Capricorn Full Moon July 14/15, 2011

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)"

You Are What You Eat - Full Moon in Cancer

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.

July 7 Eclipse - Portal Between Worlds

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.

Capricorn Full Moon

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.

Navigating Pluto in Capricorn - We Need All the Help We Can Get

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.