Taurus New Moon - April 21, 2012

The day before Earth Day the Moon is in the first earth sign, Taurus. Connected to the Egyptian goddess Ma'at>matter>mother, the foundation of manifestation. It rules the sensual and all sensory experience. We connect to the outer world through our senses. We take in information through sight, sound, smell, touch, taste...then process it and interpret it.

With Neptune in Pisces we have access to other senses. How will this affect our thoughts and ideas? Perhaps we will be more able to connect with animals, plants, beings on other dimensions. We will come to understand that our dreams are perceptions from another dimension...not just fantasy...but experiences.

Taurus also has to do with our resources, talents, gifts. During these difficult economic times, we need to recognize that we are more than our stuff, that we have inner resources we can call upon and, most important, we are not alone. We are part of the Creation. We have alienated ourselves willingly or should I say willfully!

Most of us, especially the young, spend way too much time indoors and connected to electronic media of one sort or another. We have lost touch with Nature. This New Moon is conjunct Ceres the Great Mother, Goddess of the Harvest. Her daughter, Persephone, was abducted by Pluto (God of Death and Transformation) and taken to Hades, the underworld. While she searched for her daughter and mourned her absence, Ceres (Demeter) made the earth a wasteland. In her preoccupation with the loss of her daughter, she ignored her duties as Earth Mother and let everything die.

Lately, there have been many shows on KPFA radio about the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi. As far as I know, since I never listen to them and don't have TV, the corporate media have moved on, as if it's over. There are others who continue to monitor the situation. I heard yesterday that if there is another earthquake of at least 7.0, the pools that are containing the released contamination will not be able to be maintained. If they break, it will mark 'the end of civilization.'  Now you tell me, what is the likelihood of an earthquake in Japan or nearby?

Pluto released on the world. Ceres lamenting her daughter and paralyzed by grief. We need to help bring Ceres back to life so she can restore the green earth and put Pluto back underground where he belongs. No more nuclear plants. No more oil and gas pumped out of the ground. We need to implement alternative sources of energy - sun and wind, and discover others. We need to stop using so much. We are more than our stuff and if we don't finally get that...we will all perish. Dire, yes and true.

So this New Moon and Earth Day, make a commitment to use less gas, electricity and plastic and to spend more time in Nature. Plant something, even if it's just a pot of geraniums on your deck or in your window. Get closer to the green while you can.

I want to end with this quote taken from The Mountain Astrologer April/May 2012 issue:

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, were nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." (John Muir)

Between the Eclipses - January 4, 2011

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