for the Earth and all life on it.

As Caroline Casey says.... the gods are conspiring...that is, breathing with us.

Mercury went retrograde yesterday in Virgo - another player in the victim/perpetrator game. When your computer breaks down, resist the impulse to feel victimized by technology. Instead, go outside and feel the Earth beneath your feet and thank Mercury for 'forcing' you to take a walk!

See the opportunity rather than the restriction.

I am thinking a lot these days about Nelson Mandela. Imagine a man in prison for 27 years who was released and later became President of his country! What if he had been swallowed up in anger and self-pity about his circumstances? What if he had 'believed' that his life was over? At the same time, how could he possibly know the outcome of his life? What sustained him through all those years of imprisonment? Then ask yourself what you would do in similar circumstances.

To assist you in doing your 'Pluto work,' I have developed a set of flower essence blends called: 'Pluto Through the Houses.' A blend of flower and other essences deliciously flavored with Pomegranate and Hazelnut liqueurs (to make the medicine go down easier) formulated to work with the issues of each house. See the picture in the sidebar.

You may want to work with your natal house placement of Pluto, the house it is currently transiting, or both.

There is also an Aroma-essence Spray which includes the Pluto Blend I developed scented with essential oils to use as an environmental enhancer or cologne.
If you decide to sign up for the correspondence course offered through the Evolutionary Astrology Network (Kim Marie's link) please mention my name so I will get a commission.

New Moon in Gemini - June 12, 2010

2010-06-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the New Moon in Gemini and according to Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer, relates to how we "receive, perceive and exchange information at every level of our being."

A New Moon is actually a conjunction of the Sun and Moon and represents both the completion of one lunar cycle and the beginning of the next. So we might take a few moments to notice what might be ending and what wants to be born.

A square to Saturn in Virgo may serve to anchor and ground creative thoughts brought in with this New Moon in Gemini, so that they do not blow away in the whirlwind.

Austin suggests that if we are confused, we need more information. For those of us who have a lot of Mercury, Gemini or third house energy, and thus might already feel overwhelmed with information, it might be more useful to use the square to Saturn in Virgo as an opportunity to organize and classify this information so that it is more available. Kind of like going through your files, throwing out what is out of date and organizing the rest for easy access.

I have Sun and Uranus in Gemini and this New Moon will be within orb of a conjunction to Uranus. I also have Virgo rising and South Node and Chiron in the third house. I have been collecting information all my life. Sometimes I feel like a library.

Another feature of Gemini is state of mind and perception. While I admit that I am feeling confused these days, getting more information does not feel like the right thing for me to do.

Instead, I am taking my lead from the Tarot card I drew yesterday....The Hanged Man. One of the interpretations for this card is that one needs to change their perspective. This makes a lot of sense to me.

Sometimes we cannot change our physical circumstances, but we can change our thoughts about them. Last year at this time I had a broken ankle and could not get out of my house without assistance. I was not able to
drive and was dependent on others to bring my groceries and do my laundry. As strange as it might sound, I found myself wishing I had that 'excuse' for not doing anything right now. I truly want to do nothing, because I feel unable to figure out what to do, but feel I can't justify that. Last year, I could not do anything and so was off the hook with a legitimate excuse. While it took a few days to accept my situation, I had to.

I surrendered to my powerlessness and began to find satisfaction is very small things. My power came when I saw how resilient and resourceful I am. I began to appreciate my inner resources. I had plenty of books and craft projects around to keep me busy. I produced a Powerpoint slide show of over 200 slides that I now use in my classes on Mayan Hieroglyphs. I did a lot of research and organized it into the classes I now teach.

I was immobilized physically, but my creativity was working just fine.

Because of the recent entry of Uranus and Jupiter in Aries, we may feel the need to act. In fact, we may be jumping with energy and the push to 'do' something. But action without forethought often causes disaster, so slow down during this New Moon, think, plan and prepare, so that you can act effectively in the next few months.

We need everyone to be as effective as possible in the next few months and years. No more rash action. Stop and think.

For those of you who could use some more information, this is a great time to get it. Open yourself to the energy streaming in from the conjunction of the two lights in Gemini.

Scorpio Full Moon - April 28, 2010

2010-04-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

Once again we approach a Full Moon. I don't know about you but things seem to be moving faster all the time. Sometimes it feels like every day is a Full Moon in terms of intensity and the amount and rate of change that is occurring.

Perhaps I am feeling the coming of this next Full Moon more intensely because it will be conjunct my South Node and my natal Chiron. Which, of course, means the Sun will be conjunct my North Node, which is great!

I certainly have been having many opportunities to relive, review and heal past traumas both internally and in my relationships.

This is one of the keys to developing our consciousness. Rather than seeing these upswellings of the past as 'bad memories' to be forgotten... see them as toxins rising to the surface to be released and exhaled out of your being.

When we acknowledge them, recognize them and see how they have affected us as objectively as possible, then do something different, we experience miracles.

We need to feel, not numb out. The reason past traumas stay inside us is because we are not willing to feel their pain. We put off feeling it as long as we can, but it doesn't go away. Once we are present to the pain, it goes away. It's kind of like monsters in a dream. If we run, they will chase us forever. When we turn and face them, they vanish in thin air, never to return. Many people develop illness because they are unwilling to experience emotional pain. Instead, they experience it as physical pain.

With the Sun in Taurus and the Moon in Scorpio, which both relate to security issues such as food and money, many of us are feeling a lot of fear about the future. On Earth Day, KPFA had many special programs about the effects of climate change. One of the issues that directly affects all of us is FOOD. So used to having food easily available at the local supermarket (even if we don't have the money to buy it), we tend to take it for granted. We know it is there. But at some point, the changing climate will affect crops. It already has in some areas of the world.

Yesterday I had a booth selling my herbal products at the Harvest for the Hungry Plant Sale. (See my herb blog) Next to me was a woman selling plants including berry and grape vines. She was also promoting IGrow and the upcoming 350 event. I think she was dismayed at how many people had no idea what 350 referred to - especially since we were in the part of town where more affluent and educated people live and they were there to buy vegetable starts for their gardens. I heard her explaining it all day. By contrast, I didn't have to explain 2012 once (I make and sell a flower essence blend called 2012 - see my 2012 blog)

When no one was there, I asked her if she really thought we could do something about it in time. She admitted that while she thought it was probably impossible, one still had to try, "What else can you do?"

I agree, working toward a sustainable future is the only game in town. As I have seen with energy work, intention is possibly the most important element in the process. The mere act of setting intention, which focuses one's attention in a particular direction, propels you halfway there.

Taurus, although ruled by Venus, is more closely associated with Earth and there are some astrologers who suggest we should change the rulership. One thing about Taurus is that it is slow and steady - sometimes boring in its adherence to patterns and routines. Let us not get bogged down with this idea of slowness when it comes to change, however.

While the forces that create earthquakes and volcanoes take time to build up, once they have arrived at a particular threshold, the shaking and explosions are felt quickly in the moment. Drip drip drip in the bucket until it overflows all at once.

There are those who say that the climate change we are now experiencing began with the first agriculture several thousand years ago, because it made it possible to sustain more people. This is the major cause of climate change - overpopulation. Many of the inventions that create pollution came as necessary developments when managing the growing population.

I hate to say it folks, but sustainable means small not mega. In our own lives, we see that while our imaginations may make anything possible, the restraints of time and energy means that little actually gets done.

In my house, I have enough cross-stitch patterns to keep dozens of people busy all day for their entire lifetime, yet when I was into it, I kept acquiring more. Now, while I rarely touch cross-stitch, I still can't part with my patterns because "maybe someday I will get to them." Yeah, right. Probably not in this lifetime. Not unless I stop doing all the other things I do, or I figure out a way to do it while I am online.

Yesterday at the sale, I spoke with other vendors about how difficult it is to set up and take down shows. We all need to have more venues to make more money, but our backs could not take anymore lifting. The limits of the body are real (at least on this level).

So too, are the limits of the Earth's carrying capacity. Scientists like Michio Kaku say we have always had massive earthquakes. The difference today is 1) our communication systems allow us to hear about them and 2) people live in densely populated areas and so there is more loss of life and destruction of property. Tremendous explosions of volcanoes which have destroyed whole cities have always been part of Earth's history (remember Pompeii?). The difference is that cities are now larger than ever and there is little space between them.

The "San Francisco Bay Area" stretches from the northern border of the state of California to the southern. (Some would prefer to call it LA.) There are few areas of the coast of California that are uninhabited. Certainly there are no areas where humans have not affected the environment in one way or another.

Taurus deals with personal resources and Scorpio with shared resources. We are under the illusion that there is a difference. In astrology an axis - say between the 2nd and 8th house does not so much deal with differences as with perspectives on the same issue. As Above So Below... a matter of perspective and focus... the inner and the outer...So our personal resources are related to collective resources.

We need to begin to identify our inner resources and to bring them out into the collective. I refer to such things as our "character" a seldom-used term in the modern world. Who we are as people. What kind of people we are. Rather than what we do or what we have.

Anyone who has been in a crisis where they had to live in a shelter or on a lifeboat or something like that.. knows that that type of situation (where no one has anything) can bring out the best and the worst in people. In the next few years, earth changes will show us all that we have always been living in a lifeboat and that we have soiled our own nest.

What we do about it now will reveal who we really are as individuals and as a species. Some will get busy and clean, others will complain and blame, still others will just go to sleep. Which one will you be?

It is time to assess your inner resources. Not just how much money you have because what is needed now money cannot buy. In fact, money and stuff might cloud your judgement since it will provide you with a false sense of security.

Being prepared now does not mean stock-piling canned goods and batteries, for they, too, will eventually run out. Being prepared now means being calm and still like the Buddha while events swirl around one. Finding the center of the storm and abiding there.

In her article on this month's Full Moon in Scorpio in The Mountain Astrologer, Stephanie Austin quotes the Sabian symbols: Sun at 9 degrees Taurus: "A fully decorated Christmas tree; the ability to create inner happiness in dark hours" and Moon at 9 degrees Scorpio: "A dentist at work; overcoming the negative results of social practices and ego-cravings." She encourages us to release the fears that are holding us back.

I would add that we need to stop worrying what others think of us. As a friend once said to me over and over, "you wouldn't worry as much about what others think if you knew how little they think at all." Unfortunately, true. Most people are "asleep at the switch" as my mother would have said. For those of us who strive to be awake, this means that we can accomplish much, since no one is really paying attention. No one is at the controls of the "machine." Intention, focus and energy will accomplish much toward the Shift that we are seeking.

The Value of Progressed Charts

2010-03-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel that the reading of your natal chart does not relate to who you are? Do you feel that you have been going through a lot of changes, yet the astrologers don't seem to see it?

Your progressed chart may be significantly different from your natal chart. Looking at the progressions throughout your life may reveal long periods of retrogrades, which include the stationary periods as well.

For example, during my lifetime, both Venus and Mercury went retrograde then direct. Neptune and Chiron, both retrograde in my natal chart, went direct. Each of these events signalled significant changes in my life.

I think it would really be helpful to parents who get their child's natal chart done at birth, to also get the progressions for the first 18 years or so. All you need is an ephemeris and you can do this yourself.

Also when a planet changes sign or house by progression, you may experience it intensely. When my progressed Sun went into Leo, I definitely felt it. But then, a couple of years later, it progressed into the 12th house. It was like putting the Sun in a dark dungeon. I felt that too.

Meanwhile, my natal Sun was still in Gemini in the 10th house.

It it also useful to compare your progressed chart to your natal chart. Aspects between planets in this biwheel chart reveal opportunities and timing for actions.

The year my progressed Moon transited my 8th house, my mother suddenly died. It was especially difficult because for nearly a year before her death, we fought a lot. Due to the dynamics of my childhood, I did not have a "teenage rebellion". In fact, I did everything I could not to start trouble in the home. Of course, things were a lot different then than now - children did not have the power they do now.

It was as strange to me as it was to her that we were constantly at each other's throat. It was as if I were having my teenage rebellion at 57! Hard to bear for both of us. Part of it was that my progressed Sun had gone into Leo and so I was 'braver' and had a stronger sense of self than I had been for the 30 years prior when I had been a progressed Cancer. In addition, my progressed Moon was in the 8th house, the sign of the Mother in the house of death...

So, in order to get the most of a reading, get your progressed chart done too.

The Perfect Gift - Tools for Self-Knowledge

2009-12-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

Why not order an astrology report for someone you love this Christmas? Or better yet a Day Watch Calendar which will show the transits in relation to their unique natal chart. UNTIL THE END OF 2009. Order a Day Watch Calendar and receive one of the following reports FREE - Opportunities, The Sky Within, or Asteroid Report.

Order by clicking the buttons in the side bar where you pay through PayPal. I will send you the report via email.

Mars Retrograde - Streetcar Named Desire

2009-12-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 20, 2009, Mars goes retrograde in Leo. Since the cycle of Mars is around 2 years, it usually remains in any sign around 2 months. Mars goes retrograde every other year. The complete retrograde cycle, including stationing points and 'shadow' periods, makes it so that Mars will stay in the sign of Leo for around 8 months. Mars went into Leo on October 16, 2009 and will stay in Leo until June 6, 2010.

Mars represents the archetype of action, the instinct to become and go after what we want in life. In western astrology, Mars is the god of war, although in mythology, Mars never killed anyone.

The sign of Aries, ruled by Mars is a fire sign that has an instinct to act and speak without thinking. Like a child, Aries is pure, no ulterior motives. Aries people need a lot of physical activity and have a hard time staying still. They need to move and because of their impulsive nature, can be accident prone, especially when out of balance.

Mars/Aries needs complete freedom to be who it wants to be and shape its own reality. This is increased when in Leo, another fire sign.

Mars in Leo has an incredible urge for creative self-expression. There is a need to be the center of attention, no matter what the consequences. By any means necessary... so that the person may resort to clowning or acting out, just to get the attention that is craved. The behavior is without malice however, and the person who blurts out the secret they promised to keep, did so naively, not wanting to cause harm, just wanting to have something to say or to be noticed.

Retrograde... all this external expression is frustrated... stopped even. Depending on the person, this bottled-up energy could become toxic if there are not ways to let it out. For those who have a regular exercise routine or spiritual practice, there will be an increase of energy to channel and work with.

In general, retrograde periods are times to review, reflect, revise and I would add, rest and restore. Thankfully, this retrograde is occurring in the winter when most people are not as active anyway. The weather and the holidays tend to keep people indoors. It is very important that we find suitable outlets for the pent-up energy or we may find ourselves in conflict with others over minor issues.

This is a good time to do some strategic planning for projects to be launched in late spring/early summer.

In Evolutionary Astrology, Mars represents conscious desire, while Pluto represents unconscious desire. There are two directions for the manifestation of these desires - one is separation from Source (manifestation on the Earth plane), the other returning to Source. This is part of our nature and the cycle of Creation. We are supposed to separate fully, then return. Only when we have satisfied all separating desires, can we be ready to return.

This is one of the major problems faced in religion and spiritual groups. There is a tendency to discredit and even demonize earthly existence. People want to transcend this level of existence in favor of 'higher' dimensions, reunion with God, bliss. But the whole intent of Creation is that you BE HERE NOW! You were born to have a human life which includes relationships, work, emotions, etc. There is a purpose to this, even if we cannot see it. You cannot pray away your separating desires, you must exhaust them. Which means, they must be acted upon and expressed and... the results must be faced as well. All of it: the good, the bad and the ugly. This is part of natural law. At our current level, things appear to be divided into polarities that we call 'good' and 'bad'. This is the level of manifestation on the Earth plane. The more we try to deny it or ignore it... the longer it will take to complete and harder to accept.

Just look at all the so-called spiritual and religious leaders who end up in prison (or who should end up in prison). The natural expression of sexuality if repressed becomes evil, toxic and criminal. The natural expression of the desire for material possessions, if denied, becomes embezzlement, theft.

So during this long period of Mars retrograde, deliberate and well-thought out action - while slower - will be well-rewarded. Take the time to think about what you really want to create for the rest of your life.

For many of us baby boomers, this Mars retrograde in Leo will conjunct, at some time in the next 8 months, our natal Pluto. At that point, unconscious desires may become conscious. Some of you may be surprised and shocked at what you find out about yourself.

Take these revelations as gifts. Your unconscious, which usually manifests itself in dreams, will be more available to you during this period. This can be very helpful, because you may find out that, in fact, you have competing desires. Part of you wants success in the world while the other part wants to be hidden in a monastery. Part may desire wealth, whereas the other part took a vow of poverty. This will be a time to re-evaluate then, possibly, take new vows. But remember, you always get what you want - eventually. The trouble is that we have not yet mastered time and space and so... when the thing we wanted comes along....the timing is wrong. Or, more often, we did not ask for enough. When you are broke, 10,000 seems like a lot. But 10 years later when you get a windfall, it is not enough. It would be better to want prosperity, which, of course, is relative.

We tend to 'want' specific things. During this time it is can be useful to think about how you want to feel - this need not be dependent on circumstances. Believe it or not, you can 'feel' gratitude any time... all the time, no matter what.

This may be a time to release some of the separating desires... to see that we really don't want to party all night anymore. We are really done with that. And it is okay. Or to see that we have gotten into habits due to the circumstances we are in and that certain things just do not fit anymore. When we are in social relationships, we may find it difficult to change because of the expectations of others. But...using the courage of Mars...the adventuring spirit of Mars...what do we have to lose to find out? Maybe the other person/persons want a change too. We have to have courage to be ourselves, even if that means we are alone.

One of the aspects of Leo is the need to be loved and admired by others. Fearing rejection, we conceal our true nature. A life spent like that, is a life not lived. It is a life controlled and owned by others. No one should be the author/authority of your life but you. Don't worry about who will love you. Who will you love? Love yourself first.

"This above all: to thine own self be true,/And it must follow, as the night the day,/Thou cans't not be false to any man" from Hamlet by Shakespeare. You know Hamlet, he's the one who said, "to be or not to be, that is the question." Indeed, that is the question. Do you want to live your life or not and how do you want to live it?

If you want be loving, honest, compassionate, forgiving - start with yourself. How can you be honest with others if you lie to yourself? Living someone else's life... saying you are doing it to keep the peace or whatever the reason, is the act of a coward. Blaming others for your cowardice is (to me) a crime of the spirit. It takes courage to live your own life, but if you do, it is worth it. Remember the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz? He wanted courage. He wanted to know that no matter what, he was loved. But he had to take a chance in order to find what he really wanted. There are no guarantees.

Take this time to slow down and look inside to find out what you really want. When Mars turns direct at 0 Leo on March 10, it will be time to begin to act. Mars will be completely out of the shadow May 17, 2010 and you should be launching your new life at that time.

For an astrological reading, contact me by leaving your email in the comment section. I will not publish it.

To learn more about Evolutionary Astrology click here.

Lighten Your Load, Enlighten Your Soul - New Moon December 16, 2009

2009-12-13T14:59:00.001-08:00

The upcoming New Moon in Sagittarius at 24°39' on December 16, 2009, is conjunct the current location of the Galactic Center at 26°55'.

An enormous Black Hole was discovered at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy through the huge amounts of electromagnetic energy pouring out from it. Gamma, x-ray, infrared and radio waves coming out of the Galactic Center affect the electromagnetic fields of Earth and all its inhabitants.

This upcoming New Moon (conjunction of Sun and Moon) is conjunct the Galactic Center. Occurring just 5 days before the Solstice on December 21, I believe this is a very significant New Moon for seeding our intention for the next several years.

In general, New Moons represent new beginnings. A time to set your intention for the coming month. In many cultures, the month begins with the New Moon. The New Moon is actually the first sighting of the Moon after 2/3 days of Dark Moon - not being able to see the Moon at all.

Since we are only 3 years from December 21, 2012, I plan to set my intention on this New Moon because it is conjunct the Galactic Center and, significantly for me, conjunct my natal Jupiter and opposing my natal Uranus. This New Moon seeds my life for the next three years.

In my last long post on my 2012 blog, I wrote about the importance of focus. Interestingly, Stephanie Austin in her article in the current issue of The Mountain Astrologer, reiterates that theme saying "This New Moon in Sagittarius urges us to look deeply at our lives and the choices we are making. It reminds us of the power of focus -- just as a laser can do much more than a scattered beam of light, so our consciousness is vastly more powerful when we concentrate on our life purpose and what really matters."

Sagittarius, the ninth sign in the astrological cycle is represented by a man with the body of a horse. He holds a bow and aims his arrow high, seeking the answers to the BIG QUESTIONS.... What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Where did I come from? Where am I going?

While many people content themselves with job, family, home and recreation, some of us (like me) have been motivated to seek the answers to these questions. Since I have been on Facebook, I have been reuniting with many old friends and lovers. I was curious to see "how they turned out." They did the usual things... married, got jobs, had children, bought a house.

I have sought none of those things. Instead, I have been studying, traveling, sitting at the feet of spiritual teachers, meditating and contemplating the meaning of life, for as long as I can remember. Learning that my natal Jupiter conjuncts the Galactic Center and my natal Uranus opposes the GC, have helped me understand why I was so driven. Although we all have the GC at the same degree of Sagittarius in our natal charts, we vary in our house placements and planetary aspects. For a Galactic Center reading, please contact me.

The GC is located in my 4th house, which represents 'where you are coming from'. This can mean your home and family background, cultural conditioning, traditions you grew up with. I can also mean your soul's origin, the place you came from... in the larger sense. By contrast, the 10th house is who you will be in the world - your 'career' and what you will achieve while on planet Earth. You are born from the 4th house, you mature into the 10th and when you die, you return to the 4th.

With my Sun and Uranus in Gemini in the 10th house and Ascendant in Virgo, I see that part of my 'reason for being here' is to serve as a spokesperson for this time of cycle ending. Only after my many years of study, my travels and my experiences am I able to fulfill my mission.

I see my mission as twofold: 1) teaching the writing system so people can read what the ancient Maya said or did not say. 2) assisting people during this challenging time of transformation/transition through plant-based modalities such as flower essences and aromatherapy.

I teach courses on Maya Hieroglyphs, the Calendar and 2012, so, I read whatever I can find on these topics. As you can imagine, the quantity of material is increasing as we approach the date of December 21, 2012, the end of a cycle of 5125 years. There is very little that is original. Most is a rearranging of what others have said. I admit, it is difficult to have original ideas about this, because the 'data' is so limited. By data, I am referring to what the ancient Maya actually wrote. What we mostly have is New Age interpretation of the meaning of this upcoming event.

From time to time, I find something in this perusal of the literature that I believe can help people navigate this time period. Two concepts are crucial at this time and one might consider them especially during this New Moon.

The first is that of releasing and letting go. Lately many of us are being 'forced' to let go. Our lives may be more about loss than anything else right now. The secret then is to be okay with it. Mourn and grieve for a time, but move on. See yourself as on a journey where holding on weighs you down. You need to be free to move forward. Like refugees who start out with huge packs on their backs, then shed them as they go, leaving piles of stuff along the road, drop your baggage. It is weighing you down and where you are going, you won't need it. There is no way to fully prepare for what is coming so don't encumber yourself with packets of food or extra clothes.

The second is focus your attention and intention on the light up ahead. Make yourself into a laser beam which will connect you to the Light that is being directed towards us at this time. The more concentrated your light, the faster and easier it will be for you to move.

The word 'focus' is from Latin and it means 'hearth, cooking fire'. Traditionally, this was the center of a home or community. It later became symbolized as the place where the sacred fire was kept - an altar.

Mayan Cosmology, as reflected in the sky, posits the 'hearth of heaven', the 'three stone place' as composed of three stars, while the hearth of Earth is the traditional cooking fire in the home. The 'three stone place' is the place of creation. It is marked by Alnitak (one of the three stars in the belt of Orion), Saiph and Rigel)(Alnitak is in the position which corresponds to the Great Pyramid at Giza.) At the center of this triangular 'hearth' sits the M42 nebula which often appears 'smoky' due to clouds. One might ask themselves how the Maya could see this with unaided vision.

Sufis see the heart as the center of the human being. Cultivating the fire in the heart has to do with compassion, acceptance, forgiveness - Love. Many of the spiritual practices of Sufism have to do with removing the rust that coats the heart and prevents us from truly seeing each other as the sparks of the Divine that we truly are. Our hearts have become armored through betrayal, disappointment, and fear. Our job is purify ourselves by letting go of the pain - dropping our burden. We don't have to hang on to it. We need to move forward in Trust that all our needs will be taken care of. Lighten your load, enlighten your soul.

Now is the time to begin. Each moment offers another opportunity to begin again. The more times you begin the more chance you have of continuing. It is significant that this New Moon occurs the day before the Urs of Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi (Urs means the reunion with the Beloved, the wedding day - death.) One of his poems says:

Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.
It doesn't matter.

Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow
a thousand times.
Come, yet again, come, come.

~Inscribed on Rumi's Shrine in Konya, Turkey

Four years ago at this time, I was there along with pilgrims from all over the world. Another saying written in his tomb is: "Do not look for me in the tomb. I am not there. I am in the hearts of the Believers."

New Moon in Scorpio - November 16

2009-11-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

There is a lot going on in the heavens right now and as the title of this blog... from the Emerald Tablets of Hermes Trismegistus say.. As Above, So Below, there is a lot going on here on Earth.

Most people I know are going through huge changes. It seems everyone in is flux.... moving, major changes in income (mostly going down), dealing with health challenges. There has been a lot of death of people and pets, among my acquaintances.

In addition to the New Moon, which is a conjunction of Sun and Moon, there are other significant transits occurring - the New Moon squares the ongoing conjunction of Juptier, Chiron and Neptune in Aquarius. If that weren't enough, Pluto squares Saturn the day before this New Moon. Whew! Can we find any stability in times like these?

Scorpio is a complex sign and one that is not easily understood, even by natives. They are often unable to understand themselves throughout their entire lives. Because of the depth and hidden nature of their ruling planet, Pluto, Scorpios who are not 'into' self-analysis or reflection, opt to live very material, externally motivated lives. Thus they can appear superficial. While this may be an unattractive, unexamined life that people reading this blog may want to avoid, it can give us a clue as to how to navigate this time of upheaval. Whatever is going on... don't take it personally. It is not your fault.

If you find that you are not able to figure out what to do next or what is going on....take a hint from the Scorpio/Taurus axis when it is 'unevolved'. Focus on the superficial. Huh? What I mean by this is... spend more time doing the small daily tasks. Cook your own food, rather than buying pre-made meals or going out. Can't cook? Learn. Start simple. Fix small things around the house, do crafts, wash the floor. Rather than adding to frustration and confusion by 'thinking' too much, stay grounded in mundane activities. Work on tangible things like...your yard, cleaning the closet, painting the bathroom.

This may appear to be 'denial' but by keep your mind and body occupied with tasks that are useful, practical and might save you some money, you will actually allow the intuitive function to kick in. Have you ever 'tried' to have a transcendent experience (without artificial means like drugs)? Did it work? But have they not just come to you while you were doing something else? - like walking in Nature. By keeping the mind and body busy, there is more space for the metaphysical to arrive. Inspiration often comes when you are not looking for it. I get a lot of ideas while washing dishes.

One of the metaphors for the transformational process is the butterfly. It begins as a caterpillar - an unattractive and, to some, disgusting creature. Certainly it is 'mindless' right? But....this so-called ignorant creature makes a cocoon around itself, goes to sleep and emerges as the extraordinary and magical creature we call a butterfly.

Does the caterpillar know what it is doing? Preparing an incubating chamber for its eventual transformation into a 'light being'? For all it knows, it is merely finding a twig, attaching itself then spinning the goo that comes out of its body into a home or a bed. The caterpillar/butterfly is 'programmed' to do this. It can no more say "No, I don't want to do this" than it can say, "I want it now, I don't want to wait, why do I have to bother with the cocoon?" "Why am I doing this?" It cannot stop its destiny.

Let us take our cue from this. Are we not also programmed to transcend, to ascend, to become light beings? Can we control the timing of it?

One of the lessons of now is that we are being asked (some would say forced) to surrender. We are being shown in many ways something that Gurdjieff said decades ago "we cannot do", which means that we live under many levels of laws of Nature etc. No matter how much we want the weather to be great on the day of the party we planned, we cannot control it. Our inability to control our circumstances, to make anything happen, to understand what is going on, to know what to do next....FRUSTRATING! A solution? Stop trying and just BE.

For those of us who subscribe to astrology, the planets also impose 'laws' on us. Saturn is the god of time. As long as we live at this level, we are subject to time. That includes timing. Sometimes the action is right, but the timing is not.

If you don't know what to do next...follow the teaching of Rumi: You are drunk and on the roof. Don't move or you will fall off. Just sit down where you are and be there. Learn to wait, be patient. (My interpretation)

Meanwhile, do what you CAN do...work on your cocoon. There is nothing you need to learn. You have it all already. It is part of your programming. Just take care of business on this plane as best you can.

Fifteen years ago, on November 12, 1994, I went to my first Sufi Dance in Sebastopol. Being involved in Sufism has been a very satisfying experience. I thank all my teachers. One of the teachings of Sufism is "die before death". I have often compared this to the teaching of Don Juan (Carlos Castaneda) who says to let death be an advisor.

If you died today, (no this is not morbid - it's Scorpionic) what would matter about your life? Who are you? asks the hookah smoking caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland. WHO ARE YOU? Are you your house, car, job, bills, material possessions? If they were all gone, would you die? If they.... who is 'they'? took it all away and you were standing there naked, what would you do next? Scream? Cry? Faint?

Stephanie Austin in her article for this New Moon in The Mountain Astrologer gives the following quote: You only really discover the strength of your spine when your back is against the wall." (James Geary).

I learned this lesson on the physical plane the Thanksgiving after getting involved with the Sufis when one of the group took some of us rock-climbing. First we paired off - one person blindfolded, the other the guide, climbing up a hill on the way to The Rock. An extremely valuable experience. I was blindfolded. My guide was so concerned about my getting hurt, she was not able to give me any direction. We barely moved up that hill because she was paralyzed by concern. Finally, I started moving by intuition. I used my inner sight, feeling my way up the hill to the point where I was leading her. As it turned out this experience bonded us and We became fast friends. She couldn't understand how I had done it. By conquering fear with my body, not my mind. Feeling my way up the hill through my body.

Once we had gotten up the hill, those of us who wanted to take the challenge, climbed up a 40ft rock with an experienced person up top holding the rope attached to our harness. We had to go up a crack. I got stuck. The space got too small to raise my knee to get my foot up to the next foothold. My arms were not strong enough to pull myself up. I was caught in the crack, hardly able to move. I started to panic. I thought about all the ways I could not do it - all my limitations. Halfway up (halfway down) almost ready to yell out to be 'rescued'.

I remembered to breathe, calm my mind, get still. Suddenly I felt all of my body, not just the parts that did not do what I wanted.... feet, legs, knees, arms, hands, but the rest as well. Not strong enough, no room to maneuver....stuck. But I also felt my back against the rock. I started to slither, like a snake. Pushing up against the rock, using the rock as my friend, rather than my enemy. My back against the wall, I slithered my way up those few inches that made the footholds accessible. I got to a place where I could function in the ways I was most accustomed to, but I did it by finding a new way to use my back (my weak point). Since I have always had 'a weak back' this was an amazing discovery. I had not used my back for carrying, but for slithering. A new use for a bad back. It felt miraculous.

I suggest you reassess everything in your life. Find new uses, be creative. Rather than look at what is not working in your life... turn it all upside down. See how the obstacles can be turned into foundations for new activities. Question all your assumptions. Better yet, get rid of your assumptions. Don't take NO (or yes, for that matter) for an answer. If you feel like your world is upside down use that as an opening to a new way of being.

The Universe is supporting our transformation despite what you think about it. Trust that.

Saturn in Libra - Buy One Get One.

2009-10-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Saturn's change of sign I would like to make the following offer: purchase any one of the astrology reports offered in the sidebar.... go down to find the links, and I will send you a second one of same or lesser value FREE! To honor Saturn in Libra, you might want to get the FRIENDS AND LOVERS, then a second one, like Opportunities, FREE. Take advantage of this offer until the end of November.

Saturn went into Libra today and I can already feel the change. Libra seeks to please and I can feel the cosmos asking me back into more accommodating relationship than we have had for the past 2+ years.

Saturn in Virgo was a task master for me. I already have plenty of Virgo is my chart with Ascendant conjunct Mars in Virgo I am really good at self-criticism. I really did not need the added weight of Saturn. When I am sat upon, I just go limp. It does not motivate me to do more. I don't fight back. Resistance is futile so why bother.

I feel a softening, a letting up of some of the pressure I've been under. I feel like I want to communicate again. For the past few months I have been questioning the meaning of life and my purpose in a very big way. Many deaths, including my 'big girl' Grace (cat). I went deep inside to process. Now, as we move into Fall and Winter, the traditional time for going inside, I want to express what I've found.

It's true that Libra can be critical and judgemental as well, but not right out of the gate. It tends to keep the negative stuff out of sight, like shoving it in a closet. If you want to fight and things get out of hand, believe me, Libra is right there with all the stuff that was in the closet right in your face, but it takes awhile before that happens. Libra can use the big guns, but prefers not to.

For the next couple of years or so, the job (Saturn always shows you the work to be done - in case you don't already know) will be in the realm of relationships. In Libra, this would be partnership, both intimate and business.

Saturn will ask us to define our relationships and to be clear as to who is doing what to whom. No more projection (a favorite past time of Libra). Are we clear about what we want from another person? Are they willing and able to give it to us? If not, how will be deal with that? If we decide to 'stay' anyway, we cannot blame the other person if they made their limitations clear to us. If they are vague or non-committal, are we going to accept that? If so, then, again, we cannot blame them.

Libra, as an air sign, seeks communication. But, let's face it, there are other ways to communicate besides talking. Facial expression, energy level, body language etc. communicate too. Rather than assuming that we understand each other, we might want to step out of our comfort zone and ask for an explanation.

Libra avoids conflict at any cost, but make sure the cost is not too high. Keeping the peace might feel good at one level, but are we going to be satisfied with that in the long run?

Sometimes we find out that all that silence and peace was actually a lack of caring or even an inability to care. It was not that they did not love you, they do not love anyone. Maybe cannot love at all. That is certainly not your fault. Nor was it your fault that you did not see it. There might be no one there behind the smile.

We have a couple of years to work on this. For those of you who have Pluto in Libra, you will have a Saturn/Pluto conjunction some time in this period. That should 'be fun'. Saturn might insist that something be done in the transformation department.

I feel there will be a lot of changes in the relationship department in the next couple of years. For those relationships that survive this transit and for those that are formed during this transit, there will be a lot more clarity and that is definitely a good thing.

Where Does Your Fortune Lie?

2009-08-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Last night in Rio Olesky's 'Tuesday Night Class' a participatory astrology class that he has been holding for around 30 years, we discussed the Part of Fortune.

The Parts or Lots were used extensively in Arabic astrology and therefore are often referred to as the 'Arabic Parts', but they were developed in the Hellenistic period around 100 A.D. The origin of the technique is unknown, but many theories abound. You can read a brief overview on Wikipedia.

Not much is known and very little written about the Parts. Rio referred to the work of Martin Schulman and Dane Rudhyar with emphasis on Schulman's book: Joy and the Part of Fortune which can be purchased at:

Martin Schulman Karmic Astrology
Joy and the Part of Fortune

Apparently one can experience joy through the Part of Fortune and its house placement, but only if one has earned it. There is a karmic element to it. And it is not automatic.

It relates to one's goals in this lifetime and whether one is moving towards or away from them. This sets the parameters of what is good or bad for any particular individual. Schulman says that each of us has a 'pot of gold' waiting at the end of our own rainbow. What is in that pot is related to the Part of Fortune and thus differs for each of us.

The part of Fortune includes the personal recognition and privileges that accrue when one succeeds in their purpose.

Rio said that the Part of Fortune is not guaranteed. You must do the work. He referred to it as a compost pile that has a lot of potential but must be tended and worked on. Like a garden, you must plant the seed, nurture it and attend to it so that it grows to its maximum potential.

Calculating the Part of Fortune is different if you have a nocturnal or a diurnal chart. A nocturnal chart is one where the Sun is below the horizon, a diurnal chart one where the Sun is above the horizon.

So...

Diurnal - Ascendant + Moon - Sun
Nocturnal - Ascendant + Sun - Moon

To find out what's on the schedule for Tuesday night class, see Rio's website: Wholistic Astrology

You can purchased recordings of any class.

Contact me for a reading of your Part of Fortune, by leaving a comment with contact information.

Follow Your Heart - Leap into the Lunar Eclipse August 5-6

2009-08-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

My Summer class at Santa Rosa Junior College is complete and so I am free to post again for awhile. I taught a course on Mayan Hieroglyphs for six weeks. It went really well. I will be teaching it again in a month. The new class starts September 3. This time it won't be as difficult since I have already made the PowerPoint presentation and my ankle is healed, so I won't have to teach from a wheelchair with my friend Steve serving as my chauffeur.

Another eclipse is coming up in a few days. This time a Lunar Eclipse. Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer says that during the eclipse, solar energy is blocked by the Earth and that this in turn opens a portal in hyperspace.

Well, this got my attention since I am getting more and more into portal technology. Preparing to teach the hieroglyph class this time, I re-read all the old books and read many new books. I was struck by the fact that even though there were books I have read several times, each time I review the material, the meaning evolves as my level evolves. Passages I didn't notice before were jumping off the page and I wondered "How come I never noticed this before?"

It's about evolution. Funny how things we 'know' with our brain take on deeper significance when our state has evolved - even a little.

I see it as a spiral. While we may revisit certain areas of our lives or certain subjects, as we move upwards in the ascension process, we understand more.

I have taught this course several times in the past, but this time, I learned so much more myself that I would have liked to pass on to my students. Perhaps it is time to create an advanced class.

For me, these eclipses signal the fact that we are in extraordinary times. We all have the opportunity to make quantum leaps in our development. At the same time the pressures in our Earthly existence are so extreme (job loss, home loss, financial ruin, health challenges) if not to ourselves then to our loved ones. It is difficult to see that this is an attempt by the 'dementors of doom' (as Caroline Casey says) to take us off our path and stop us with fear. Huge distractions designed by the powers of stagnation and decay to keep us hooked into believing that what our hearts yearn for is impossible.

Yet, these 'dementors of doom' are not external. We cannot point a finger at 'them'. They are us. They are within us. They are projections of the saboteur that we all have.

Caroline Myss' work on archetypes that I find invaluable claims that everyone has 12 archetypal energies that form a type of 'board of directors' in our life. We created this board before the current incarnation to help us accomplish the task of this lifetime. While each of us has 8 that are unique to our individual selves, we all share 4. Each age has a different set of 4.

Currently we all share The Saboteur, The Prostitute, The Child, and The Victim. These archetypes have many facets which you can learn about in her major opus (in my estimation) Sacred Contracts (see Amazon add in sidebar). So, we each have a Saboteur whose task is not really to prevent us from evolving, etc., but whose task is to show us where we ruin our own lives. Where we 'get in our own way'. (A strange expression I never really understood.) Caroline Casey played a wonderful talk by Reverend Ike called "Get Your But Out of the Way".

When you hear yourself say, "Yes, but...." you are on your way to learning about your Saboteur. Since most of us (at least in the West) are so obsessed with money, we usually 'can't' do something because of money. So now money REALLY IS a problem. Or is it? Isn't that just an illusion? What were we thinking when we created that one. We thought not having $100,000 in our bank account was a problem. Now we are lucky if we have $100. It's like they said: "You want to complain? Complain about THIS!

The challenge here is to see that it is not money that makes something happen or not, it is intention, desire, 'love'. No amount of money in the world will make something happen if there is no desire for it. These things come from the Heart.

So.... stop complaining. Stop making excuses... Just DO IT! Or not, but don't blame anyone but yourself. Or... even better, don't blame anyone, especially yourself. Do or don't do, then let it go. If your Heart is not in it, let it go.

So what does all this have to do with eclipses? and especially this eclipse? Another opportunity to make a leap into the life you dream for yourself and humanity. We must all begin to dream a new world into being. Then when we have the image firmly established in our hearts, to leap into it whenever there is a portal.

Austin quotes Norman Vincent Peale at the end of her article: "Throw your heart over the fence, and the rest will follow."

Let your heart lead the way. Not your little heart, that loves so-and-so and hates so-and-so or want this-or-that and doesn't want something else. No. the big huge heart that is wise and connected to the Oneness of Creation.

The Value of Contraction - Less is More

2009-07-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

Pluto in Capricorn is about maximum contraction. Since we have just gone through the opposite, that is, Pluto in Sagittarius, maximum expansion, this is particularly painful. Just like trying to squeeze into those jeans you wore in your 20s after two kids and gaining 20 pounds. Can't be done. Gotta shed some pounds. So that's where we are, all of us. And it feels awful. Depression is 'widely available'.

Liquor and fast food sales are up, even though more and more of us know the dangers of both. People want a quick fix for the psychological pain. People want to 'feel better,' if even for a moment.

I myself am grappling with this daily. Since I cannot go outside to my garden (due to my broken ankle), I have to dig deep into my inner resources. Meditation, chanting, repetition of mantra/wazifa is very useful since it helps you train your mind. Stopping thought is useful at this time, when what we are doing is not necessarily working at solutions with our thoughts, but rather beating ourselves up with self-sabotaging recriminations.

Flower essences, essential oils and tinctures have an incredible ability to soothe, heal and inspire. All very important at this time.

It is not about 'not feeling'. Among the tasks of Saturn and Capricorn is to evaluate what works and what does not work. To have the courage to admit that we don't like our life and then to change it. This requires feeling the pain. Pain is a message. Something is wrong. Don't mask it (of course if it is overwhelming and paralyzing, you have to manage it). Take the time (Saturn/Capricorn) to review your situation.

The next step which is so aptly put in the Serenity prayer adopted by AA.

"God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference."
Attributed to the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.

This is one of the most useful messages that has been delivered to humanity in the last century.

About 18 years ago, while working at a domestic violence shelter, I was doing research on addiction. I read a series of books by Anne Wilson Schaef about the addictive society. Her best known one, When Society Becomes an Addict, opened my eyes to the role our culture has in making us all addicts in some way, so as to encourage consummerism.

Before we can stop our addictions we must 'admit we are powerless'. We must stop thinking that we can live forever, do anything we want, anytime. In a sense, the New Age Movement that expanded in the mid 80s, and promised us that we can have it all as we create our own reality (which usually included more stuff), has been co-opted (as the 60s were). Yes, even Michael Jackson died. Didn't you think for a moment that if anyone could figure out a way to live forever, he would? He could certainly afford to pay for whatever technology could come up with. For those who consider themselves 'spiritual' there are now millions of books, DVDs, CDs and catalogs full of all the accoutrements required to be 'on the spiritual path.' "Have you seen the latest yoga mat?"

Among the gifts of my recent 'confinement' is seeing what I actually NEED. Now that my ankle is nearly back to normal, I see that I am beginning to WANT again. The wanting is what causes me discomfort. About halfway through this confinement, I arrived at a state of contentment. A time when just being was all I could do and it was enough.

I hope to retain the lessons I learned. The gift of a broken bone (bones ruled by Saturn/Capricorn, ankle ruled by Uranus/Aquarius). Currently Chiron, shot in the ankle, is in Aquarius (natally in my 6th house of health). In my Solar Return chart for this year, it is at my midheaven (conjunct the 10th house cusp. The 10th house traditionally ruled by Saturn/Capricorn. Try to tell me that astrology does not work.

If you are feeling depressed right now, take it as a sign that you are alive and awake. You are not numbed out. Take the time to review your life. Feel what is not working anymore and try to understand why. Change what you can. If you can change nothing about the external situation, do an attitude adjustment.

One way this can be done is to invite the 'problem area' to tea. With friendship and kindness, ask it what it wants from you. What it wants you to know and learn. What is the lesson in this? is an extremely useful question to ask yourself on a regular basis.

Try to avoid 'why me?' because that is a victim stance. Instead I suggest you look for the lesson. I have found that when I can do this, I may come to value the 'problem' for the gifts it has brought - the 'virtues' of patience, humility, compassion, surrender etc. As soon as I 'get it', the 'problem' often goes away.

We can use plant guides and messengers in the form of flower essences and essential oils to support us in our own process. They work on a subtle level. They don't do the work - we still have to do it, but they can help us focus and have more clarity. They can take the panic away so we can think. See my herb blog.

If you wish assistance, I am available for astrology readings and flower essence sessions. Leave your contact info in a comment.

July 7 Eclipse - Portal Between Worlds

2009-06-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

As we approach the upcoming Full Moon eclipse on July 7, we may feel contraction. For some, this will be experienced as fear leading to panic.
The circumstances of the outer world which seem real - money issues - may cause us to put the focus of our energy in the wrong place.

While a contraction is called for, it is not a 'bad' thing. Since we live in a world where only expansion and growth are valued and sought after, we feel something is very wrong with contraction and must be 'forced' into it. Rather we should submit to this contraction willingly for it is part of the cycle. Observe your breath. It goes in and out. Observe the tides, they go in an out. All of it is a rhythmic cycle. Neither can exist without the other.

With Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron conjunct right now, I feel that after the contraction, the 'in-breath will bring more healing, greater intuitive capacity and an increase ability to manifest our dreams. But we must first be willing to let go and release on a grand scale.

Have you ever been told to take a deep breath? What is the first thing you do to prepare to do that? Breathe out more than ever. So, now, get ready to take a deep breath.

Rather than clenching up in fear which is usually accompanied by holding your breath, let it all go. Don't try to hold on to whatever goes with it. Don't grab on to anything. Before we can manifest the new life we want, we have to make room for it. Right now we also have access to creative imagination on a grand scale. Dream big. Dream into reality the next phase of your miraculous life.

The Moon in Capricorn 10th house and Sun in Cancer 4th forming this eclipse, open the portal between birth, death and rebirth.

The ancient Maya saw 'life' as starting with death. Life comes out of death. The 4th house is both the house of death (where we come from) and the house of birth. The 10th house is the life in between. This eclipse has the Moon (the ruler of Cancer) in Capricorn. To me this means that the nurturing energy of the Moon/Cancer is on both sides of the portal.

Go to your emotions to see what needs to change. My doctor recently advised me to "let pain be my guide" in regards to the physical therapy I must do after my broken ankle. At first I thought "what? Why would I want to do that?" But after thinking about it I saw the wisdom in it on a larger scale. To determine what is not working anymore in your life, let pain be your guide.

Often in order to continue to function, we avoid the pain in any number of ways. Distraction, medication, numbing out, sleeping, staying busy - are common ways. But in order to see what needs to be changed/healed and when we are not going in the right direction, we need to experience that pain.

Remember that game where someone hid something and the other person had to go look for it? We said warm, hot, boiling when the searcher approached and cold, freezing when they were far away? Well, be sensitive to the subtle emotional changes that accompany different parts of your life. Pay close attention to your stomach, your aches and pains, your mind, your energy. Does your body respond positively or negatively as you go through your day. Your own body can give you clues your rational mind hides from you.

Let emotional or any other kind of pain, be your guide to what is no longer working in your life and what needs to go. Then, imagine the new life you want. Get ready, breathe out, then breathe in deeply and move through the portal into your new life.

Jupiter and Saturn - Creating Reality

2009-06-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Each month, as a student in the Evolutionary Astrology school with Kim Marie, we participate in a telephone conference call on various topics. This month it was the planetary pair of Jupiter and Saturn.

The Evolutionary Astrology (EA) method is unique in that it begins with Pluto which represents the soul's purpose. The nodes of the moon are significant because they show the soul's history and the intent in this life time.

Unlike traditional astrological methods, the Sun, Moon and Ascendant are not the primary focus.

In addition to aspects, house, and sign of each planet, the phasal relationship between all planets is significant. As far as I know, this way of looking at planets is specific to the EA method. So, even if planets are not aspecting each other, they do have a phasal relationship.

What this means is that, like the phases of the Moon in relation to the Sun, planets form phases between themselves. The faster moving planet determines the phase. Ultimately, all are in relation to the Sun.

Since both of these planets are 'personal' planets, we have access to them consciously. We can easily see the archetypes operating in our life, unlike the
'transpersonal' planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto which operate on unconscious levels.

Jupiter and Saturn are very important in one's life because they have to do with manifestation. Jupiter is concerned with belief systems and truth. Saturn about form, structure and society. All of us act from our belief systems, whether personal beliefs about ourselves, beliefs about what we should be doing or beliefs held by the society in which we live. These beliefs affect our values, goals and actions. Saturn helps us ground our beliefs in reality - or not.

Many of those who say that 'we create our own reality', never see the fruit of that belief because, in fact, they really don't believe it. Or, their belief about themselves, say, is so contrary to their stated belief that they 'sabotage' themselves. Sometimes the new belief has not fully been integrated or conflicts with deeply held beliefs from childhood.

Jupiter's cycle is 12 years, Saturn 28 or so. They form a conjunction every 20 years. Currently they are nearly opposing each other, which means that collectively we have been re-examining the belief systems that have been the foundation of society. Each of us, in our own way, has had our beliefs challenged a lot in the past few years. On nearly every level, the beliefs that we have operated under, have crumbled or betrayed us and we have had to re-think, re-assess and re-evaluate. This process of breaking away from everything we have believed in before and coming up with new paradigms will reach its maximum when Jupiter and Saturn are in opposition. Then, the new ideas will begin to be integrated into society and create the new models of action. We are still at the creation point, so it is very important that we set our intentions for what we want to manifest in society in the next 10 years.

As we are all aware, what happens in the next 10 years will determine if there is a future for life on Earth.

One of the fundamental concepts of EA is that we are all evolving. It is important to know where we are at any given time on that path and to understand the best ways we can move forward from there. There is no judgement since we are all going to get "there". And, in fact, there is a concept, similar to that of Buddhism, that some have already gotten there and have returned to help others, so you never know.

The belief in Reincarnation is implicit in this system and so is the idea of karma. Some of our current life is the result of karma.

Of all the systems of astrology I have looked at, this one has the most answers for me. To find out more about it and get a sample DVD free, click here.

Solar Return in the Underworld

2009-05-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm coming to my solar return (Saturday, May 30), and just ran my chart to see what's ahead. Turns out my Sun is in the 12th house and my Moon and Saturn are in the 4th house! Now try and tell me astrology does not work. Hidden Gemini stuck in the house with a broken bone.

I broke my ankle a month ago and have not been out of my house for a month. House bound, I rely on friends to bring food, do my laundry and my dishes. I am hobbling around on crutches. Since I have been very sedentary for the last couple years, my physical stamina and strength are minimal, so I am having a lot of trouble getting around.

All my activities have been affected. I have not been out at all. All my club and group activities have been halted. I have had to miss the fairs that I signed up for to sell my herbal products (see my herb blog).

I am not my usual 'bubbly, talkative' Gemini self. Or rather, I am going through a metamorphosis. Sun now conjunct the ascendant (also now in Gemini), I am completing a cycle of transformation and will come out a different person. Well, that's for sure. I feel like I went into the Underworld a month ago. I know that when this is over, my life must change.

Friends have suggested 'there is something to learn from this.' Boy, have I heard enough of that! Actually, this time it made me angry. I feel like my entire life has been nothing but lessons. When do I get to just have some fun? I might become a total hedonist after this.

In fact lately, I find myself unable to analyze or even think for that matter. I feel I am totally living in the NOW. I have to. My day is about survival, that's it. Of course, this will not be permanent, but it has been making me think about how dependent I am on others.

Meanwhile, with no cable available, I watch Netflix. I got the series Jericho and it is affecting my consciousness as well. I dreamt about Jake last night. But....the show is a metaphor for what we all face. Not nuclear destruction or terrorist attack, but the end of services, the lack of supplies, power etc, that we all face with Global Warming, Peak Oil, the End of Food, pollution of water and air etc.

I have become even more aware that in one moment one's world can change completely. While I am not a vegetarian, I normally eat a very healthy diet. Now, since I can't cook, I have to eat frozen pre-prepared meals, (full of bad stuff), heated in the microwave. I get pre-made salads which cost a fortune, just to get my veggies. Meanwhile all the seeds I started in my greenhouse are way beyond ready to transplant. None of the people who are coming to help me are into doing this, so the veggie garden I planned will probably not happen. I realize how vulnerable I am. But I know that we all are.

We must begin to grow our own food! Grow what we can, trade with others for what we need. We must find ways to get around without gasoline. We must learn to do with less, be happy in the moment and be more flexible.

If you want a reading send me a comment and we will make an appointment.

New Moon in Gemini May 24

2009-05-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

New Moons represent beginnings. It is a unique New Moon because it squares a rare triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron.

While Jupiter and Neptune are conjunct every 12-13 years, and Jupiter and Chiron conjunct every 13-20, Neptune and Chiron conjunct between 57 and 80 years! Thus they may conjunct only once in a lifetime.

Perhaps this explains my recent accident, where I slipped, fell and broke my right ankle. Prior to the accident, which occurred while I was attending a Plant Spirit Healing Apprenticeship workshop, I had been slightly spraining both ankles for about a month. It was very disturbing and worrisome. I couldn't understand what was going on. Each time it happened, it was worse than the last. I live alone in a semi-rural area, with only one neighbor, who would never hear me if I were screaming for help. So, instead, I was among a group of healers-in-training when I fell and sprained my ankle so badly, it broke.

The significance was not lost on me. Nor was the 'luck' of being with a group of wonderful people, who were prepared to help me in so many ways. Thanks to the healing that was given to me by my friends.

I had just returned from communicating with a plant and talking to the chickens in the garden. The workshop was definitely operating on the Neptunian principle of the Unity of Creation. We were learning to enhance our relationship with the natural world by opening up to a different way of perceiving it. It was a shamanic journey. I got to be 'dismembered.'

Chiron was wounded in the ankle and because he was immortal, could not die, but rather suffered endlessly until a bargain was made among the gods so that Chiron could die. He became the constellation Sagittarius.

This triple conjunction is occurring in my 6th house, the house of healing, work, talents, and service. I feel that Chiron has given me the 'nod' and accepted me as a healer. I got initiated by Chiron.

The triple conjunction will go retrograde in the next two week period. Chiron will go retrograde on my 61st birthday, May 30!

Of course, the 'gift' from Chiron is not always appreciated. I am somewhat immobilized, since I can't drive or go outside. I must rely on others to help me. I must accept whatever help anyone can offer. Since I like my independence, this requires Surrender (another attribute of Neptune.)

When I had my Chiron return several years ago, it was just prior to being ordained as a minister of the Universal Worship. My mother took me on a trip to Crete where we went to an incredible tour called "Chiron, the Wounded Healer." She had no idea what that meant, nor did she know it was my Chiron return, but she thought it was something I would like. We had some incredible mother/daughter healing occur on that trip.

We also have a square to the triple conjunction from Mercury! It will station direct on my birthday as well. Now, there must be a message in all this for me. Since, as a Gemini with Virgo rising, Mercury is my significator planet and Pluto is opposing my natal Mercury.

The way I see all this? It is time for me to define, refine and then put out my message. The intention I stated at the beginning of the Plant Spirit Healing workshop was Surrender. Surrender does not mean 'giving up' or 'giving in.' It is setting the course - orientation to one's true purpose in life. It is more like Allowing What is Real and True to manifest.

I have a lot of time to think about what is next in my life. With the help of this New Moon and the influence of the powerful squaring planets, I see a path unfolding.

Full Moon in Libra - April 9

2009-04-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

Clearly, this Full Moon is strongly influenced by the recent retrograde of Pluto on April 4 and the retrograde motion of Venus which started March 15. At this time, Venus retrograde is square Pluto retrograde. I'm kind of glad I am in a relationship with someone who is following his bliss on his boat in Mexico right now. Otherwise, who knows what the fireworks might look like. LOL

On top of that, Saturn is still retrograde in Virgo. What all this means for me is that first we examine our values, then rather than rebuilding the things that are falling apart, we let them fall. We don't rebuild things that didn't work. We take this opportunity to build new structures. We need a whole new way of doing things. The time is perfect to let it go and start a whole new, sustainable, green way of doing things. How much more evidence do we need that the Earth is encouraging us to change our ways? Of course, the institutions that exist (for their own sakes) will do everything they can to justify their existence and keep themselves going. That is the nature and the problem with institutions. They are calcified fossils of ideas which were once new and fresh and alive. They are dead now. Bury them. Jesus said "let the dead bury the dead." Let us take this opportunity to create a new, vital world.

It does not take an astrologer to tell you that we are in challenging times. What astrology can tell you is that there are forces larger than any government, bank, insurance company, or other man-made institution at work now. Astrology provides a way of seeing cycles and patterns that are transpersonal. They affect everyone on this planet albeit in different ways depending on their awareness and connection to spirit. I do believe that one suffers less if they have an active spiritual life. Formal religions don't seem to provide much support these days because they tend to externalize and project, rather than encouraging people to take personal responsibility for their own thoughts and actions.

This Full Moon in Libra ruled by Venus opposes the Sun in Aries ruled by Mars. Traditionally, these are the archetypes of female and male. Thus, spring (in the
northern hemisphere) corresponds to the period when the fecundity of Nature surrounds us Christians celebrate the former ancient pagan rites of fertility through the holiday of Easter, represented by the risen Christ. The miracle of rebirth. The return of the life-giving light of the Sun.

Stephanie Austin in her article in The Mountain Astrologer, suggests we "take a risk" and "do something radically different" wherever 20 degrees Aries falls in your chart and "get by with a little help from your friends" where 20 degrees Libra falls in your chart. She also offers the Sabian symbols for these positions: Sun at 20 degrees Aries - "A young girl feeding birds in winter: overcoming crises through compassion." Moon at 20 degrees Venus - "A rabbi performing his duties; the ability to draw on the power of an ancestral tradition in order to serve and inspire one's fellow men." She asks what you yearn for and what is holding you back?

"Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just money or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just lack of money or things." (Eric Butterworth)

Full Moon in Virgo - March 10-11

2009-03-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

As if Venus retrograde weren't enough, this Full Moon is conjunct the Saturn/Uranus opposition. Yikes! Hold on to your... or is it better to let go?

According to Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer, this is one of the most importantFull Moons of 2009 because it amplifies the Saturn/Uranus opposition which she calls an 'evolutionary imperative.' Ah, that's what they are calling it. I thought it was 'my life falling apart.' This so-called imperative is operational until 2010 folks, so I guess we have no other choice but to evolve or .....?
Austin suggests we 'embrace inventiveness.'

What we see is the breakdown of of outmoded structures and rapid cultural change. The retrograde Venus can be useful here since it assists us in determining what is of value and thus what we should keep or at least work on rather than just totalling tossing it.

As you may have read in my 2012 blog, I am really getting into Nassim Haramein and it just happens to relate to this Saturn/Uranus thing. Saturn representing the laws of classical physics and Uranus the 'quirky' realities of quantum mechanics.

Other contrasts that Austin makes that relate to this Saturn opposing Uranus transit are: hierarchy/democracy, status-quo/progress, and fear/freedom. Duh, I wonder which to choose? The difficulty is that there are few models out there because we are being called to create new ones.

But on to the Full Moon. The Sun will be at 21 degrees Pisces conjunct Uranus at 22 degrees. The Moon will be at 21 degrees Virgo with Saturn at 19 degrees Virgo. Austin says that each moment we have a choice between standing in love or collapsing into fear, between staying asleep or waking up. She says that where the Sun at 21 Pisces is in your chart is where you must trust your intuition and do something out of the ordinary; where the Moon at 21 Virgo activates your chart is where you need to discern your priorities and honor them.

Those with Uranus in Virgo and Pluto in Virgo are being given an especially loud wakeup call to own and express their power. Austin suggests we all use the power of this Full Moon to take the next big step on your path and remember: If we are facing in the right direction, all we need to do is keep on walking. (Buddhist proverb)

As for me, lately I have a lot of trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. I am filled with an intense energy but must really focus to accomplish anything. I feel there is something really important I must do, but don't always know what it is. When I am focused, I can get a lot done in half the time. I can be very efficient. But when I am not focused, I feel I am spinning my wheels.

One way I ground myself is by literally saying: "Stop! What are you doing?" This can snap me out of the whirr of my mind. I also need to go outside a lot and smell the flowers or work in the greenhouse. I am learning to listen to my intuition and act on it.

Over the years through meditation and other spiritual practices, I have learned how to distinguish between my intuition and other 'voices' that pass through my mind. My work with flower essences (see my herb blog) has moved up to another level. I can feel it. When I am with a client, I get 'downloads' from the plant spirits and find staying grounded both essential and extremely difficult. It is definintely an interesting time and I feel excited about what is happening.

Venus Retrograde - Let the Beauty We Love Be What We Do

2009-03-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

Venus goes retrograde 5 times in 8 years - every year and a half or so. It stays retrograde for 45 days. The retrograde pattern over an eight year period, forms a pentacle in the sky. Perhaps this is the source for the symbol. Being related to the retrograde pattern of Venus in the sky - when Venus may be challenging the status quo - may have led to its identification with 'women's magic'.

Venus will station retrograde March 7 at 15 degrees Aries, go back into Pisces April 12, then station direct at 29 degrees Pisces April 17.

Venus retrograde asks us to review, refine and redefine our values, social behavior and relationship needs. We need to look at how we express love and affection. Time to focus on our aesthetics - taste and style. During this time of economic downturn, we might want to find more frugal and creative ways of dressing and decorating. Another way to approach this is to realize that beauty serves a real purpose in our lives. We need beauty to inspire and heal. But having beauty around us need not be expensive.

Last week, I visited a friend in Oakland. His home was magical and delightful. A true Libran (ruled by Venus), his home was comfortable and inspiring. He had told me earlier it was cluttered. On the contrary, it was a tribute to his full and interesting life. He opened the door and I stepped into another world. Bird song and blooming tropical flowers, wood carvings and paintings, color and light. He had created his own altar to Venus. Part of the magic was the way that each item was placed and arranged with intention. Carefully and lovingly selected.

I realized the influence that such a space can have on the psyche. We truly flourish amidst nature and beauty. It is a need, not just a luxury. It can be accomplished in many ways - flowers, plants, cherished items from our life, stones.

Another thing we can do during this retrograde period is to seek balance between the sacred (spiritual) and the profane (mundane) in our lives. Preparing food can be viewed as a ritual where we are preparing nourishment and sustenance to the temple of our bodies and those of our loved ones, rather than a task or chore. Smelling, tasting and feeling the texture of the food,l rather than just gulping it down.

During this time we have access to undeveloped personal characteristics which will be more available to our view. The house where Venus currently resides may be where you will have revelations. The challenge is to own whatever you discover about your needs and whether or not you are actually communicating or expressing them. Don't blame your partner, family or friends. Don't point your finger about "what they are doing to you". Take responsibility. No one can hurt your feelings and you can't hurt anyone else's. Sometimes the truth hurts. I found it interesting that people are finally seeking a Truth Commission in relation to the activities of our government for the past 8 years, because during this time political leaders can fall from grace.

Venus retrogrades also signal reversals in the stock market, but they can be totally erratic and frequent. So.... it can go up one day and down the next. I am not predicting anything here, so please don't gambol the farm.

In terms of money, you should review your spending patterns (like you haven't already been doing this). By reviewing your values - what you want vs. what you need. And as I wrote above, we all need love and beauty. By examining our values, we might find that we wish to make changes. I suggest you wait until after Venus goes direct to make some of those changes. This is not a good time for major purchases, remodeling your house, getting married or divorced, because your choices right now might actually be the opposite of those you would normally make.

You could end up with an orange house with purple trim that you will only love 45 days every year and a half. But you will LOVE it then! Maybe that's better than never loving it. LOL!

Since Venus is in Aries, it's a good time for new beginnings. Astrology and flower essences are tools that can help you can gain insight as to what is next in your life. Contact me for a reading.

'Let the Beauty We Love Be What We Do' is from a poem by Rumi.

Discovery of Pluto - Harbinger of the Coming Shift?

2009-02-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

While doing my EC drops, yesterday, I found an interesting post about the discovery of Pluto at The Modern Historian. That occurred on February 18, 1930.

Astronomers demoted Pluto last year to a planetoid. But as anyone who has ever gone through a significant Pluto transit will testify, Pluto is no "toid" anything. In fact, after working with the Evolutionary Astrology method brought forth by Jeffrey Wolf Green, which focuses on Pluto in our charts, I believe no other planet has as much influence and power in our lives. Indeed, the EA method teaches that Pluto reveals our Soul's Purpose. What could be more important than that?

I have been thinking about the fact that Pluto passed over the Galactic Center in recent years. The "Event" at the core of 2012 is the alignment of our solar system with the GC. What is the significance of this transit? (which happens every 248 years or so.) The last time Pluto was in Sagittarius was a decade or so before the American Revolution. Why was America settled by the first colonists? We have been taught that it was because of religious persecution. Another reason was that people wanted to be free of the economic control of the King and the aristocracy. The 'common' man wanted a chance to make his own wealth. The emerging concept of Capitalism wanted free reign. Entrepreneurs and merchants wanted to out from under the tax system of the Crown, that's why we had the Boston Tea Party.

So here we are, one Pluto cycle later and that American Capitalism gone rampant threatens to destroy the global economy.

Some astrologers say that a planet is discovered when the collective is ready to understand and work with, its energy. So... what was happening in 1930 that relates to us today?

In the Qabbalah, the "non-sefira", lying in the central pillar between Tiferet and Kether, known as the Daat, the Hidden Teacher, is equated with Pluto,. There are some schema that equate it with Saturn "God of Time" because they were established before the discovery of Pluto. And there is significance to this reading as well. I believe that when Pluto passed over the GC, it served to remove the veil and open the way to the teaching from the Galactic Center. The Hidden Teacher in the sign of Sagittarius (the Teacher, the Spiritual Leader) opened the teaching of the meaning of the 2012 event.

Sagittarius represents the Teacher, but is also the "Seeker of Truth". So Pluto "God of Transformation and Death", in the the sign of the Seeker of Truth, went over the Galactic Center, The Source. Our entire Solar System is now within the area of the GC and will be exact on December 21, 2012, the end of a 5125 year cycle in the Mayan Calendar.

Many people alive today lived during the Great Depression. Many of us are children or grand-children of those "Depression Survivors" and have heard the stories and received the 'teachings' although we have dismissed them and not followed them. In the West, we have had abundance compared to the rest of the world. We have become complacent. Unless we were 'back-to-the-land' hippies in the 60s, we have lived an affluent life. The current economic down-turn will be changing that for many people.

I would like to suggest that rather than thinking about what we are losing or having to do without, we shift our attention to what is of real and lasting value. I suggest we develop our inner wealth, utilizing our inner resources to optimize our connection to Source. If you have a meditation practice, a program of prayer or other spiritual methodology, this is the time to dust it off and get with it again.

"Every breath we take is our prayer" I just heard that on the Caroline Casey radio show on KPFA and it seemed totally relevant to this post.

Think of all that you might be losing on the material plane as Sacrifice, which means to 'make sacred'.

In the Shadow of Retrograde

2009-02-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Valentine's Day Special continues until the end of the month.
Since we are still in the 'shadow' period of Mercury retrograde, I have not yet sent my computer in for service. It still needs repair and is under warranty, but so much has been breaking down this retrograde period, I want to wait another week before I send it.

I have been working on my course for this summer and on my 2012 blog. I have gotten to point where my laptop is like a part of my body and am not looking forward to having it gone for two weeks like the last time.

I can definitely feel the acceleration that is part of the Shift. In some ways, I feel writing is redundant, that all that is required is thought.

I am getting very interested in the work of Nassim Haramein. I went to a presentation by one of his 'emissaries' in Sebastopol, CA and have not been the same since. My mind was blown and I am not interested in 'getting back to normal'. I feel a 'new normal' is emerging for me. I'm not sure what it is but I do know I need to be as fluid as possible.

Personally, transiting Pluto in the 5th house is opposing my natal Mercury in the 11th house and so it is totally appropriate that my mind is being transformed. I am both able to access memories better and having deeper understanding. I am able to vision then manifest at a higher rate than ever before.

February Valentine's Day Special

2009-02-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Are you in a relationship or considering getting into one? The Friends and Lovers Astrology report (see sidebar) will show you things about the relationship that you might like to know. Both the positive elements and the challenges.

For the entire month of February, if you purchase 1 Friends and Lovers Report, I will give you a choice of 1 FREE report from the following: Opportunities, The Sky Within or Asteroids.

Friends and Lovers and The Sky Within are both available in English or Spanish. Please indicate which language you want.

Just follow the links to purchase Friends and Lovers and put the name of the FREE report you want as part of your "name". You do not have to give the real names of the people, but the other data has to be real, or the report will be worthless. For example: Mary Smith Asteroids

Back in a New Way

2009-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

So I am back. To see the story about my computer, go to first blog. I plan to wait until the shadow period of the mercury retrograde is over, because technology continues to malfunction around me and I don't want to take any chances. Besides, I have a lot of catching up to do with my blogs and various projects.

Things have changed a lot in the last 3 weeks. I have a new blog on the Maya and 2012 and am "on fire" with ideas and projects. My own chart is being activated. I have the Pleiades on the cusp of my 10th house and my Jupiter is conjunct the Galactic Center in my 4th house opposing Uranus. I have wondered about the meaning of this for many years and recently I have begun to understand what it is about.

Our Sun and Solar System are currently conjuncting the GC and things are indeed cooking.

Limited Internet for Next Two Weeks

2009-01-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

To all my readers, my computer is in the shop for two weeks and I don't know if I will be able to post during that time since I have to use the Internet in the county library and so I have a short time limit each day. See you all soon! I might actually be forced to clean house....

Karmic Astrology by Judy Hall

2009-01-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Just read an interview with Judy Hall from UK in The Mountain Astrologer Dec/Jan 2009. Her specialty is "Karmic Astrology".

Her work sounds fascinating and includes determining the karmic cause of illness, which has often led to healing and finding the karmic connections between people in relationships. She also works extensively with crystals.

You can go to her website and download many files on karmic astrology, crystal healing and other interesting subjects including her 119 page dissertation for her M.A. in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology. She has written many books including novels based on her own past lives (see the Amazon Carousel in the sidebar for some of her titles). If you are curious about her other titles, you can search in the Amazon Search box. She has many more books, but you can only put 10 on the Carousel.

I am fascinated by her work and plan to find out more about her. She does workshops on relationships and writing in the North of England. Maybe it's time for a trip! You can sign up for a reading online at her website.

Capricorn New Moon - December 27

2008-12-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

The New Moon is a conjunction between the Sun and the Moon. It resembles other conjunctions in that it represents the completion of one cycle and the beginning of another.

What is most noticeable about this New Moon is that in addition to the conjunction between Sun and Moon, there is a conjunction between Venus (the feminine principle)and its higher octave: Neptune; and between Mars (the masculine principle) and its higher octave: Pluto. Venus and Neptune are exact in Aquarius, Mars and Pluto are 1 degree apart in Capricorn, within 5 degree orb of the New Moon.

The two planets and two lights in Capricorn address the issue of our relationship to the physical world, the material plane. Clearly we need to come up with new ways of interacting with these aspects of life. For the last X number of years (some say 8,000) we have approached the Earth and her resources from a 'masculine' viewpoint, which is said to be aggressive, mental, opportunistic, destructive, exploitive....

These terms tend to be regarded as 'negative', but without the so-called masculine way of being, we would still be living as hunter-gatherers. I won't comment here on whether that is good or not. But ask yourself, would you prefer that? Be honest. No computers, no cell-phone, no microwave, no latte?

The 'problem' is that we have gone out of balance. We have focused on one type of energy at the expense of the other to the extent that we are now on the verge of destroying the Earth completely.

Mars and Pluto represent levels of the Will: Mars personal will; Pluto divine or collective will. Perhaps we are ready to summon our will, both personal and collective, to change our course, modify our direction.

Since Venus and Neptune, also conjunct, are 'ahead' of Mars and Pluto, in Aquarius, I see this as a sign and symbol of the re-emerging 'feminine' values: nurturing, intuitive, compassionate, resourceful, sustaining.... By the way, the Obama administration will be the first ever to have a First Grandmother in the White House! How's that for a re-emerging of the feminine!

The Sabian symbol for this New Moon at 7 degrees Capricorn is: "A veiled prophet speaks, seized by the power of a god; the ability to act as a mouthpiece for the revelation of a transcendent will and truth determining future action."

Full Moon in Gemini December 12

2008-12-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

During a Full Moon, we experience the maximum exposure from both the Sun's emanations and the Moon's reflection of solar radiance. Since human bodies are composed of both electrical and magnetic fields, we are affected by these changes in energy.

This is the fifth and final Super Moon of 2008. That means it is both at perigee (its closest approach to the Earth) and syzygy (directly aligned with the Sun and Earth).

In addition, the Sun and the Moon make a Grand Cross with Saturn and Uranus. All mutable signs, there could be some really big changes afoot.

I recommend flower essences during times like these because they operate on the energetic level. In the last couple days, I have been having erratic emotional states and have been relying heavily on my essences to maintain an even keel. Go to Hamida the Herbalist for some suggestions on essences that might help you during these challenging times.

Stephanie Austin says: "The Sun in Sagittarius illumines what we need to see; the Moon in Gemini, what we need to say. Saturn in Virgo exposes what no longer works, and Uranus in Pisces reveals where we are ready for a quantum leap."

Mars is conjunct the Sun exactly on December 5 and squares Uranus on December 11 and Saturn on December 15, extending the force of this Full Moon. Mars gives us the courage to act on our convictions.

It is one thing to know and what needs to be done, another to do it. The energy Mars brings to the situation can help us make the required changes. Good time to tackle those long-avoided projects, like cleaning out the garage.

Oh yes, and let us not forget that Mercury is conjunct Pluto at 1 degree Capricorn, which insists that we examine our assumptions and ask: "What is true for me now?"

"To be mistaken is a misfortune to be pitied; but to know the truth and not to conform one's actions to it is a crime which Heaven and Earth condemn." Giuseppe Mazzini

The Day Watch Calender "2for" lasts until December 24. A good last minute gift as well as any of the Astrology Reports which are sent to you via email and thus nearly instantaneous. You can print them and add a nice cover.

Please contact me if you want a Pluto Reading and Flower Essence Blend. Leave a comment with your contact info and I will get back to you.

Christmas Special - Great Gifts!

2008-11-29T12:14:00.000-08:00

Until December 24...

Buy one Day Watch Calendar for $25.00 and get one free! A personalized calendar based on the natal chart. See what the transits are for you (or whose ever chart it is) each day.

Makes a great gift for family or friends. Must provide Date, Time and Place of Birth for each chart. Names can be fictitious. Sent to you via email. You print if you wish. If I print and mail by snail mail additional charge.

A good 'last minute' gift since email is nearly instantaneous. Can be sent anywhere in the world.

Sagittarius New Moon - November 27

2008-11-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit distracted lately. A lot is cooking after the 2012 Conference. I am working out the details for a class I will be teaching on Mayan Hieroglyphs and the Mayan Calendar, and planning to put a class on CD that will be available in a couple of months and... I missed, or almost missed this incredible New Moon!

What adds to its significance is that on the same day, Uranus goes direct after being retrograde since June. Stephanie Austin in the Mountain Astrologer says its "like a red light turning green". Uranus is the Awakener, the God of Chaos, the Cosmic Wild Card. Turning direct it signals a time for a quantum leap.

From November 27 through December 31, there will be no planets retrograde and so a lot could happen in the next month. Austin calls the energy that is available "breakthrough or breakdown". Change or be changed.

I got an email from one of my teachers, Jane Bell. She said she is going to devote some time to creating a supportive infrastructure. That really got me thinking. Sometimes we are so focused on what we want to accomplish, we forget that unless we have a solid base to work from and nurturing support along the way, that is, if the foundation is not laid, we cannot get anywhere. The arrow of Sagittarius is pointing us in a direction. But don't forget to look at the rest of the symbol, which also has meaning. The bow and arrow are held by a man with the body of a horse. In addition to the arrow - the goal, look at the foundation - the horse. Don't forget to take care of your horse.

An expression I learned from the Sufis is "Pray to Allah, but tie your camel." We ask for Divine Inspiration (from whatever source) to give us this or that, but we fail to do our part by taking care of what we have in front of us.

The day before this New Moon, Pluto goes into Capricorn. The challenge is to create structures that are sustainable and equitable, not just to get back to business as usual. True, we all want economic recovery, but not the way things have been done in the past. Rather than seeing recent events as a disaster, see it as house cleaning, remodeling, tearing down a dilapidated structure to build a new one.

Pluto and Uranus are preparing us for a paradigm shift. They are leading us into a new way of doing things. Ya Hu!

"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential" Barack Obama

Oh! I just love the sound of his voice! For 8 years, I couldn't listen to Bush, not only for what he said, but because his voice was so irritating. McCain was worse. A certain hissing like Golam in Lord of the Rings. Obama's voice is music to my ears. Oh Happy Day!

Pluto Readings and Essences

2008-11-24T13:58:00.001-08:00

In conjunction with Hamida the Herbalist, I am now offering Pluto Readings and Essences, featuring my Pluto Through the Houses Blends. Please go to my website for information and details about ordering.

Pluto is a powerful teacher. The house in which Pluto resides natally is extremely important in determining the purpose of the current life. Where the lessons are currently occurring is where Pluto is by transit. Since Pluto's passage through a sign can last up to 30 years, its effect on our lives both individually and collectively is profound.

Since many people are born with the same natal Pluto sign, they tend to be viewed as 'generations' because they share certain soul qualities and lessons.

Pluto is currently moving into Capricorn where it will be until 2024. It has been in Sagittarius since 1996. The focus has been on belief systems, philosophies, cultural traditions, and religion.

Pluto helps us see our obstacles to transformation by challenging our beliefs, causing huge changes in our lives, taking things or people away or other 'unpleasant' circumstances. This is 'for our own good.' Ugh! But rightly viewed and worked with, great gifts can come to us.

Thoth/Hermes/Mercury

2008-11-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

The expression: 'As Above So Below' comes from the Emerald Tablets of Hermes Trimegistus, Thrice Great Hermes, the name given to Thoth by the Greeks during the Hellenistic period in Egypt.

In astrology, we call Hermes by his Roman name, Mercury. Known as the Messenger of the Gods, Mercury, as shaman and teacher, moved between the worlds of gods and humanity, bringing knowledge to the Earth plane.

There has been much speculation about what 'Thrice Great' refers to and from my research into Egyptian Mysteries, I believe it refers to the fact that Hermes/Thoth was the master of the three Egyptian mystery schools: the solar, the lunar, and the stellar.

This forms the basis for the three salves I have created to assist in the process of awakening and integrating the three sources of wisdom into our being. (See Hamida the Herbalist Etsy store for the Solar, Lunar and Stellar Salves.)

Nicki Scully and Linda Star Wolf have developed the Anubis Oracle, an intuitive tool for divination. By clicking here, you can go to a free reading page.

You can purchase the set here from my Amazon carousel for a discount.

Taurus Full Moon - Nov 12-13

2008-11-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

This is a Super Moon, one that both at perigee (closest approach to the Earth) and syzygy (either a New or Full Moon). It is said that Super Moons act like laser beams which focus the electromagnetic particles into channels of energy. Super Moons increase gravitational pull and generates more extreme tides, weather and emotional reactions.

This Full Moon is conjunct Sedna which is at 20 degrees, 40' Taurus and symbolizes a mass initiation into cosmic consciousness. Located beyond Pluto, Sedna functions as a spiritual gateway to higher dimensional realities. Sedna was first sighted in 2003 by the same team of astronomers who discovered Eris. It has been noticed that astronomical discoveries coincide with evolutionary leaps, reflecting the concept: As Above, So Below.

Sedna, in the constellation Cetus the Whale, was discovered during a time of tremendous changes in the arctic and ocean regions. As a goddess, Sedna supports the development of the divine feminine and provides a link with the womb of our generative energies.

In addition to the conjunction with Sedna, this Full Moon is square Neptune at 21 degrees Aquarius. Neptune represents spirituality and illusion, intuition and imagination. This God of the Sea dissolves our existing concepts in order for us to experience a far greater reality that transcends death and the physical world. What would we do differently if we knew that nothing is separate and that we are all part of the web of life? How would we live if we knew we were immortal and infinite spirits?

Another factor influencing this Full Moon is a sextile between Jupiter in Capricorn and Uranus in Pisces. Jupiter represents expansion and Uranus innovation - the sextile represents opportunity. New perceptions and possibilities can arise with little effort.

The message of this Full Moon is in response to the economic situation we are presently experiencing. It suggests that we ground ourselves upon our divine core rather than material resources - that we live in accordance with spiritual as well as physical realities. We are called to face our fears, own our power and let go of what is decaying.

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly" (Chuang Tse)

Taken from The Mountain Astrologer article by Stephanie Austin.

Scorpio Special Offer - Transformational Tools

2008-10-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Sun has just entered the sign of Scorpio, which is ruled by Pluto. The Phoenix is often used to represent Scorpio. It is a mythical creature who is able to re-create itself from its own funeral ashes. Harry Potter fans will remember it as Dumbledore's familiar.

This is the time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest and it is celebrated nowadays by the holiday of Halloween. This is a sacred time, when we have greater access to other realms.

Next weekend (Nov.1 & 2) I will be attending the San Francisco 2012 Conference - "Shift by the Bay". I just finished reading "Maya Cosmogenesis - 2012" by John Major Jenkins and have been re-inspired. You can read more about this at my blog: Wise Women of the West.

I feel a special connection to this alignment because 1) I have natal Jupiter sitting right at the degree of the Galactic Center opposing natal Uranus and 2) My 10th house cusp is conjunct the Pleiades. The meaning of these elements of my chart are becoming clearer to me all the time.

I truly believe that astrology and flower essences are healing tools that can assist people in their transformational journey. I write about flower essences on my blog: Hamida the Herbalist.

Among the qualities of Scorpio, the 8th house (its natural house), and Pluto, are an interest in investments, inheritances, other people's money, sex, death and all taboo subjects. In honor of the Sun's ingress into Scorpio, I would like to offer the readers of this blog the following:

During the sign of Scorpio, if you buy one of the reports or calenders advertised in the sidebar, you may have a second one of your choice, FREE. The one of lesser value will be free. Just order one by clicking the graphic and going through PayPal and when you leave your data, specify which report of equal or lesser value you want free. I will then send both reports via your email as attachments. If you have any questions as to what the reports are like, you can view samples by clicking the graphic and following the links.

The reports are:

The Sky Within - a reading of the entire chart - available in English or Spanish.

Friends and Lovers - a comparison of two charts which discusses positive and challenging elements - available in English and Spanish.

Opportunities - a reading that focuses on career choices based on your chart.

Asteroids - a reading of the four major asteroid Goddesses and Chiron in your chart.

Your Spiritual Path - a reading which focuses on directions and paths which may inspire you based on your chart.

Day Watch Calendar - a calendar showing transits to your natal chart through a whole year. You can specify the start date.

You don't have to use your real name, but I do need the birth data to create the report.

Full Moon in Aries - Oct. 14

2008-10-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

It's Full Moon time again. Now that I am posting about the full and new moon phases - they seem to happen so fast! This time it's a Full Moon in Aries.

Stephanie Austin, in The Mountain Astrologer, says Full Moons are power times. She says we can better see where we are coming from and where we need go.

I don't know about you, but I feel sort of blah. Lots of ideas, but not enough energy to manifest them. I can definitely feel the days shortening and the temperature dropped 30 degrees in one week. Already at night it's 36 degrees!

Austin says that since the Moon is in Aries, ruled by Mars and the Sun is in Libra, ruled by Venus, this Full Moon has Venus energy(compassion and love) facing Mars energy (individuality and courage). She suggests that the more we develop our Aries side, our ability to know who we are and what we want, the better we can do Libra, the art of relating to and learning from someone who is different.

I agree completely. Most people need others in their life to fill their own emptiness or make up for their own lacks. Rather than identifying and exploring their own ideas, they follow others like sheep. Their lives are unsatisfying and empty. Depression and despair follow when and if they finally realize their condition.

Austin suggests we look for where the Sun is in our chart - 22 degrees Libra - this is where you are being called to negotiate and see things from another point of view. The Moon, at 22 degrees Aries, is where you need to clearly express your desires and intentions.

For me, Libra is in the second house - my resources and what I value - and Aries is in the eighth house - investments and other people's resources. Okay, in light of this advice, I am willing to receive copious and unlimited amounts of other people's resources (money) to improve the quality of my life and permanently improve my net worth. How's that?

You Made My Day

2008-10-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Oh I'm so excited! Just won an award and wow! did my Saturn transiting the first house need that! Sold a book and got some clicks on my ads! Big day in blogland! Have been so busy getting ready for craft fairs (where I sell my herbal products and soon my line of Pluto Elixirs) that I have had little time left for posting, dropping, commenting and all the 'hard work' of blogging - LOL!

Was just asked last night by friends how much money I make doing this and had to tell the truth. But the truth also includes my commitment to continuing because my guidance tells me it is the right thing for me to be doing. So today when I found out that I got this award from Witchy Mama, plus sold a book, plus got clicks on my ads - well, that was the response from the Universe that I needed.

Thank you so much WitchyMama!

My choices for the award are: (I wish I could give it back to WitchyMama, but I don't think that's how it works)

Herbs 'n Oils

Mermaids Treasures

My Gypsy Goods and her other blog - Alteredevents

And my cat Melody said we must include Luxor, because she just loves the White Cat.

And the Winner Is....

2008-10-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

And the winner of this month's free report give-away is Witchy Mama. Make sure to visit her blog - which is beautiful and interesting. I love the layout. Thanks WM!

First of the Month Give - away

2008-10-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

The First of the Month Give-away will be the Opportunities Report. An in-depth personalized report by astrologer Stephanie Clement on your vocational aptitudes from the astrological perspective.

Thinking of a new career or change in your current career? This report can help you see aspects of your personality in relation to your work life. How can you best utilize your talents and gifts? For a sample of the report, click the graphic in the side-bar. Clicking that graphic in no way commits you to purchasing anything. It is merely a link to another web page.

It begins with your Ascendant which describes the way that you present yourself to the world and the way others see you. It also takes into account which Saturn cycle you are in and how that affects your work life and the choices you have.

The report goes into both the current situation and the trends for the coming year - your progressed chart.

The Opportunities Report will be sent to the first person to send a comment which includes name (can be a pseudonym), time, date and place of birth, and an email address to send the report to. This will not be published.

Libra New Moon

2008-09-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today is the New Moon in Libra. I realize it does you little good to have the information on the day it is happening, so in future, I will attempt to post this a few days before. That said, there are several things occurring now that are important.

I want to mention that we are still in a Mercury retrograde period and since it is in Libra, which is ruled by Venus, the emphasis for the retrograde period is relationships. We might find ourselves repeating relationship karma or at least revisiting it. We might also find out just what our relationship karma is by have a pattern repeat in such a way that we cannot avoid seeing it - perhaps for the first time. Relationships provide a mirror for us to see aspects of ourselves that we may be unaware of or disown. Pay attention to projections.

Another aspect of Venus is what has value for us and what we are willing to exchange, pay or do for that which we value. We are all being challenged on the material plane. We are being asked to go deeper and examine our other values. What is of the most importance to you? We are being encouraged - nudged - in some cases pushed into examining our non-material values, such as: relationships, knowledge, our spiritual connection. Those aspects of our life that cannot be taken away by down-sizing, foreclosures, or natural disasters.

Then, tomorrow is Rosh Hashanah "head of the year" - The "Jewish New Year" and is the first of the High Holidays or "Days of Awe." It begins a period of 10 days of repentance which culminate on Yom Kippur the "Day of Repentance." During this time Jewish people pray and fast, reviewing their deeds of the past year and seeking forgiveness so that they can be renewed and purified for the coming year.

Today is also the end of Ramadan, a month long period during which Muslims pray and fast. Muhammad (phuh) received the revelation which we know as the Quran during this month. Especially potent is the Night of Power which occurs during this month. It's exact timing is disputed, but some say it was Friday, Sept. 26.

And if that's not enough to inspire you....

Oh yes, the New Moon! in Libra, again ruled by Venus. Currently, Venus is in Scorpio. Scorpio has to do with transformation. New moons are times for beginnings. We might consider a new way of relating to people and to ourselves. Perhaps beginning or re-visiting a spiritual practice - movement, prayer, meditation. A reconnection to our inner life and the transformation of consciousness that these times require.

Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer has this to say:

"Venus is the Mythic Goddess of Beauty as well as Love. Beauty opens the heart and feeds the soul. Venus represents what is most dear to us and what is really worth our time, energy, and resources. Where Venus is located in our chart -- by sign, house and aspects -- describes our preferences and requirements in relationship and lifestyle choices. Venus in Scorpio pushes us to examine our desires and motivations. Are we living in accordance with our values, or with those that have been instilled by our parents, culture, or the media? Have we bought into the Western belief that power equals money (for men) and beauty (for women)? Venus in Scorpio asks us to go deeper, to go beyond the many substitutes for love we're sold and told to pursue and discover what truly lights our fire the fire in our heart and soul.... This New Moon shoes us what we treasure, what we dread, and what we need to reconcile. It illuminates the power of love and the power of truth -- for each of us and for the world."

I would like to add that we might think about whether we are motivated by the love of power or the power of love.

Here We Go Again - Mercury Retrograde

2008-09-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Mercury goes retrograde at 22 degrees of Libra tonight until October 15. Since Venus rules Libra, it is influencing this retrograde period. Rose Marcus in The Mountain Astrologer says "Relationship patterns or karma might be repeated; both casual acquaintances and people who are important to us could show up again."

This has already started manifesting for me. A friend I have known since 1970, whom I have not seen for 5 years, just showed up the other day. He was walking around in my backyard with his wife. My sweetie, who now lives on his boat in Mexico, called and said he is coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. Each day I get emails or phone calls from people I have not heard from in years or months. Fortunately, I have worked on my relationship karma very intensely for the past 20 years, so there is no one showing up that I don't want to see. LOL I am so happy to see and hear from these people. It's a gift. It's made me realize I am loved and appreciated by others, not forgotten like I had thought. So...this is one interpretation of Mercury retrograde in Libra. Our thoughts can deceive us when it comes to relationships. Our thoughts, like tricksters who have their own agenda, are not always true. The memory of the heart is stronger than that of the mind.

We often hear negative things about Mercury retrograde periods. In fact, it is now part of the popular culture. Mercury goes retrograde three or four times a year, for 3 weeks or so, which means that about a quarter of the population is born with it. It has its role to play in the development of our soul. Pay attention to who shows up in your life and what you think and feel about it.

Full Moon in Pisces - September 15

2008-09-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

This is traditionally called the Harvest Moon, because the light of the Full Moon allowed farmers to work into the night harvesting the bounty of the summer growth season. Also, it is the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox. We are reaping now what we sowed at the spring equinox and have been cultivating since then.

This is a most interesting Full Moon for a number of reasons. First, the moon is conjunct Uranus, second, the Sun and Moon form a wide T square to Pluto and third, Neptune is semi-sextile to the Moon and quincunx the Sun. In short, all the outer (transpersonal) planets are involved in this Full Moon.

The intensity of this Full Moon is enhanced due to the influence of Pluto and extends the effects for at least 8 days - from Sept. 12 to Sept. 20. At that time, the square between the Sun and Pluto will be exact. Pluto offers two options: change or be changed. We are directed to release what is dead or dying. Since it retrograded back to Sagittarius, what needs to go is our beliefs and limiting views, because they are holding us back.

Uranus, the great awakener, shows us where we have fallen into deadening conformity and where we are primed for a great breakthrough. Uranus urges us to march to the beat of our own drummer.

Neptune, whose realm is dreams and the imagination, can either inspire us, or lead us to despair and addiction. It takes courage to dream and follow your dreams. But think of the alternative. Without our dreams, our lives can be dull and not worth living. Sometimes we fear taking chances that may make our lives change. We may say we want change, but on our own terms. We fear we will end up alone, if we venture out and follow our bliss. But when you really think about it, what do you have to lose. What do you really have? As we see more and more everyday, nothing is permanent. People are losing homes, jobs, retirement packages they worked for their whole life. The effects of fires, floods, storms, earthquakes all over the world also show us - here today, gone tomorrow. It is frightening. What do we have to hold on to? From one angle, nothing. From another, our inner life, our consciousness, our connection to God. Increasing our trust in God and the Divine Plan is always available to us. We don't know how all this will turn out. So.... we might as well be ready for the best possible outcome. What would that be?

The transpersonal planets are affecting the collective right now. It is a powerful time for change, growth and increased awareness and compassion. We are all being asked to dream big because 'we create our reality.' If we settle for limitation and fear (lower octave of Saturn) that is what we will have. If we want a world where understanding, acceptance, compassion and caring abide, Saturn's higher octave will assist us in building that. Saturn is the planet which mediates the personal planets and the transpersonal planets. Whatever is imagined, dreamt, inspired etc. via the influence of the outer planets, is made manifest through Saturn.

Another facet to this complex kaleidoscope is that the Virgo/Pisces axis is concerned with service and sacrifice. As we come to the end of the Age of Pisces, symbolized by Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross, our beliefs are being challenged all the time. One big question is: Is the Christian God the same as the Muslim God, the Jewish God - you name him/her/it. If there is only one God, then.... fill in the blank.

Do we have to give up our lives to take care of others? What is the nature of service to our fellow human beings? What does real aid look like? With so many opportunities to give these days (there is always a disaster fund to send money to), what can we do day to day to change things so that there aren't so many disasters? Maybe changing our shopping habits can help prevent some of the problems. Just a thought.

The gift of this Full Moon is an enhanced ability to connect head and heart, effort with faith and dreams with reality. May your dreams come true.

Witchy Mama has an beautiful blessing
prayer for this Full Moon

Obsessed with Pluto?

2008-09-03T11:21:00.001-07:00

If you look at the Carousel on the sidebar, you will see books about Pluto. Does that mean I'm obsessed with Pluto? Yes, to some extent. I had been studying astrology for many years (along with many other things). I had had my chart done again and again. But there was always something missing. Something left out that felt like 'the most important thing.' I didn't care that much about love or money. What I wanted to know about was 'why am I here?' What is my purpose in life? Why do things happen to people? When I read Jeffrey Wolf Green's Pluto Book 1, I found someone who was 'speaking my language.'

Until I read the "Pluto books" by JWG, no one had been able to tell me what this archetype meant. Since I have it in the 12th house, it was even more hidden from my view. When I read Book 1, I was living in New Orleans (a very Plutonian place, by the way). And I was just about to go into a journey into the underworld myself. A Shamanic dismemberment of my own. I didn't know it until later, because I was not following my transits, but I was about to experience transiting Pluto 3rd house Scorpio square natal Pluto 12th house Leo. It was definitely a death and rebirth experience and it lasted for many years.

Since I had been meditating for many years by then, and had been on a spiritual path most of my life (including my childhood as a Catholic), I was somewhat psychologically and spiritually prepared for my ordeal. I had the idea that life is a school where we learn what we need for the development of our consciousness. I had internalized the idea of 'life lessons', but didn't fully get it until I went through my 'Pluto transit' where I had to literally re-invent myself. Having the information in my head, I now had the chance to practice it. I knew what I was going through was meant to teach me something and I was not going to waste the lesson, because I did not want to have to do it again.

I found out that JWG had developed a method of chart analysis called Evolutionary Astrology and a couple of years ago I was able to enroll in the home study program. JWG no longer runs the school himself, but he has passed it on to Kim Marie in the US and Rose Marcus in Canada.

Basically, one enters the chart through Pluto: sign and house placement, and the nodes of the Moon. It is believed that Pluto represents the Soul's Purpose, which is ultimately the purpose of our life. Everything that occurs in a life is meant to serve the development of the Soul and it's ultimate return to God. There is an intrinsic acceptance of the idea of reincarnation and karma in this method, since it not possible to go through the complete process of separation and return in one lifetime. Relationships, careers, money, etc., are means by which we are involved in life as incarnated beings. But they are not the purpose of life.

Unlike most methods of chart analysis, EA does not put emphasis on the Sun, Moon and Ascendant. Yet as I have been studying EA, I have found it to be amazingly useful and accurate.

For books I recommend on other aspects of astrology, go to the bottom of the page where there is another Carousel.

First of the Month Give-away

2008-09-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Starting a new feature: First of the Month Give-away. To the first person to comment and leave "a name" birth time, date and place, with contact information (which will not be published) I will send a free Sky Within Report by Steven Forrest.

This is a comprehensive astrology report covering all major features of your chart. I must have the birth data, but you can use a psuedonym. I will send it to you as an email attachment. For those who do not 'win', you can view a sample of the report without purchasing, by clicking the Sky Within graphic. If you decide to purchase, you can go through PayPal. This is a very interesting report and a great way to learn more about astrology.

I have several other reports available and will be adding them to the site in due course. They make great gifts as well. Besides the general reading, Sky Within, I have one on Asteroids (the four feminine asteroids plus Chiron), Your Spiritual Path, Opportunities (career), Friends and Lovers (for two people), and Sky Log which shows the transits and progressions for 3 months, 6 months or 1 year. In addition, I offer the Day Watch Calendar see ad on sidebar.

Currently I have two reports available in Spanish: The Sky Within and Friends and Lovers.

New Moon in Virgo

2008-08-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Virgo is known as one of the pragmatic signs of the zodiac. The organizer, the planner. Not the one to come up with the idea, but the one to make it happen. An earth sign which helps us to analyze, discern, refine and assimilate. It rules the digestion.

I had been planning for months to go to South Dakota for Segment III of the Evolutionary Astrology training with Kim Marie. Something kept me from buying an airline ticket and I was still debating whether I might drive. Then, the last minute, a family situation came up and I needed to stay home to take care of it. Thankfully, I was not going to lose any money from this last minute change of plans. While I was disappointed, I felt that in fact, it was perfect since I don't feel the need to take in any new information right now. Instead, I feel I need to digest and assimilate all that I have been learning in the last few months. It didn't occur to me until now that what I am feeling is completely in tune with the cosmos and what is going on in my own chart. The more I pursue this study of astrology, the more I am amazed at 'how it works'. In fact, this New Moon is conjunct my ascendant and my Mars and so the right action for me is to take action to realize and materialize my goals.

For all of us, Saturn is very close to this New Moon and will be in Virgo for the next couple of years. It is the principle of time, space and all forms of physical manifestation.

Stephanie Austin says "In Virgo, Saturn seeks the perfect form, the most appropriate way of expressing what is in our heart and soul. Saturn also tells us that we are the boss, the chooser, the creator of our reality, and that we have the power to change whatever forms are no longer functional or desirable, including our defenses. The mythic Reaper makes its yearly conjunction with the Sun on September 3, turning the spotlight on whatever most needs to be strengthened, revamped, or abandoned." She suggests that we use the power of this New Moon to "examine and dismantle what holds you back from expressing your creativity. Listen to your body. Be willing to be a beginner and try out some new steps."

Look at your own chart to see where this New Moon occurs. This is where you will feel the energy. Where is Virgo in your chart? This is where the lessons of Saturn will play out in the next couple years.

quotes are from the Mountain Astrologer Aug/Sept 2008

The Galactic Center - Sun of our Sun

2008-08-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Galactic Center, is a massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It is obscured by 'dust' and appears as if it were in fog. Radiation at every kind of frequency we can measure comes forth from it.

It is currently at 26 degrees Sagittarius. Pluto recently passed over it and being retrograde, is conjunct within a 2 degree orb.

In general, it indicates an area of life where one feels driven to act - where there is a sense of 'no choice'.

Research is now being done to learn the meaning of the GC in charts. The preliminary data indicates that the influences of close aspects are as follows:

Mercury - teachers, people in health care or food services
Venus - laziness or sensual focus on life or a talent for sales, arts or public relations
Mars - sexual or competitive drives
Jupiter - great success, travel and business
Saturn - able administrators and people dealing with depression

When I first heard of it I looked for that point in my chart. I have Jupiter conjunct the GC in the 4th house opposing Uranus in Gemini in the 10th. When Pluto passed over it the first time, I received an unexpected gift that has allowed me to follow my bliss and create my current life/work which includes travel. I will be leading a tour of Morocco next May. Leave a comment and a way to contact you if you're interested.

Where does 26 Sagittarius occur in your chart?

Eclipse, Trip to Fez and a Give-away, What More Could You Ask For?

2008-08-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday there will be another eclipse. This time it's a Lunar eclipse. Although it will not be visible here in Northern California, its effects can still be felt.

Caroline Casey on her Visionary Activist show this past Thursday at 2pm on KPFA, said that since the Moon will block the light of the Sun, we can see the reflected light of the Earth on the Moon's surface instead. (If you want to hear this show or any other, go to KPFA.org where they have all the shows archived)

I was thinking about that. Over the centuries the reflected 'Earth light' has gotten brighter and brighter, especially in the northern hemisphere. What could be the significance of this? Something to ponder.

Stephanie Austin in her article on the eclipse in The Mountain Astrologer, gives the etymology of the word 'eclipse' as being a combination of the Greek verbs ecleipo "to cease existing" and calypse "to cover".

She advises that since Neptune conjuncts the Moon and therefore opposes the Sun, that our right brain will be dominant, "amplifying our intuition and our capacity to envision our highest hopes and dreams." She goes on to say that "Neptune enables us to feel our interconnectedness, as well as our infinite potential."

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 25 degrees Leo is: "A large camel is seen crossing a vast and forbidding desert; self-sufficiency in the face of a long and exhausting adventure."

For the Moon at 25 degrees Aquarius: "A butterfly with the right wing more perfectly formed; the capacity to develop the rational and fully conscious aspect of the mind ahead of normal evolution."

Austin suggests "watch your day and night dreams closely. Envision the world you wish to inhabit. Hold it in your heart. Share it, live it, be it. Remember: 'The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.' (James Allen)"

So in 'light' of this, I would like to announce two things.

First: an upcoming tour I will be leading to Morocco. Next May 2009, we will be going to the Fez Sacred Music Festival, touring Casablanca, Rabat, Fez, Marrakesh and Essaouira, the shrine of a famous Sufi saint and an ancient Roman city. We will stay in the heart of Old Fez in the midst of the festival. We will have herbal footbaths, rub downs at the hammam and feast on the delicious Moroccan cuisine. If you want more information please leave a comment with a way to contact you. (the camel)

Second: a giveaway. To the first person who writes a comment with their name (can be a pseudonym), date, time and place of birth a free Day Watch calender by email. This is a 25.00 value. (the butterfly)

Last night I dreamt I discovered rock-climbing and loved it. The thought occurred to me that it was to be my next endeavor. That I enjoyed it and that I could do it.

Many years ago, a friend of mine did a give-away for Thanksgiving. He offered a rock-climbing experience to a small group. I went and I did it. It was a 40 or 50ft. rock. Just enough to get the challenge, the thrill and the rush. I learned that when you are stuck in a crack wiggling like a snake can get you out.

The Day Watch Calender

2008-08-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Get your own personalized calender, showing the transits and progressions to your natal chart. Here's a sample calculated using a well-known person born in Los Angeles, California. Click here to see the sample.

This is better than a generic astrological calender that you can buy at a bookstore, because it is calculated in relation to your own chart, showing your transits etc., rather than those for the U.S.

Order through the PayPal Buy Now button under the Day Watch graphic. Make sure to include name, date, time and place of birth or I can't calculate the calender. If you wish to use a psuedonym, feel free to do so. I will email it to you as an attachment. You can then print it or keep it on your computer. It's a good way to know what's coming up for you.

They make great gifts as well. Print them up and put in a decorative folder using art, graphics, photos etc., to further personalize them.

If you would like to create and sell your own calenders, you can order your software right here through the Matrix link here on my page.

Leo Solar Eclipse

2008-07-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

August 1, 2008 will be a Solar Eclipse. In general, New Moons are good times for beginning things. This one, an eclipse, has added effects. According to Stephanie Austin, in The Mountain Astrologer, "it signals our readiness for a major shift in direction and priorities." She says in an eclipse the normal flow of solar radiation is interrupted because the Moon blocks the light of the Sun. "Energetic matrices are opened, reorganized, and reconfigured, creating new patterns and pathways."

Austin believes that this eclipse will affect the Pluto in Leo generation (1939 - 1955) and the Uranus in Leo (1955 - 1962), which amounts to millions of people, very strongly, "as it activates their cellular memories of their mission and their fears (Pluto), as well as the need to break from tradition and be an agent of change (Uranus)."

She also says anyone with planetary placements or angles within 5 degrees of the eclipse will feel its evolutionary impulse most directly.

The eclipse is at 9 degrees Leo and therefore is conjunct my natal Pluto, which is at 12 degrees in the 12th house. Over the years, many people have accused me of 'self-sabotage'. Since I have always sought self-knowledge, I have been trying to understrand this and work with it. Generally self-sabotaging behavior is invisible to us and thus hard to control or change. But today I had a clear understanding of an issue I have struggled with all my life. I often feel that I don't get anything done, that I am way behind in my projects and that I live surrounded by 'wasted' talents and resources. Today I realized it is because my mind is over-loaded with inspiration and creative ideas. I struggle with time and space. Never enough time, never enough space. My house is packed. It is very difficult for me to admit I will never get to all the projects, books etc. Even if I did nothing but sew, I'd never be able to make all the garments I have patterns for. Let alone the crocheting, knitting, cross-stitch, etc. It goes on and on. Because I am surrounded by all these reminders of what I have not gotten to, I feel I have accomplished nothing. Since I am working with my North Node in Taurus, I am trying to make slow, but regular prgress. One way I do this is that each day I set some reasonable tasks for myself. At the end of the day, I check the 'to do' list against the 'done' list.

I have so many ideas, goals, plans, projects that no human being alone could get it all done. My mind moves very quickly, coming up with new ideas constantly. I am a natural multi-tasker. In addition, I like being able to do things myself, so, when I decided to get a new website, rather than pay someone else to do it, I had to take Dreamweaver myself. This often leads to tangents that have trajectories of their own. Sometimes, like the person who finds herself in the middle of a room and can't remember why she walked in there, I don't remember why I started out in a direction. To help me 're-trace' my steps, I must go to my garden. Reconnecting with the earth helps me remember what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Meditation also helps.

The frustration comes when I realize that I come up with more ideas than any human could accomplish on their own in many lifetimes. In addition, now that I'm 60, my body is not as cooperative as it once was. I am tired and achy. I can't do as much as I used to do and it makes me feel depressed and hopeless.

So what is the solution?

Formerly, I would have thought: I should get rid of this all this stuff that I will never get a chance to do; I should curtail my creativity, just focus on a few things, dropping the rest.

Today, under the influence of the Leo eclipse, I realized I could do more if I had a staff including a chef, housekeeper, chaffeur, secretary, gardener.....LOL! Now that is truly a Leo idea. I laughed to myself, but why not? Rather than stop thinking, planning, creating, I need a domestic staff and a company with many employees.

As for understanding our mission, this is a problem we all share. Our soul designs an incarnation, like writing a screenplay, including the supporting characters and situations, so that it can experience something or accomplish something. Then we get here and forget. We spend most of our lives asking why we are here etc. because we have forgotten the 'play' we ourselves wrote.

There is actually a story about this. Recently I was told this is a Jewish folktale, but I'm not sure of that. The story goes that we did all this planning before we were born, including choosing our parents and everything that will happen in our life. Then, when we are born, an angel touches us right above our upper lip, which seals our mouth, and we forget. That little dip right under our nose, is the remnant of the angel's touch. For the rest of our lives we wonder what it's all about. It sounds like this eclipse will give us an opportunity to remember.

At the end of her article, Austin says that the Sabian symbol for this eclipse indicates that a new era is dawning: "Early morning dew sparkles as sunlight floods the field; the exalted feeling that rises within the soul of the individual who has sucessfully passed through the long night which has tested his strenth and his faith." According to Austin, the questions you should be asking yourself are: "What brings you joy? What do you love more than anything else?" She goes on to say "You are the eyes and hands of God. Dream. Dare. Do. Life is waiting to be lived through you. Rmemeber: 'When you don't follow your nature, there is a hole in the universe where you were supposed to be.' (Dane Rudhyar)"

Look at where this eclipse is occuring in your chart. Are there any planets or aspects that might be highlighted? The house where this eclipse is occuring is where you might experience insight and/or change.

Pluto and Ceres: Paradigm Shift

2008-07-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

The Aug/Sept issue of the Mountain Astrologer has an excellent article on Ceres and Pluto by Shirley Soffer.

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union made the official announcement that Ceres was upgraded from asteroid to dwarf planet, while Pluto was downgraded from planet to to dwarf planet. Soffer suggests we view them as a planetary pair in relation to each other.

While astrologers have certainly worked with Pluto and some with Ceres, Soffer suggests that by understanding the mythology behind them, it is easier to see how they are related.

Mythologically, Ceres and Pluto are opposing figures in the life of Persephone. Ceres, her mother, is a vegetation Goddess, which we recognize in the word 'cereal'. Her Greek name, Demeter, means 'Earth Mother'. She rules over everything that grows from the soil. Clearly, her domain is life and all that nurtures it, especially food.

On the other hand, Pluto rules the Underworld and is lord of all that is beneath the earth. Death and transformation are forces within his domain. Called the 'Lord of Hidden Wealth', his domain includes underground springs, fossil fuels, minerals, iron ore, silver, gold and diamonds.

Taken together, Ceres rules over all the riches on top of the Earth and Pluto the riches beneath the Earth. Both very important to human life. Our over-consumption of the underground riches however, threatens to poison everything above ground.

In a nutshell, the mythological story of Persephone, Ceres and Pluto, was that Persephone was out picking flowers (narcissus) and by doing so accidently opened a hole into the underworld. Pluto reached up and pulled her in. Ceres (Demeter) searched and searched for her daughter, then in mourning, forbid any plant to grow until she had her daughter back. Life on the earth whithered and died. She said she would not allow anything to grow until her daughter was returned to her.

Ceres appealed to Zeus, who soon realized that if all the humans died, there would be no one to worship him. The Law said that no one could come back from the Underworld. Eventually, a deal was struck so that Persephone would be released, but since she had eaten pomegranate seeds, she had to return to the underworld for part of the year.

In her article, Soffer writes about several themes in relation to Ceres and Pluto such as: 1) the depletion of resources both above and below ground and how this will impact the food supply; 2) processes of transformation - well-known for Pluto; for Ceres - the processing of food into energy: 3) the relationship between life and 'killing' - something must die to feed something else - even vegetarians 'kill' to eat; 4) the psychological relationship between mother and daughter - sexual coming of age of the daughter; and 5) the psychological themes of attachment, separation and loss. She explores these themes using charts of famous people whose lives have had strong Pluto/Ceres aspects and contacts.

The article was extremely informative and thought-provoking. Astrologers have written about the relationship between the discovery and/or the naming of a heavenly body and events on the ground. I began to wonder what could be the meaning of Pluto being 'demoted' and Ceres 'promoted'? Now they both have equal stature and are lower on the planetary hierarchy.

Could it have something to do with power and how it has been viewed since Pluto's discovery in 1930? I wrote in my other blog how there was a concerted effort to 'jump-start' the economy after the Depression. In addition, Roosevelt's many social programs assisted people in getting 'back on their feet'. Between the governmental programs and the success of advertising, as the econonmy began to recover, more people had access to things that had once been strictly available to the rich, such as cars. There was a huge shift from rural to urban lifestyles. Women had more rights and independence - having a career instead of or in addition to a family, which meant that the demand for 'labor-saving devices' became a priority for industry.

All of this meant more and more resources coming out of the ground and fewer farmers on the land. The family farms, lost during the Depression or ruined by the Dustbowl, were taken over by banks then large companies and eventually large-scale commercial agriculture was born and with it the increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Little did we know the effects of our success. World War II saw the development of even better ways to kill people, including the many chemical products created by the Nazis and our own atomic bomb. Now Pluto (plutonium) could kill us all.

So how does all this relate to Pluto and Ceres?

When the Lord of the Underworld (think of all the crime that occurred in the 30's and how the criminal lifestyle is referred to as the 'underworld') begins to reach up out of his domain and grab the 'innocent', it leads to death and chaos on the earth. We have been extracting and mining too many resources from under the earth and transforming them into poisonous substances so that we can have more power and control over Nature.

Because of our overuse and misuse of resources, we are now teetering on the brink due to global warming, pollution of Nature, extreme weather conditions, to name just a few. In the midst of this, Pluto is demoted. Pluto's seductive offers of power - like compacts made with the Devil, are no longer appearing desirable. People are wising up to the reality of the fact that they have been soiling their own nest for riches and fame. Mom Nature, mourning the loss of our innocence and purity, has begun to shut things down.

But wait, as Pluto was demoted so was Ceres promoted. Zeus has begun to intervene. Everyday you hear of another company, agency, country, or powerful individual getting on the band-wagon for change in the way we use resources. Corporations have begun to realize that without customers, they are out of business. The way to stay in business is to change. In the '60s we tried to burn it all down and return to the land. That didn't work. Rather, today's young people are finding ways to strike a compromise. Make Green profitable.

In her presentation at UAC, Misty Kuceris emphasized Ceres as a compromising force. Finding a way to get two disparate forces to work together. In the myth, Ceres compromised with Pluto by accepting that her daughter, now a woman, would stay in the underworld for part of the year and would return to the surface, as her daughter, part of the year. We are in the midst of the paradigm shift that has been written about and predicted for years. Seeds planted in the '60s are coming to fruition in the children born then who are finding and implementing solutions.

Perhaps the compromise will mean that in order to survive, we will need to learn to live with less. We will see that it is untenable that a few people should live in comfort while millions are suffering. We will seek and find different sources of power. we will find value in simpler things, closer to home, inside ourselves, rather than external to ourselves. We will realize that true power is in our ability to give and receive love and that the Beatles were right after all. Love is all there is.

Capricorn Full Moon

2008-07-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Full Moon in Capricorn is upon us, giving us a hint of how Pluto in Capricorn will be for us as individuals and as part of the collective.

In general, what you seed at the New Moon and should begin to show results at the Full Moon. It may be a flower or a weed, but you'll have something. Then you must decide if you want to keep it or not.

In many traditions of the world, but not all, the Sun is considered masculine, the Moon feminine. What we have now, is the opposite. Presently the Sun is in Cancer, which represents the archetype of the Mother; the Moon in Capricorn, the Father. Each has a role to play in society and within our own psyches. The Mother bears, nurtures and protects the child. The Father teaches the the child how to function in society, often by preparing him/her to work. In tradtional societies boys learned their father's trade and moved into it when they grew up. Mothers taught their daughters, usually by example, how to cook, sew, raise children etc. Of course, now days these roles are not as rigid as they once were. I do believe, however, that they have made an imprint on our psyches after the thousands of years that they were in operation and that they have made their marks on our karma.

It has only been a short time since the societal roles for men and women were rigidly defined. For most people in the world, they still are.

In any case, Our inner Mother is how we nurture ourselves and others. Our inner Father is how we work with structure in our lives and discpline ourselves to accomplish things. This Full Moon gives us another opportunity to look at this. Do we work too much leaving no time to enjoy life and be with our loved ones? Are we in touch with what we need to be nourished besides food? Studies indicate that most Americans are sleep deprived and/or have trouble sleeping. Yet, how many hours do we spend watching T.V. or on a computer (blogging)?

Not only does our body suffer from this lack of sleep, but also our dream life. Dreams serve many functions. Dreaming is a way for the psyche to process the events of our day and an avenue for inspiration. Many famous scientists report that they got the idea for a breakthough from their dreams. Artists, writers and composers are often inspired by dream images.

Stephanie Austin in The Mountain Astrologer, says that the Full Moon illuminates the shadow side of each sign as well as its spiritual tasks. Cancer must learn about receiving, Capricorn about giving back. The Crab can build too thick a shell; the Mountain Goat may climb the wrong mountain. The fourth sign must develp healthy roots; the tenth must share the fruits of its labor. The more we diregard our own feelings and needs, the greater is the risk that we will violate the rights and concerns of others. The less responsibilty we assume, the less power we have. The light of this Full Moon reveals whether our crab shells are too thick or too thin--showing us where we need to shed our defenses or establish better boundaries. We wee whether we are climbing the right mountain, or treading someone else's path.

Yesterday Karyn Sanders on her radio show The Herbal Highway on KPFA, talked about how so many Americans are like children and how remaining a child also means you have no power. The entire show was about herbs and flower essences that would help one face reality and grow up and that the among the rewards of adulthood was the increased sense of power and authority. Right in line with this Full Moon. You can listen to this show or any other archived at KPFA.

So the challenge is balance. Retaining the open-heartedness of childhood and the responsibility of adulthood. Learning when to give and when to receive, when to work and when to rest. On my blog Hamida the Herbalist, the issue of the week is about the relationship between gratitude and abundance - which are related to giving and receiving. What is true security? Being heart-centered. It's all connected.

The Nodes of the Moon

2008-07-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had an astrological reading where you want to know what to be when you grow up and what your life is about and you feel like the answers you get are so vague as to be useless?

Actually that is a good sign. It is a sign that the astrologer is not telling you what to do, but leaving it up to you and your process. In a way, the less they "tell" you, the better.

But then what?

In my own studies, I have found that studying the nodes of the moon is very helpful. When I first started studying astrology 40 years ago, there was almost nothing written about them. Now, there are people who specialize in them.

Basically, the South Node is what you came into this incarnation with - including talents and baggage. Karma is carried on the South Node. It is where you unconsciously go, behavior that comes naturally to you. The path of least resistance.

The North Node is what you are moving towards in this life time and where you should attempt to go. It takes more effort because it is new territory.

I suggest you look at the sign your North Node is in, then the house. Personally, I have been working with my North Node consciously for about 5 years now and it has changed my life for the better. After many twists and turns, I can finally see a clear path ahead.

A book I picked up at the UAC in Denver this year is turning out to be one of the most useful I have ever found for both understanding the meaning of the nodes, then moving forward with the North Node.

It's called Astrology for the Soul, by Jan Spiller. It should be called Working with the Lunar Nodes because that is what it is about. She goes through the North Node in every sign describing behavior or attitudes that come naturally, South Node in opposite sign, and how what you already know can help you or not.

Just to give you a sample, here's the opening section for Taurus North Node which would also be the 2nd house.

Attributes to Develop

Work in these areas can help uncover hidden gifts and talents

* Loyalty
* Awareness of boundaries
* Taking things one step at a time
* A sense of self-worth
* Awareness of personal values
* Patience
* Honoring expressed needs of self and others
* Enjoying the five physical senses
* Gratitude
* Awareness of nurturing from Mother Earth
* Forgiveness
* Persistence

Tendencies to Leave Behind

Working to reduce the influence of these tendencies can help make life easier and more enjoyable

* Attraction to crisis situations
* Overconcern with other people's business
* Impatience
* Inappropriate intensity
* Judgmental tendencies
* Preoccupation with the psychological motivations of others
* Resistance to cooperating with what others want
* overreacting
* Destroying something in order to eliminate one part
* Obsessive-compulsive tendencies

I find this very helpful and practical, and yet they are just suggestions. She is not telling people what to do or what not to do. Some of the points may not be relevant, while others may be right on the button. This is just the beginning of the chapter.

For me, Astrology is a means of knowing and understanding how we and others tick. It is also a tool for transformation, which I believe is part of our purpose while here on Earth. It is spiritual but does not preach any religion or belief.

Navigating Pluto in Capricorn - We Need All the Help We Can Get

2008-07-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Just listened to a recording of Darby Costello from the recent UAC conference in Denver and felt this was important and I wanted to share it.

As I understood it, she said that one way to work with Pluto in Capricorn (which is ruled by Saturn), is to look at where Saturn is right now. Saturn is in Virgo and therefore trines Pluto. So, since trines are "helpful" "supporting" aspects, Saturn work can help us as we go into Pluto in Capricorn, a difficult transition, since it's kind of like going from the feast to famine. Easier to go from famine to feast. The Saturn work, because in Virgo, is about slow, small tasks, incremental progress. In fact, she said that if we do the Saturn work, Pluto in Capricorn will take care of itself. Nice thought.

Saturn in Virgo is about determining whether what we are doing is useful or not. It is also about finding ways to be efficient with everything, including our time. She suggested stopping as we go through our day, and asking ourselves if we are off on tangents or if what we are doing is what we planned to do. With Saturn in Virgo (ruled by Mercury) there might be a tendency to think about doing things rather than doing them - or thinking we are doing them when actually all we are doing is thinking about doing them. Does that make sense? Even if what we do is small compared to what we "should" do, the effort is well worth it. In fact, she suggested that the smaller the better, since accomplishment will encourage us. If we make the job to be done too large, we will not be able to complete it and the resulting discouragement will stop our progress.

The next part was to look at where your Mercury is, since Saturn is in Virgo, ruled by Mercury. Mercury by sign and house. This will give you clues about what "the work" might be, if you don't already know.

My Mercury is in Cancer in the 11th house. As I see it, my work is about nurturing and healing on behalf of the collective. I do volunteer work for the Master Gardener program. At home, I grow vegetables, herbs and pollinator-friendly plants. I am an herbalist and an astrologer. With Gemini in the 10th house, I feel part of my role is to disseminate information, so I see my various vehicles - blogs, website and even my products, as means to educate as well as heal. Continuing to do this work, in whatever way I can, will be good for the collective and for myself. Saturn in Virgo is in the 1st house right now, so "the work" "heals" "me" too. Healing includes providing useful information - another way that I serve.

As the Leos would say, "enough about me, what do you think of me" LOL - back to Pluto. After the extravaganza of Sagittarius, Capricorn might be felt as restrictive. A belt-tightening. But that is not necessarily bad. After persuing all the options, time to choose. Time to stand up for what you have chosen. Time to focus, organize and give form to what you believe. Do you believe anything?

For us Baby-Boomers, who are now officially seniors, did we learn anything from all that exploration? Do we only mourn our lost youth or value our gained wisdom? Is the famous expression "is that all there is?" what we are left with or do we instead feel the richness of life, the as yet unexplored depths?

This is a tme to assess what we have that is important - both inner and outer resources. What no longer serves, must be eliminated. No room for excess baggage. As I write this, the idea of shedding things so that one can become mobile - return to Nomadism. Huh I wonder what that's about?

I am still running the give-away. To the first three people who send a comment with their birth data: time, place and date of birth, and email address, I will send a free astrological report. I am expanding the give-away to give you a choice of 1) the Sky Within - a reading of the entire chart, 2) Opportunities - a reading focusing on your career potential, or 3) Asteroids - a reading of the four major asteroids plus Chiron. Your choice. I will not publish the comment if your email is on it. But I must have your email in order to send the report.

Cancer New Moon - July 2 - 3

2008-07-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is the third SuperMoon of 2008.

A SuperMoon is when the Moon is both near perigee (its closest approach to the Earth) and syzygy (in a New or Full Moon phase). SuperMoons generate stronger gravitational pulls on coastal tides, weather patterns and tectonic plates. Our psyches are more easily shifted as well: emotions surge and viewpoints change. Though not as strong as an eclipse, a SuperMoon increases the electromagnetic force both of the Sun and the Moon, making it easier for us to break up old patterns and construct new pathways.

The Moon is in Cancer, the sign it rules. Cancer reminds us that we all are children and mothers, that we must receive as well as give. What feeds us and how we nurture others are specific to each person and will vary at differenct stages of development. What was nourishing at one point may stifle us later; what helped us sprout may not foster our blossoming. Like a plant, we grow toward the light. This New Moon asks us to reflect upon what we require and also what currently blocks our growth.

Ceres at 9 degrees Cancer conjoins the Sun and Moon. In Roman mythology, Ceres was the goddess of agriculture and a daughter of Saturn, another ancient fertility figure. Her name (as well as the root of "create" and "increase") comes from the Indo-European root ker, meaning "to grow."

Known to the ancient Greeks as Demeter, Ceres played a central role in the Eleusinian mysteries -- the sacred rites of birth, death, and renewal -- that connect her with both spiritual and physical sustenance.

Ceres (now designated a "dwarf planet") was the first asteroid to be sighted. It was discovered in 1801 and its association with a goddess rather than a masculine arechetype coincided with an emerging women's rights movement.

Ceres, in conjunction with this New Moon acts as a reminder of what has been splintered off from our collective psyche: the power of the feminine, the importance of knowing where we came from, and the value of knowing where we belong.

Venus in Cancer conjoins this New Moon and exactly opposes Jupiter in Capricorn, further expanding our view on home and family.

The Sabian symbol for 12 degrees Cancer indicates that we need to nurture the part of us that already knows the truth.

"A Chinese woman nursing a baby whose aura reveals him to be the reincarnation of a great teacher."

This New Moon reminds us: "We are star stuff harvesting starlight...We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself...We are, in the most profound sense, children of the Cosmos..." (Carl Sagan)

excerpted from "Cancer New Moon -- July 2-3" by Stephanie Austin June/July 2008 issue of The Mountain Astrologer.

This New Moon conjuncts my natal Venus in the 11th house. It is a reminder to me that nurturing myself nurtures the collective. If I hope to be a vehicle for positive change, I must do those things that make me the best possible person - inside and outside.

Rumi says: "Let the beauty you love, be what you do." And fortunately, I am able to do this. I go outside each morning and visit my plants. I see their progress and what change they have made. What is blooming, fruiting or going to seed. Then I walk up the road behind my house and notice what is going on there. Today I actually saw quail. I thought I heard them days ago, but was not sure it was quail until I saw one run across the road. I realized I had not seen quail for years, despite them being our State Bird.

I spend hours a day online, again doing what I love. Communicating information that I have found helpful and interesting. Today I saw a blog that focuses on 'boredom'. I realized that I am so fascinated by so many things, I don't have time to be bored. Just look around you. There is so much to experience. Right where you are at any moment. If you don't understand this, let me know and I will explain.

For me this New Moon is also about re-dedicating myself to a meditation practice. Many years ago, a psychic by the name of Betty Bethards, taught me a meditation technique and prescribed it as a means of restoring my aura. I had proof that her recommendations were valid. I continued to meditate for several years, then sort of dropped off. Last night at Rio Olesky's Tuesday Night Astrology Class, I remembered Betty Bethards and how she had helped me. So today, I started again.

It's never too late to start again.

Rumi says: "Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving — it doesn't matter,
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times,
Come, come again, come."

We have to remember that making change is difficult. We have to forgive ourselves for forgetting, being lazy, stubborn or stupid. With the dawning day, start afresh.

2008-06-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

So here it is, finally, the new blog just on astrology.

I moved some of my articles from my other blog - mysteryranch.blogspot.com because Blogcatalog would not approve me without more posts. I wanted to start off with the give-away below, without any posts, but they said there was not enough content to be a "real blog". Sheesh! You should see what I've seen out there in my 'networking' lately. So.... consequently, the posts are all dated today rather than when they first came out. They are out-of-date.

One strange coicidence, however, since we are still in what is refered to as 'the shadow period' of the retrograde (and this one was a real doozy) the retrograde might be affecting us a little. I do know this, Blogger was not working for hours today and I could not view any blogs hosted by them even when on Entrecard. Blogcatalog was funky too.

To launch this blog in a spirit of generosity and gratitude, and in good faith, I am making the following offer:

To the first three people who send a comment, I will send a complimentary report called The Sky Within which is a computer-generated reading written by Steven Forrest.

He gives an interpretation of your planetary positions and aspects along with Sun sign, Moon and Ascendant.

Steven Forrest is an insightful and sensitive astrologer. He offers Astrology Retreats in Calistoga and San Diego every year. To find out more about these retreats click on the city link.

When you send your comment, you must provide your email address, your date, time and place of birth. You can stay anonymous if you want, I do not need your name.

Your comment must be complete with all the needed information, or I won't be able to create the report.

Good luck to the first three commentators!

It's that Mercury Retrograde Thing Again

2008-06-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

After the previous posting, I realized that I used an expression "dying before death" without sufficient explanation. I assumed (and you know what that means) that it was "self-evident". Sorry. Of course, as with all spiritual teachings, there are a number of ways to explain it. The way I understand it is this: that it is much like the Hindu and Buddhist ideas of non-attachment. Be "in the world, but not of it." Participate in life to the full extent, but know that there is more to life than what you perceive with your five senses. Do your duty, but do not be attached to the outcome (Bhagavad Gita)
Carlos Casteneda's Don Juan said to see Death as an advisor. Live as if you have all the time in the world with the knowledge that you could die any moment. If you knew you only had six months to live, what would you change about your current life? Sometimes our outer circumstances may be impossible to change, but we can always change our attitude about them.
In other words, be unattached to the things of this world, learn to let go (eventually we have to let go of everything, even our bodies), and come to know the spiritual realm while still in this world through connection with God, The One, The Source, Unity or whatever you call it.
And as Sponge Bob would say "Good luck with that!"

Mercury Retrograde Again

2008-06-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Mercury went retrograde on May 27 in Gemini and since my Sun and Uranus are both in Gemini, I am really getting the effects. Plus we had a New Moon in Gemini conjunct my Sun and Uranus is squaring my natal Uranus. My birthday was on the 30th and here's what happened: 1) I got an email from a man I dated 34 years ago and don't ever want to see again, but my current boyfriend, who is in Mexico right now, totally forgot. 2) I got a phone call from a woman whom I've known for nearly 50 years, but none of my current friends called. 3)I got locked in my 4 year old Lexus and had to crawl over the console to get out of the passenger side, then after I got it fixed, I backed into a concrete wall (nothing happened though), 4) I finally cleaned the outside of my microwave and after setting off all the touch buttons, it broke - moral: never clean things (I like that).

Yesterday, after spending many hours doing blog stuff, I decided to make several separate blogs, each focusing on one thing, but, is it a good idea to do that during Mercury Retrograde? Probably not. So, I will wait until June 20, when it goes direct again. The message for me is to slow down rather than going along with the impulse to speed up. Mercury, as messenger of the gods, brought information to human beings. As a god of trade, I think he is especially significant for the Internet, which is fast becoming the way people do business. More and more, people are finding ways to make money on the Internet. Honestly, though, I wonder just what it is they are selling. I find some blogs to have no content on them whatsoever.

This was moved from its original location at mysteryranch.blogspot.com

Sedna is Calling to Us

2008-06-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

Back home from Denver and UAC. So filled with inspiration and information, it will take me awhile to digest it all. The talks that I was most affected by were by Melanie Reinhart, Demetra George, Steven Forrest, Baris Ilhan (from Turkey)and Donna Cunningham, among others. Not possible to have seen them all since there were over 270 sessions and many workshops and other activities. So incredible to be with thousands of astrologers for five days.

A talk by Barbara Schermer, on Sedna, a sea goddess, and her placement in the charts of environmentalists, was very interesting. Sedna's message: "act to save the planet or get ready to leave it". We should all be stewarding some aspect of nature. Transformation through water is a major theme of Sedna's story, as is the value of learning to save yourself rather than expecting anyone else to do it for you.

Throughout the entire conference, I heard no doom and gloom. I heard a lot of encouragement and hope. The final panel discussed their predictions regarding the next president, based on their reading of the charts of the candidates, election day and inauguration day. The complexity of the readings and the high level of the analytical skills of the panelists impressed me. I couldn't help by see how intelligent they are. I thought "how could anyone, even a scientist, walk in here and not acknowledge that these astrologers are serious scholars?"

There were wanna-be astrologers there, too, and their enthusiasm was infectious. People were totally turned on by the experience. As for me, I had healing moments, made "vows", met many new friends, and reconnected with friends made at other conferences.

I spent some quality time with Kim Marie from Evolutionary Astrology. I am looking forward to the upcoming segment "Health and Wellness" will take place in South Dakota in the late summer/early fall.

Mars Retrograde

2008-06-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but what's happening for me is: 1)I'm having a real hard time finding a reason to do things. Right now I feel like nothing matters. This is partly the effect of the Pluto and Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius , but also now, Mars retrograde is taking all the energy out of what I have found meaningful lately; 2)Not telling people off, but setting limits as to what they can say to me and how I want them to relate to me. This is due in part to Saturn crossing my Ascendant, but it is also about changing my definition of friendship (Mars is in my 11th house right now). I have felt that most of my friends have not treated me as an equal but rather as somehow inferior to them. I have allowed this by asking for their advice and seeking their approval. Now I don't care what they think or if they even want to talk to me again. I feel I have been "boot-licking" so they would like me. That's over. One of the marvelous things that is happening is a lot of synchronicity. I turn on the radio and they are doing a program on what I have been thinking about. A friend (yes, I still have some) will start talking about a book that seems to be "right up my alley". I've just started reading 2012: Return of Quetzalcoatl. Since I was working on a Ph.D. in Mayan Studies many years ago, I am particularly sensitive to all the hype about "the end of the world" stuff that people talk about in regards to this date. I will write more about this later. So far, the book is engaging and I'll let you know when I finish it. Also in Astrology Class the other night, the person whose chart we were reading was so much like me it was eerie. He talked about a book called Denial of Death by Ernest Becker, which was published in the 70's and seems to mirror many of my thoughts about society. I ordered it on-line and it should be here in a few days. It promises to be juicy.

Jupiter-Pluto Conjunction

2008-06-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

The last time Jupiter and Pluto were in conjunction in Sagittarius was November 10, 1758. This time it will be on December 11, 2007 at 28º24'. On top of that, Mars is retrograde in Cancer going back into Gemini. To some of you this means something, to others it doesn't. For those of you who don't know and don't care, forget the following information. For those who know and those who want to know, I suggest you read Shelley L. Ackerman's article called "Great Balls of Fire! The Big Bang Jupiter-Pluto Conjunction of 2007", in The Mountain Astrologer, Dec/Jan 2008.
For a personal chart reading go to my website: www.wisewomenofthewest.com/. What this conjunction means to me is that the "chickens are coming home to roost" as my mother would say. It's a sort of "check-in" time or maybe a "check-out" time. It's report card time. I consider myself to be a Plutonian type. My Pluto is conjunct Saturn in the 12th house and my South Node is in Scorpio. That's one reason why even though my Sun is in "sunny" Gemini, I am an intense person who has had "an interesting life". I've done some things even men wouldn't do (sky dive) and I've had to do some things no one should have to do in the "land of the free". I am able to hold paradox within me. That is, while I am on a spiritual path of love, I acknowledge the shadow within myself and others. I am not an "air head" or a "light weight". I believe darkness exists and we can learn from it. Pretending or faking it doesn't work. We have some challenging days ahead. I do believe in the Law of Attraction and that what we focus on we manifest. Now that we've all been through countless workshops, meditated for years, or whatever else has floated our spiritual boat, it's time to make it real folks. Put it into practice. As Caroline Myss would say "have a backbone not a wishbone". When I was a child of 10, we practiced nuclear attack drills at school and learned about "smog". That was a long time ago. My generation never expected to grow up much less become seniors (as we are now). My friends and I talked about the end of the world a lot. My answer was (I was a mystic in the making), "Everything will be okay because peoples' minds will change, they will think differently. I don't know how or what, but I know it will happen." I didn't know the word consciousness then or about the 100th monkey thing or the collective unconscious.... But I did know that change would have to come at the level of consciousness and that it would come. Be the change you want to see. You'll see it when you believe it.