2024 October 2nd Libra Solar Eclipse

Most of you may know about my personal astrology make-up.  Yes, I am an Aquarius Sun Sign. Aquarius rules the realm of astrology, so I feel quite comfortable with the work I do in this field. Actually, this study has been my passion for a long time.
 
Aquarius is a transpersonal sign and represents the higher octave of Mercury, the communicator.  Aquarius Sun people may receive ideas and communication from unusual sources.  This may come in the form of intuition and out-of-the-box thinking.   Speaking of thinking, the world of Artificial Intelligence is not only the wave of the future, but also here now. Thus, this newsletter will experiment with Artificial Intelligence in bringing you this month’s astrology news.  Yes, even I have mixed feelings about AI, but I confess I have tried ChatGPT and have marveled at the results. I asked ChatGPT this question:  “What astrological message will the October 2nd Solar Eclipse in Libra portend?” Here is the answer:
 
The solar eclipse in Libra on October 2, 2024, will carry significant astrological themes, especially given that Libra is a sign associated with balance, relationships, fairness, and beauty. Solar eclipses are powerful times for new beginnings and setting intentions, often triggering changes or important shifts in life. The energy of Libra will particularly influence themes around partnerships, diplomacy, justice, and aesthetics.
 
Here are key messages and potential portents of this Libra eclipse:
 
### 1. **Focus on Relationships and Partnerships**
   - Since Libra rules relationships, this eclipse could trigger new developments in partnerships, whether romantic, business, or personal. Existing relationships may go through transformations, bringing issues of equality and balance to the forefront. It could be a time to reflect on how mutual respect and fairness are playing out in your connections.
 
### 2. **Balancing Personal Needs vs. Others' Needs**
   - Libra seeks harmony, but sometimes at the cost of individual desires. This eclipse may present challenges or opportunities to strike a better balance between your needs and the needs of those around you. You may feel called to reevaluate situations where you're compromising too much or where you're not considering others enough.
 
### 3. **Justice, Fairness, and Diplomacy**
   - Libra is also linked to justice, legal matters, and fairness. This solar eclipse may shine a light on issues of fairness and equity, whether in personal relationships or broader societal matters. On a collective level, legal matters or themes of social justice may come to the forefront. It's a good time to consider how you advocate for fairness and equity in your own life and community.
 
### 4. **Aesthetic and Creative New Beginnings**
   - Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty and creativity. This eclipse may inspire new beginnings related to aesthetics, art, design, or personal appearance. It could also be a time to redefine your relationship with beauty and how it influences your surroundings and self-expression.
 
### 5. **Decision-Making and Indecisiveness**
   - Libra is often associated with weighing options and making decisions, sometimes to the point of indecisiveness. This eclipse might push you to make long-overdue decisions, especially in areas of life that have felt stuck or uncertain. It may encourage you to trust your judgment and take action.
 
### 6. **Shadow Work in Relationships**
   - Solar eclipses can also be a time when hidden truths come to light. In Libra, this may mean unearthing unresolved conflicts or issues within relationships that need healing. It’s a powerful moment to face any discomfort around confrontation or people-pleasing tendencies in order to move toward healthier dynamics.
 
### 7. **Impact on Cardinal Signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)**
   - Those with significant placements in cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) may feel the effects of this eclipse more intensely. These signs will be pushed toward new beginnings, shifts, and transformations in areas of life tied to relationships, personal identity, home, and career.
 
Overall, the October 2, 2024, solar eclipse in Libra will emphasize balance, fairness, and relationship dynamics, offering a time of reflection and new growth in these areas. It is a powerful time to set intentions for greater harmony and equity in both personal and collective spaces.
 
Okay, this is an accurate description of the issues that may rise for this Solar Eclipse in the sign of Libra.  My job is done here. 
 
 Well, maybe not.  For me there is a mystical side to astrological events.  Solar Eclipses regardless of the sign can speak to new beginnings and endings.  I know that each month we have a new moon, or a dark moon when the Sun and Moon are in the same astrology sign and same degrees.  A solar eclipse is a “super” moon that intensifies the energy of this celestial event. I find that I can receive transcendent information, almost as if the Universe is speaking to me directly during super moons. 
 
October 2nd marks the end to this Eclipses on the Aries/Libra axis.  It will be approximately 18 or more years until be start another similar cycle. For today,  I ask that we look at six months ago at the April 8th Total Lunar Eclipse (Aries Sun/Libra Moon) that brought powerful energies of release and regeneration to the fore.  What has occurred in your life these last six months? If you are an Aries Sun, Moon, Rising or have strong Libra in your natal chart you may have experienced changes in your personal and professional relationships. 
 
Yes, Libra is the astrological sign that deals with relationships. The planet Venus rules aspects of our interactions with others.  Aries represents – Self and the concept of I AM, Libra represents the “others” in our lives. Libra is the sign of the scales denoting a response to fairness, justice, and balance.  Many Libra Sun and Moon people are particular concerned with their involvement in relationships and can even mold their lives to conform with a significant other. 

My question to you is:  are your relationships reciprocal and balanced? 
 
Stephanie Austin, astrologer poses: All relationships are mirrors and pathways to wholeness, enabling us to recover and express aspects of ourselves that have been unconscious or unintegrated. Relationships can also help us heal old wounds and recover essential parts of ourselves. The old adage of “opposites attract” reflects this truth, that we are drawn to people with qualities we wish to have ourselves and are repelled by those who reflect aspects of our shadow. Extroverts magnetize introverts, scientists are intrigued by artists, Peter Pans gravitate to a Wendy. Whether we are currently coupled or looking for a partner, this new moon/solar eclipse illuminates where we have projected out an important part of ourself, and what we are ready to reclaim, redeem, or release. 
 
I ask that you look for insights in the next days and weeks to see the state of your relationships. 
 
Stephanie Austin shares the thoughts of Aletheia Luna, in her article Soul Ties: 5 Types and How to Break Negative Connections, describes how feeling a deep, soul kinship with someone can help us move forward on our path, but sometimes can keep us trapped in limiting patterns. She outlines five types of soul ties: karmic relationships which are designed to help us learn essential life lessons, soul friends who share the same values, goals and dreams, soul teachers who mirror our unrealized potential, soulmates who come in many forms, and soul mirrors who challenge us to integrate our opposite side. She offers 8 negative signs to watch out for: feeling drained instead of energized, having our happiness dependent on how happy they are, frequent, dramatic swings from positive to negative interactions, disrespect for our needs, not being allowed to have other connections, feeling anxious or empty without them, letting them define who we are, and feeling unhappy about yourself after spending time with them. She also explains five ways to break negative soul tie connections. To read her empowering article, as well as many other excellent articles on spirituality, click here.    
 
This newsletter is dedicated to this lone celestial event: this Solar Eclipse.  For me, eclipses have remained benchmarks in my life to note my own soul’s journey.  Thus, this month I will offer personal readings on the effects of this eclipse and the coming new cycle in Pisces/Virgo (from Aries/Libra).  Together we can examine the role of relationships in your life. 
 
 
This eclipse is a time to reflect on your relationship dynamics:
• _are you overly co-dependent? or overly independent?
• _check your boundaries - are they too porous or too strong?
• _are your closest relationships Win-Win?
• _how well do you negotiate conflict?
 
 
Feel free to contact me for a reading as your thought partner.  Cathy.basen@gmail.com, Text: (925) 899-6510. 
 

2024 Spring Equinox, Libra Lunar Eclipse, and Aries Solar Eclipse

Spring Equinox, Ramadan, Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, Holi Hindu festival, Easter Sunday, New Moon Solar Eclipse, and Passover come during the shift from one season to another. Currently, it is high holy days of many cultures and religions around the world.  Every year there appears to be a synergy between astrological events and religious holidays.  However, this year there is an intensity to the energies that seem to propel and even compel many of us to take notice, reflect, and take stock of our lives.

I have written this post on Good Friday, the Christian holy day of remembrance of the crucifixion of the Christ figure. To broaden the symbolism and meaning of today, one may liken this day to the experience of the Dark Night of the Soul.  Personally, and collectively, we may be grappling with fears and worries that our future is bleak. Thus, it may serve us at this time to sit in the darkness and investigate our beliefs, our errors in thinking, the unacknowledged aspects of our personas that cause us and others harm.  Mystics in many traditions have described the dark night of the soul as one of finding ourselves in a state of meaninglessness. One may feel that nothing has meaning and that we are adrift in the ocean of despair. Yet, this state which feels like we are in limbo can bring us to a new awareness and an emergence into a transformed state of consciousness.  How do we shift from this dark state to an awakened state?  We do this by surrendering and becoming detached from our human perceptions and labels.

Using the metaphor of a butterfly, I want to remind us that we all go through periods of metamorphosis. First, there is the caterpillar stage that evolves into a second stage of the cocoon of unknowing, where it is dark and gooey to enter the last bodily stage: to transform into a butterfly.  The caterpillar could not fly but in surrendering to the natural process of its life, it becomes a different entity with a new perspective from its ability to fly.  I am ever hopeful that humanity is going through a metamorphosis of radical change. Perhaps we will emerge from the darkness to evolve into transcendent beings that remember their divinity.

From the Dark Night of the Soul to the Resurrection.  The Easter weekend brings us the realization of metamorphosis, of renewal, and rebirth. Whether Christian or atheist, religious or spiritual, we can share the common collective force of change and shift in consciousness.

This brings me to the significant astrological, even astronomical, events that have been occurring this Spring (Fall in the Southern hemisphere).  Powerful eclipses are creating opportunities for change that will shift our understanding of ourselves and others.

Eclipses signal major crossroads or turning points, which summon us to take a big step forward in our spiritual journey. They occur in seasons, with 2-3 eclipses forming every six months, and always take place close to the Lunar Nodes, where the orbits of the Sun, Moon, and Earth intersect, representing the convergence of Spirit, Soul, and Matter. These power times are often marked by core issues coming to the fore, challenging us to heal and release, change, and grow.

The first of four eclipses this year occurred on March 25 at 12:01 AM PDT. This was the Libra Full Moon Lunar Eclipse.  All lunar eclipses illuminate what’s been hidden in the shadows of our awareness, and activate our emotional body, making it easier to recognize unconscious patterns and release old programming. We may feel more easily triggered as buried emotions and fears rise to the surface. Our experience of an eclipse depends on how it activates our birth chart, and on our level of consciousness.

Stephanie Austin shares that “This eclipse formed at 5º Libra-Aries, highlighting how the quality of our relationships depend on the depth of our self-love. The more fully we are able to accept ourselves, the more easily we can tolerate and appreciate differences. The more we can forgive our own mistakes, flaws, and failures, the more empathy and compassion we are able to extend to others. The more deeply honest we are with ourselves, the more truthful we can be with everyone. The more we have healed our childhood wounding, the more we experience peaceful, supportive, and mutually beneficial relationships in all areas of our lives.”

This full moon/lunar eclipse reminds us that: “… As you look around at what’s going on in your world and in your personal life, you can find all the opportunities that you could ever want to show up, to radiate love, to send healing and peace to where it is needed… it seems like a tall order, but if you were not up for it, you would not have chosen to incarnate on Earth at this time… The amount of kindness, love and compassion you show to your fellow humans determines how awake you are. It is not about what you know intellectually. It is not about having inside information about what’s really going on with the government and the cabal groups. It is about showing up as the light in the face of all darkness that is there on planet Earth at this time. It is about what you feel and what you do about what you feel. So we recommend spending more time focusing on how you feel and on what is needed out there in the world around you. That is the best way for you to know yourselves as the beings of love and light that you truly are.” (The 9D Arcturian Council via Daniel Scranton; full message available here)

Eclipses hold the power to alter the course of your life. They are portals of fast transformation that usher in periods of endings and new beginnings. It’s an exciting, yet volatile time!

The Lunar Eclipse at 5 degrees Libra & the Solar Eclipse at 19 degrees Aries on April 8thwill have particular significance for those with planets in cardinal signs around the same degrees in: Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn – but everyone’s lives will be touched by this energy. This eclipse pairing initiates a fresh eclipse cycle on the Aries-Libra axis, marking a shift from the previous Taurus-Scorpio cycle since November 2021. This is also the first Libra-Aries Eclipse portal since 2005. Significant beginnings and endings will unfold in the areas of your chart where Aries and Libra reside. And just in case you’re wondering, YES you have Aries and Libra in your chart regardless of if you have planets there.

The last time we experienced eclipses on this axis was between December 2004 and June 2006. Reflect on that period for additional insight on the potential themes reemerging now.

Why is this Eclipse Cycle a BIG DEAL?

💥 First, the Aries Eclipse on April 8 will be

FULLY VISIBLE across the United States (and

a bit into Canada)... and is creating a a very

distinct shape with the last Total Solar Eclipse

of 2017… this can’t just be a coincidence right?

💥 There hasn't been a Libra-Aries eclipse

portal like this since…2005! 🤯A 19-year cycle

is closing and another 19-year one is starting…

💥 Four planets, plus the North Node and

Chiron, will be in Aries, bringing an

abundance of FIRE power, and demanding

action.

💥 Chiron’s tight conjunction to the Aries Solar

Eclipse is sensitive – it will illuminate deep

wounds asking to be healed and call out

your inner leader and mentor.

💥 Saturn will be conjunct Venus during the

Libra Lunar Eclipse and Mars during the Aries

Solar Eclipse asking you to do the work.

💥 And if that wasn’t enough, Mercury will be

retrograde, countering the fiery Aries energy

with a pull to slow down and move inward.

Plus, it's the Astrological New Year — this

portal colors your entire year ahead, so

engaging in it with awareness, intention and

purpose is key!

 To recap: the March 24 Lunar Eclipse may have prompted some intense emotions.  I remember an astrologer talking about lunar eclipses as “emotional roto-rooters” dredging up uncomfortable feelings.  I do advise any of us experiencing negative emotions linked to painful experiences to face these.  This particular lunar eclipse has the potential of revealing the conflict we have between service to our self needs and service to the needs of others.  Libra is the sign of balance and I believe it is important to bring the scale of our lives in harmony with love of self and love of others.  One cannot have one without the other.  We need to recognize the karmic lessons of relationships. 

 The Aries Solar Eclipse on April 8th is a very different Energy. In Aries, nothing is subtle. On this date we have the Sun, Moon, Mercury, the Lunar Nodes, and Chiron all in the sign of Aries, the fiery warrior archetype. Eros comes from the archetype of Aries.  When the Sun and Moon are conjoined with Chiron in Aries there is passion and energetic volatility that is felt both personally and collectively.  This Solar Eclipse represents new beginnings and forging new paths.  At the same time, we may be witnessing endings by leaving behind what no longer serves us.  One astrologer recommended creating a Compost Map (opposite of a Treasure Map) to create images that represent what we are willing to let go, to no longer keep, and no longer “Be”.  To repeat, prepare for potential endings during the solar eclipse, as it may pave the way for the dynamic, passionate energies fresh starts of Aries to take root. This is why it recommended to use this space and time between eclipses (considered as a limbo period perhaps?) to start off with practices of composting so there is space to activate a new potential within.

This is a major time in the history of humanity, and I want you to know your important part.  Please consider receiving an intuitive and/or astrology reading to learn more. The light and love you bring heals all of us.  Namaste!

“The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, and the fruit of service is peace.” 

cathy.basen@gmail.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024

How has this New Year evolved for you so far?  Confusing?  Disturbing? Or satisfying? The sky is the limit to our individual experiences. However, I offer this New Year’s newsletter guidance to discuss what is happening to the greater whole of humanity.  For me, I am feeling extraordinarily stimulated, sometimes perplexed, but at times enchanted with the world these days.

Years ago, a musical arrived on the scene: HAIR!  This was a production dedicated to the radical Sixties and the generation born into this era. Also folks who were coming into their adulthood.  One of the song lyrics: “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius……”  excited me.   I was one of the baby boomers who was touched by this song and the message of this musical.  To me, it spoke to the possibilities of a new age with greater equality, freedom, and a world that worked for everyone. Yet, astrologers would say that the 1960’s did not open to the Age of Aquarius but was influenced by the astrological transits of this time with Uranus and Pluto connecting and breaking open new thoughts and shifting paradigms.  It was a majorly mystical decade with psychedelic drugs opening some folks to new psychic experiences along with political, and social movements challenging the patriarchy and the status quo.  New scientific concepts and the quantum world were being revealed to the world. 

For those of you unfamiliar with that concept of the Age of Aquarius, here is a super quick rundown. Every astrological age lasts about 2,160 years. Each age has the qualities of that sign. For example, the age of Pisces was largely governed by religion, as we saw with the popularity of Christianity for example.

In the year 2160 it shifts to Aquarius.

Uranus is the ruler of the sign of Aquarius.  In the mid-1960’s Uranus was not in its home sign of Aquarius, but due the conjunction of two major transpersonal signs, Uranus and Pluto in Virgo, it felt like Aquarius energy churning across the world. Major shifts in viewpoints and expressions occurred.  Uranus signals change with breakthroughs and upheavals. When this planet travels close to Pluto, the political, social, and economic systems can be destroyed, and new realizations established.    Upheaval, change, and new creations can take hold.

Why discuss the 1960’s and the radicalism that occurred (not to mention the explosion of new music brought out by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, and the following music of the Doors and Jimi Hendrix)?  Because we are currently on the eve of another shift into strong Aquarian energy with Pluto leaving the sign of Capricorn and moving into the sign of Aquarius.  This occurred in March 2023 for a few months, and now it settles in for a longer term of 20 years.  With the brief retrograde back into Capricorn in September 2024, Pluto in Aquarius is present until 2043.   Yikes!! 

Every year our Sun travels through the twelve constellations that represent archetypal energies as described in the field of astrology.   On or around January 20th our Sun travels through the constellation of Aquarius and stays until the 19th or 20th of February.  Aquarius is the sign that represents the Water Carrier.  Aquarius is not a water sign, but an air or a mental sign.  It speaks to an awakened mind and collective consciousness.   The water carrier symbolizes the nourishing of the Earth and humanity through enlightened thoughts. 

On Saturday, January 21st Pluto shifted to the sign of Aquarius.  Yet to understand the significance of Pluto in Aquarius, we need to understand the influence of this dwarf planet on the psyche of humanity.  Pluto is perhaps the strongest astrological force.   While the planet Pluto is furthest away most times from the Sun in our solar system, it has the force of nuclear power.  I find it interesting that the movie “Oppenheimer” came out in 2023 when Pluto was in its last degrees of Capricorn. In this sign, Pluto influenced the fiscal crisis of 2008, the rise of fascist, reactionary political forces, and current wars in Ukraine and Palestine/Israel. The invention of atomic bomb and its power has changed how we view our existence, particularly when we can destroy the world.  Carolyn Myss, a mystical intuitive healer, spoke in a lecture (All the Power You Cannot See) that the nuclear age created a collective fear that human existence is at peril of extinction. 

Pluto can represent our soul’s evolution and our karmic inheritance.  On the collective level, Pluto can create deep cycles of birth, death, and rebirth.  Pluto can reveal the deep shadow of our collective psyche of greed, hate, and other negative forces so we may bring light to reveal these hidden parts. Pluto’s key aim is to kill off what no longer serves our highest good.  Thus, if we stick to the same negative patterns of behavior or continue institutions that do not serve all aspects of humanity, we may find decay, desolation, and destruction.  The positive aspect is the rebirth part. There is the potential to create something that elevates humanity out of the ashes of destruction.

This is the hope of the mythical Age of Aquarius that Pluto entering this sign may provide.  Stephanie Austin in her astrology news states: As Pluto moves through Aquarius for the next 20 years, how we use science and technology, how we determine social norms, and most importantly, how we define our humanity, take front stage. At its best, Pluto in Aquarius supports breakthroughs and quantum leaps in science, medicine, and technology, as well as radical transformation through egalitarian, grassroots movements, replacing competition and polarization with collaboration and unity.

However, as stated above, we can be exposed to the shadow side of Pluto as we witness negative events: Pluto’s transit through a sign reveals both the power and the shadow side of that sign. In Capricorn, Pluto has starkly exposed the consequences of worshipping “the almighty dollar,” the rise of corporatocracy, and the global ramifications of humanity’s disconnection and domination of Nature Without a healthy, internalized sense of authority, sovereignty, and responsibility developed in Capricorn, we succumb to the dark side of Aquarius, creating dystopia rather than utopia. We become hypnotized, addicted, and fragmented into blind conformity, dehumanization, and technocracy. Pluto inAquarius will challenge us to deal with what divides us from others, whether that involves gender, class, race, religion, culture, nationality, or other demarcations. It will impel us to address the shadow side and misuse of power in groups, social movements, and technology. (Austin)

The last time Pluto passed through Aquarius was between 1777 and 1798, an epoch that coincided with the French and American revolutions. While history never repeats itself exactly, we can expect dizzying technological advancements, climate crises, and social shifts to alter the world as we know it. With Pluto in and out of Aquarius until 2044, the responsibility falls to us to create new worlds in a time of old paradigms collapsing. There’s no denying this is a big deal, coming at a time when collective humanity seems at the crossroads of two distinctly different directions: the potential to evolve into a connected and compassionate global community, or engage in mutual assured destruction. 

Okay, I did not necessarily intend to send off my first newsletter and blog of 2024 with such a strong message, but the more I ruminated about the events going on globally for the last several months, I felt it necessary to speak to the state of the world through an astrological lens.

We can expect 2024 to bring other astro/cosmic forces besides Pluto to expand, to heal, to invite, and to change the landscape of our lives. These astrological events not discussed in this blog post will be mentioned and explained in future postings coming to your inbox more frequently than the past year. 

For me, the ingress of Pluto into Aquarius has great personal meaning as this planet is now sitting on my Midheaven in my natal chart.  Being born on February 2nd at 11:50 a.m. (during the dark ages), my Taurus on the ascendant (my Rising sign) situates Aquarius at zero degrees at the top/apex point of my chart.  What this can mean for me is the potential for a great transformation for my public persona whether my career or appearance to the world. This transit on my Midheaven through my tenth house of career may my work to establish a transformational community platform.  Since Aquarius rules astrology, I may find my individual work as an astrologer to evolve within a larger community in the coming years.  My work is this field already has served to connect me to many kindred-souls awakened to their divine potential to heal, to teach, to share inspiration to make this world a place that serves the highest good of all.  Yes, that would be you, dear reader.  Whenever, I conduct an intuitive reading, I feel a unity, a shared feeling of love.  Thus, I hope I can continue to serve as a resource for your own quest in life, and to be able to illuminate all the possibilities life has in store for you. 

In honor of January 25th’s first full Moon – The Leo Full Moon, may we all take time to remember our gifts and talents that we can share with the world.   Leo is THE Sun sign and represents the light we can shine through our individual “Suns”.
 

October 2023: The Eclipse Season is Here!

 
I think we all have a favorite season; for me, it is Autumn.  Of course, I prefer to be in other parts of the United States, like my hometown of Cleveland or the Northeast, to get the full experience of the changing landscape.  I remember when I was in a small airplane flying out of New Jersey to visit my daughter in Cornell, New York.  I was awestruck flying over the Catskills region of New York and seeing the riot (yes, riot) of colors from green to gold, yellow, orange, and the reds of the leaves. I am not as fortunate to see the variety of colors here in Los Angeles. We do not have as many deciduous trees. 
 
Yet, I can bring the images of these past experiences of Fall along with the striking visions and sense-inducing memories.  Also, the symbols of this season seemingly represent phases of our lives. I appreciate the gifts of this particular phase of my life: the ability to harvest the riches of my past and offer my gifts as an elder to my family, my friends, and my community.  Thus, I ask you today: What have you harvested this year or at this point? 
 
I have studied and practiced my skills as an astrologer for decades, and this discipline has offered me insights into my gifts and challenges in life.  During significant astrological events, I have experienced a shift in my perceptions and consciousness.  There are “seasons” in astrology. Each equinox, solstice, and eclipse brings potential shifts.  For example, astrologers start the zodiacal year when Aries ingresses at zero degrees.  This corresponds to the first day of Spring. 

Recently, September 23 marked the ingress of Libra at zero degrees. We are currently in the Autumn of our year.  The image of the scales represents Libra.  It is time to bring your life into balance.  Libra corresponds with the energy of peace and harmony.  This is a much-needed force currently needed in areas of extreme violence and conflict.  Thus, prayers for peace are my offering these days.  Hopefully, those of you reading this newsletter will join me in a collective effort to bring universal peace to our time. 

Tomorrow, October 14th, we will experience a powerful solar eclipse (new moon) in Libra at 21 degrees.  Eclipses have the potential to shift individual and collective consciousness. For those of you with Libra, Aries, Capricorn, Cancer Suns, Moons, and Ascendents, these astrological signs may find an opportunity to anchor your intentions and create new beginnings.  We all have a powerful opportunity to focus on areas of our lives we want to improve or enhance.  Libra speaks to our relationships with the “others” in our lives. It begs the question: where do we want to strengthen our connections with others or find greater fulfillment within our social and professional relationships?  This solar eclipse in Libra allows us to find clarity and evoke harmony in this aspect of our lives.  Also, be prepared to see a collective shift worldwide to strive for peace and harmony.
 
For further illumination and understanding of this October 14th eclipse, please read Stephanie Austin’s thoughts on this astrological event.
 
“Just as there are power places, where shifts in consciousness happen more easily, there are also power times, where major changes in our lives transpire more rapidly. The next few weeks offer several power times — a solar eclipse on October 14 and a lunar eclipse on October 28. Eclipses occur close to the Lunar Nodes, the points in space where the orbits of the Sun (Spirit), Moon (Soul), and Earth (Matter) intersect. The Lunar Nodes are the only aspects in astrology which move primarily retrograde, representing the unwinding of samskaras, old karmic patterns, and the evolutionary journey from separation to unity."

Solar eclipses are extra-powerful new moons, signaling a time of major endings and beginnings. They impel us to pause and check our spiritual compass — to reflect on where we are now, remember where we are headed, and determine if we need to change course. During a solar eclipse, the Moon momentarily blocks the normal flow of solar radiation, destabilizing existing matrices, altering neural pathways, and enabling consciousness to reboot, recalibrate, and reorganize at a higher level.

"Eclipses occur close to the same degree every 19 years, marking the conclusion of a major phase of development and the necessity to go to the next level. The more closely an eclipse aspects a planet or angle in our birth chart, the stronger we feel the impetus for transformation. On October 14, 2004, a solar eclipse occurred at 21º06’ Libra, only one second of arc from this one at 21º07’ Libra. What was important back then? What is coming to completion now? Where are we being called to go to the next level?”

Because the sign of Libra speaks to the aspect of relationships in our lives, this eclipse acknowledges that: ……”life is about relationship — how we relate to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us, and that everything outside of us is also inside us, an echo of the ancient Hermetic principle, "As above, so below, as without, so within.” This expanded perception of relationship and interconnectedness is expressed in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, in the Mayan greeting In Lak’ech Ala K’in, in the Sanskrit Namaste, and in the Lakota Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ as All My Relations. Perceiving our interrelationship with all life in this way enables us to truly know one another, to know ourselves more deeply, and to realize our place in the universe.” (Stephanie Austin)

As I write my final thoughts, please note that for those who want to look at a personal forecast of your Sun and Rising sign, refer to the last part of this newsletter.
 
This is a powerful time to receive a reading to look at the specific transits and the effects of this eclipse cycle.  Please feel free to contact me to book a reading.  
 
Namaste,
 
Anauel, Angel of Unity Consciousness

Summer Solstice 2022

There is a magic with the shift of seasons: Winter to Spring to Summer then Fall. There seems to be a distinct shift in energy initiating some movement. Thus, we find that the seeds of ideas planted during the Winter Solstice, and noted in Spring, can now, with the ingress of Summer, produce the fruits of our planting. Astrology is in sync with the turn of the seasons.  Each cardinal sign in the zodiac marks the initiation of a new season:  around the 21st of March we greet the new zodiacal year with the beginning of Aries and the Spring Equinox; then we find that the beginning of Cancer each year on June 21st marks the start of our summer season.  Autumn comes around September 21st with the ingress of Libra, and finally, the Winter Solstice comes with the shift to zero degrees of Capricorn on 12/21.
 
Today, June 21st marks the halfway point of our yearly seasonal journey.  It is a perfect time to look at the fruits of our efforts and reflect on our lives.  Yes, the summer gives one a feeling of expansion and growth, but in many ways, it is a time to go inward to take inventory of our accomplishments and seek wisdom from our inner voice. 
 
Summer starts with the sign of Cancer, the sensitive and intuitive water sign that represents a dynamic cardinal movement that involves searching for a true home and belonging. The traditional house of Cancer in the astrological wheel is in the fourth house at the bottom of the natal chart.  This place represents one’s connection to the past, our ancestral heritage, the family, and clan, but most of all, each person’s soul yearnings.  The fourth house represents the midnight part of the chart, where we are guided by the Moon and our intuition.  The archetype of the divine feminine describes this sign.
 
I invite you to think about your accomplishments from the Winter Solstice and reflect on what needs more love and attention.  On this day, June 21st, 2022, state your intention to nurture your divine purpose and soul needs.  Use your intuitive knowing to go within and find the answers you seek to transform your life.
 
We are entering a time of profound healing and spiritual evolution.  However, currently, we have a choice to take one path or another:
 
Choice Point - The point at which transitions split into multiple, mutually exclusive branches, each terminating at a different destination state.  As the separation of worlds physically widens between the Devolving Descending and Evolving Ascending, your choices matter. Everything Counts!!

Growing new life out of division

I believe that paying attention to a bigger picture, one that astrological transits can help to form a cosmic perception, means one can put the current seemingly retrogressive steps backwards into the dark ages - war, political division, threats to personal liberties, financial, food and climate crisis - into perspective. Meaning brings hope.
 
 Let us look at the Big Picture:
 
When Pluto entered the sign of Capricorn in November 2008, the Great Eliminator began to expose all that was false, covert and hidden, within ourselves, within organizations, institutions, mega-corporations, governments.

Fourteen years on and we find ourselves in the death throes of authoritarian darkness, which now seeks to eradicate the collective soul. But Pluto is transpersonal - far bigger than any human power games - and utterly relentless - the birth of the new will not be thwarted. These last two years of Pluto in Capricorn are bringing out the worst of the worst of the patriarchal freaking out, violence, coup attempts, dictator meltdowns, and rage against all of it.
 
This is the endgame phase of the very necessary Separation of Worlds.
 
Pluto’s entry into Aquarius, which begins in 2023, heralds the winds of change that will lead to whole- scale transformation. In February 2023, Pluto activates the Anaretic Degree aka the Fate Degree – 29° to 29°59’59” - of Capricorn and prepares to move into Aquarius until 2043 with a new evolutionary remit. This window of time - February 2023 to November 2024 - is the beginning of the end of the overriding controlling force that has ruled humanity for millennia. In its wake, Pluto’s legacy will be the final crumbling of the dark agenda.
 
Consider the powerful Winter Solstice of December 21, 2021.  We began a new 26,000 Galactic Cycle. Our Galactic Center of our Milky Way is ruled by the sign of Sagittarius, the archetype of belief systems, spiritual wisdom which promotes faith and hope.  Thus, we are building new levels of trust that we will enter a new world of harmony and unity.  Today’s Summer Solstice allows us to illuminate this six-month journey and plan for the rest of 2022 and onward.  What path are you taking?
 
Saturn retrograde in Aquarius June 4 through October 23rd.
 
On a personal note:  As an Aquarius Sun, I look to the future with hope in my heart.  When Pluto ingresses into the sign of Aquarius, I might just do a happy dance.  Of course, getting to that point will require that I continue to do the hard work of looking at my own karmic lessons.  I believe that Saturn, currently in the sign of Aquarius, is providing the tests for me to look at my life and how I have learned (or not) lessons that I agreed to work on this lifetime.  So far, the last many months have challenged my own life path as an Aquarian.  I have faced health, relationship, and financial challenges that provide “reality checks” to keep me on track.  For instance, on June 2, I went in for elective, outpatient surgery to correct issues I have had with my throat since dealing with thyroid cancer in 2016. My surgery went well except for the fact that my heart went into AFib and I was admitted into the hospital so that my heart could return to normal sinus rhythm.  I now have my very own cardiologist who will support my “heart” recovery.  Interesting that my natal Saturn is in LEO, the sign of the heart.  With the transiting Saturn in the sky in Aquarius passing over my SUN sign and opposite my natal SATURN in Leo, I truly believe the message for me is to become more heart centered.  One of my karmic lessons is to get out of my head (Aquarius Sun)  and into my heart, by way of my VOICE (throat – 5th chakra) that is finally healing. I could go into more astrological analysis, but I would bore you.  I simply shared this as I feel we are being called to serve the great good, and I am asking myself how this applies to me, as well as all of you reading this message.

It is important to know how your natal Saturn informs your karmic lessons.  We all need to own our SATURN,  meaning we need to step into our authority. Yet this happens when we become disciplined and face our tasks taking us to our power.  Saturn in your chart and by transit symbolizes your evolving potential, so, to capitalize on this current retrograde period of Saturn in Aquariuswith the following guidelines:  

• turn toward unknown terrain in order to gather and harvest wisdom - deliberately going off the mainstream path and beyond the norm.

• question and break through old restrictive rules, traditions, structures and boundaries in order to make connections, distribute information, and develop innovations.

• strengthen your personal boundaries - not too fluid, not too tight.

• re-evaluate your inner rules and match them to your core values.

As you reflect on the energies of today’s Solstice, please find time to nurture yourself.  You are part of an awakening consciousness. You are valued and appreciated for your contribution in this amazing world we inhabit.
 
Please remember that our cosmic consciousness has been awakening to a new reality. There is a burgeoning awareness of our multi-dimensional world. Shifting from the harshness of 3-D reality, humanity is ascending to a unity consciousness.  Yes, I get that we can see huge polarity and separation, but the quantum field is taking us to the realization of a collective oneness.  The coming of Christ consciousness, the divine feminine, and the healing energy of a “Six” vibration in this 2022 numerology's universal year is emerging to bring us to wholeness.

Be the love that want to see in the world!
 

December 2018 Winter Report

Night stars! Invisible forces guide us.

My thoughts on the state of our world:

For decades, I have utilized celestial events to provide a roadmap to traversing my reality.  Lately, I have found that having a map to the 3-D reality was not the only guide I needed.  I feel as if I need to come at this explanation or description via an alternative consciousness.

As has been discussed in several newsletters over the years, one theme has emerged:  The times, they are a change’in.  We may need a new lexicon to converse with each other, to be able to explain events in our worlds, and to explain what we are experiencing in our hearts and minds.  But first, I may have to clarify who the “We” we are in this inclusive language. 

 “We” includes you and me: we people who can identify with our spiritual selves, who revere nature, and seem to have a strong empathy and sensitivity to the plight of others’ suffering.  I find many in our “We” group to be intuitive, musical, artistic, and compassionate.  Some of us suffer from illnesses that seem to be difficult to diagnose or if not, illnesses which fit under the Auto-Immune Disorders category that have few solid healing remedies.  Also, there are those of us who have self-medicated through food, drugs, and alcohol to get past discomfort and pain. Yes: often this is the pain of the psyche, not just physical health issues.

 “We” have developed (or better said) are starting to develop a unique consensual reality, a collective consciousness, which at times is in direct contrast to other people in our everyday communities. (Please note: I am not dismissing people who do not feel like kindred souls, I am simply stating that I have difficulties at times relating and conversing with some people.) These “others” seem unable to respond in compassionate ways to the hardships of others or act like zombies.  Yet, “We” are part of the human experience and actually, we can find that we have something in common with every person. So, let us stop with the discussion of differences at this time.

 The bottom line with the reality I am describing is this:  all of humanity is going through a rebirth. Let’s call it Renaissance 2.0.  We are all awakening, even if some folks seem to be sleepwalking.  There is an energetic change and as a result, a change of perception. This new or evolving consciousness could be described as a Unity consciousness. This perception of unity with all things has been forming since the dawn of humankind.  This paradigm shows up in mystical and spiritual wisdom teaching. However, most of us experience our everyday reality as one of Duality. Yes, events in our lives reinforce this view and we experience the 3-D world on all levels of our lives from the global stage to our local neighborhoods.

The human experience is embedded in duality from our first breath to our last. Yet, it is our experience with our spirituality that offers us the sense of unity and transcendence. In my lifetime I have seen more and more people embracing new thought teachings, meditation practices, mindfulness, astrology, shamanism, past lives investigation, and the list continues.    Perhaps this awakening is happening to assuage our feelings of despair and disgust with people and events in our native countries and around the globe. I believe so. 

The issues that seem to show up as catastrophic or extreme fit into the struggle with duality and our 3-D reality.  I have contemplated these and have tried to fit them into a continuum that expresses a concept or various themes that have shown up in our political, social, and economic structures and systems. Here are some suggested themes to frame within an astrological lens (the astrology part to follow):

• Tribalism and nationalism versus collaborative global unity

• Reactionary political movements versus progressive beliefs and actions

• Consumerism and greed versus desire for social-economic parity

• Patriarchy and corporate-dominated politics versus democratic equity and freedom.

Warning: I just may be describing a dark time. In the United States, the negative shadow issues of racism, white nationalism, discrimination, voter suppression, violent shootings, serious income inequality, and lack of current government concern for a healthy environment seem to overshadow the rise of social justice, rise of feminism, rise of human dignity, and yes rise of consciousness that we are all in this human dilemma together.  Sigh.

 I do not state that astrological events have caused this.  No way.  I do not support a deterministic lens on the world.  Instead, I would state that the purpose of this message is to explain everything as a synergistic interaction with cosmic events and energy.  Here goes: 

• Retrogrades, Reactionary movement?

 Since this summer, there has been a great deal of retrograde planetary action.  The most pronounced was Mars retrograde in Aquarius.  Normally Mars spends weeks in one sign, not a span of several months. The major period of this particular retrograde was during the summer, where at one point there were a number of planets in retrograde. It was a very frustrating time of low energy, or some volatile and tense times.  I truly believe the end result of this period with Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and yes, Pluto were retrograde.  By the equinox in September, we had a release of some of this retrograde energy, except for Venus which brought our relationships into close examination. When Venus was retrograde it had many of us looking at the shadow pieces of our relationships, be it personal, business, and/or otherwise (meaning that Venus retrograde in Scorpio could have had us looking within our own psyche at our shadow pieces). 

 At the time of Venus retrograde I experienced a flurry of people contacting me to do readings centering around their relationships. The main issue that seemed to envelop these clients (maybe you were one of them?) was how to understand why their business or personal partnerships were toxic or debilitating. Most of the time, I was validating the worthiness of my client who was generally giving and empathic who was dealing with the negative projections of the “other”.  Yes, the psychological issue of dealing with the projections of others and seeing those shadow pieces had many of us examining our lives.

Also, these retrograde periods seemingly developed a fear-based mentality.  Again, I noticed groups of people from various parts of our social, political, and economic framework connecting to a particular mentality.  Several notable folks have branded this perceptual agreement as choosing to identify with a particular Reality Tunnel.  This group think is consensual. And we all live in a particular reality or space. Yet, there are those people within a reality bubble who do not willingly challenge their perception or choose to perceive things differently regardless of facts that are brought to them.  Thus, we see groups of people who identify with a particular political party or movement based on their consensual agreement. 

Fears are perpetuated and reinforced in a closed-off reality.  Maybe some of these fears comes from a loss of power or from a sense of lack. But these fears can be based on consensus thinking. People who feel they are part of a particular group sustain a particular lens. It appears to me that there are a variety of groups within our societies be they religious, social, or political that seem to have created a strong resistance to change and a consequent thrust to return to the secure times in the past (whether this was true or not).  Hence, my observation is that there seems to be a reactionary movement across the world.  Think of the rise of nationalism, isolationism, fascism, and militarism, and you get my point.

• Other Astrological Events:  Eclipses – A Shifting Paradigm?

Eclipses are truly karmic adjustments to patterns in the human experience.  For a few years, eclipses have occurred on the Leo/Aquarius axis. This series, which started back on February 10, 2017, has been largely responsible for the huge awakening of social justice and activism— as well as for the preening and ego-driven politicians who are pushing party lines instead of representing their constituents. From rallies to protests to demands for policy reform, the eclipses in #woke Aquarius, the sign of groups and humanitarian issues, have revealed the extremes of what can happen when people gather around a common agenda. The strongest of this eclipse cycle was the New Moon Solar Eclipse in LEO on August 17, 2017.  Many North Americans remember this event.  It brought in a dynamic energy that was palpable to those who experienced the total eclipse. Now the final eclipse—a total lunar eclipse and supermoon—will land again in regal Leo in January 2019 giving us one last chance to find our inner sense of dignified authority, and to express it in the world in whatever way, large or small, this feels appropriate.

We are in the age of Aquarius.  What this means for all of us is that our human existence is changing and our lens of perception is shifting to a global consciousness.  We are awakening to a new order:  we will feel connected and inter-connected to all of humanity.  This is the process that is occurring, and while it may not be readily apparent, it is happening none-the-less.

• Neptune in Pisces- Spiritual Reformation (with Jupiter in Sagittarius helping to shift our beliefs to a higher consciousness).

 Jupiter-Neptune Trine in 2018: Global healing and compassion.

Could peace finally come to our world—at least, in some small way? An awakening of higher consciousness and compassion might have developed, when cross-cultural ambassador Jupiter unites in a languorous and harmonious trine (120-degree angle) with soul-stirring Neptune in May of 2018. The duo traveled through emotional and receptive water signs (Jupiter in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces) most of the year, opening our hearts.

The exact trine was in close contact from May until August. This rare and unifying cycle reminded us that, while we may be “divided” by cultures and nations, we are all one. By the end of 2018, we experience Jupiter returning to its native sign of Jupiter.  Hooray!!  Sagittarius is the archetype of the seeker and philosopher.  Our beliefs and ideals are born within this energy.  I

It is my own belief that all of us will rise to a higher consciousness and revamp our beliefs while Jupiter is in its native sign, and Neptune (the ethereal, other-worldly planet) is also in its native sign.  The collective consciousness is bringing us to a new spiritual existence.  Hence, my sense that many people who are naturally empaths and sensitive to energy will expand their perceptions and shift from a victim mentality to an empowered force due to understanding themselves as part of a loving unity consciousness.

• Will patriarchy win...or crumble? (thought from “Astro Twins” forecast for 2019)

Capricorn has had a direct effect on this aspect.  Capricorn rules institutions, patriarchal society, men, government, big business, fathers and hierarchies. In other words, a lot of the “old school” stuff that people have been working tirelessly to reform and change over the past couple years.

It’s been both painful and fascinating to watch. Last year, feminist reporter Hannah Rosin’s book The End of Men tackles a new vision for the world where gender equality seeps into these outdated systems and institutions. The binary structure of us versus them, winners and losers, male versus female, haves and have nots, now seems hopelessly out of date. With the #MeToo, #TimesUp and #BlackLivesMatter movements accompanying a surge of social activism, feminism, transgender rights, and more—it’s clear that we need to make this world work for more than just a privileged few. Yet, a rise in right-wing nationalism reveals that many people feel threatened by this vision and will go to extremes to resist a much-needed change.

Pluto the transformational planetary force has been in Capricorn for a good seven years. As I have mentioned before, Pluto serves as the archetype of the Hindu God, Shiva, the destroyer and creator.  Pluto destroys what does not serve our highest good, and creates in the void, a new higher consciousness.  Along with Pluto, last year Saturn, the planet that is the archetype of the Lord of Karma, also entered its native sign of Capricorn. But in 2019, resistance may be futile. Serious forces of change will be shaking these once solid foundations, even causing some of them to crumble. Structured Saturn and transformational Pluto will both spend all year in Capricorn.

Thus, I believe there is reason for hope that a new world is evolving.  We may be feeling as if we are trapped within darkness, but LIGHT is coming through in miraculous ways.  I know that former President HW Bush, #41, talked about the various points of light.  For him, it may have represented people who could bring positive change.  I think my version is that “We” are becoming Light Beings.  We are choosing light via the LOVE we bring, Not FEAR. 

My advice: find pockets of joy where-ever you are.  Yes… for all of us, fear comes up.  But, stay positive and choose love!  Remain HOPEFUL!!  “Hope is the rainbow over the cascading stream of life” (Nietzche, fragment)

Let’s greet the New Year 2019 with more hope, than fear. Love rules!! Cathy

August 2018 Eclipses and Retrogrades

I believe this message will have value to young and old: for all ages and forms of expression.  No one comes through a life journey unscathed or unharmed, as we all experience heartbreak and insecurity at times.  I believe the collective consciousness of humanity serves as a guide for our individual journeys.  All of us are immersed in this collective mind in some fashion, depending on where our “consciousness” takes us.  I will admit that the Dalai Lama’s consciousness may be far more expansive than my own.  (Ya think?)  Yet, I believe this is a fascinating time in the history of our world because there is an emerging consciousness that is creating a new awareness.  Many of us are awakening to a new definition of our existence.

For me, I developed a lens on the world that gains wisdom or knowledge from an archetypal cosmos.  Carl Jung, father of transpersonal psychology, created a language and a paradigm to understand the workings of the human soul or psyche.  He incorporated the connection of our mythology into the frame of psychological concepts. Or vice verse.  Jung created the term and concept of archetypes: the big ideas and images of the human experience.  Our various cultural symbols, stories, and myths explain aspects of our reality. Particularly, the field of astrology works with the archetypal themes that define much of our human and spiritual existence. We are all doing a cosmic dance with the archetypes.  This explains who we are beyond the body and the biology of our being. Our consciousness goes beyond the neurobiological because the human psyche reflects a cosmic intelligence that transcends time, space, and matter.

For me, the archetypes that come up in astrology and in the Tarot have provided a road map for me in my own personal journey. I have learned so much about who I am from the study and practice of astrology.  Also, due to my intuitive skills, I relate to images that come from the archetypes of the Tarot.  Both systems serve as tools to inform my understanding of what may be happening in my life, and yes, these tools help others as I provide intuitive readings.

Mars in Aquarius retrograde
The aspect of Mars, the Warrior and masculine archetype that has prevailed over much of the energy around the globe these last several months with protests, “MeToo” movement, conflicts, and yes, strong stances of particular groups to take their righteous power.  Mars has been going retrograde (seemingly backwards) through the Aquarius constellation.  This astrological sign embraces innovation, progressive change, new thought, and paradigm shifts. Rebellion is afoot with an angry emotional context during a Mars retrograde in Aquarius. Have you noticed the animated activists challenging the status quo these days?  Yes…. Mars is strongly represented in this summer’s events.

Aquarius is the water carrier – an archetype that speaks to a force that nurtures humankind and works toward a utopian world that serves us all.  When Mars is retrograde in Aquarius, we go back over and review what is broken and needs to be fixed and healed.  When Mars goes direct at the end of August, we will see the energy and will of our communities pushing forth to repair and to find solutions to our individual and societal conflicts and woes.  Mars direct will be a start to new dynamics of how we are working together in communities to solve issues of racism, poverty, inequality, and social injustice.

An archetype that works for contemporary times: Akhilandeshvari

As I have analyzed the state of the world, or have been thinking about my own humble existence, I think about the difficult circumstances we find ourselves these days.  (As we consider the issues mentioned above). Many of us may find it difficult to push our best version of ourselves out into the world.  We may feel heartbroken and in pain.  But, as Eckhart Tolle has written, we need to be present and acknowledge our pain body.  From this acknowledgement we can transcend to a higher consciousness about ourselves and others.  To quote Tolle: The ego says, ‘I should not have to suffer', and the thought makes you suffer so much more. It is a distortion of the truth, which is always paradoxical. The truth is that you need to say yes to suffering before you can transcend it.”

Thus, we come to the mythology of Akhilandeshvari.  She who is never not broken.  I need to acknowledge two wise women who have brought this beautiful archetype to my awareness: Maya and Jane. They have recently conducted a women’s workshop in Oakland, California and addressed this myth so prevalent in today’s contemporary world, yet this archetype is as ancient as our human story:

She who is never not broken…double negative you think…but, wait…think another way “ she embodies the cataclysmic exhilarating, transformative process that the earth and we as individuals are going through at this time. She, is the one who holds the keys for getting through it successfully.

Let me introduce you to her, Akhilandeshvari, is a South Asian Goddess, her name references Universal and Cosmic Powers. It may seem odd to think of a goddess as broken, but, she is broken because we are broken. Akhailandeshvari, reinforces the message in Leonard Cohen’s Anthem “ So ring the bell that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there’s a crack in everything, and that is how the light gets in”… Let go of the need for perfection, embrace your brokenness…it is the path to freedom! When something is perfect you put it on a shelf and look at it, when things are not perfect you work with them to see what you do to improve them. It is the same with us, we have to transform our breakdowns into breakthroughs. How do we approach the challenges, pain and difficulty that disempowers and overwhelms us? The Goddess never not broken promises that the greatest magic is in the transformative moments; the uncertainties, the pause before we hit the ground..and what do we do with ourselves after we land.

As wise elders we know it is normal to fear and resist change, but, this goddess whispers to us of freedom. Liberation from the past, from habits and wounds, from shifting routines, from everything that once was good but has become a burden or a prison. Liberation, indeed from the illusions of ego. Akhilandeshavi, is in the same instant the personification of destruction and rebirth, not like Kali the destroyer who levels us all with her sword. This goddess yields to the destruction of the self, the ego and the self-identity, so that she can remain in contact with truth, the divine source manifesting as the individual. She has come fully into her own, now as we and the earth, and all the systems we have built over millennia are crumpling like old newspaper.However, the blessing is we can reinvent ourselves and the systems that we operate in society…look not at the destruction but at rebirth…what a glorious concept!

For me, I am using this archetype to direct me to my broken-hearted soul and to let the light into these various parts of my psyche to heal and to find self-love.  I invite you to do the same.

Last Eclipse on Leo/Aquarius Axis

Eclipse Season is this powerful window of time we are currently in the midst of, and a beautiful opportunity to tune into the rhythms of the cosmos.  Astrology is a map that helps us navigate the terrain of life, and offers the potential for each of us to live more empowered, fulfilling, and purposeful lives.

The last of the eclipses on the Leo/Aquarius nodal axis took place on Saturday, August 11th.  For the last year and a half (since February 2017) we have been experiencing the influence of this particular cycle.  On this date, what are you willing to let end that no longer serves your highest expression? What new beginnings are emerging that gives you a fresh start to be your true authentic self?

This last powerful eclipse works with Mars in Aquarius to bring us to realize our truth, as individuals, and as members of humanity.  The archetype of Leo speaks to our own ability to act from our true authentic self. Like the Strength card in the Tarot, we are the most powerful when we honor our unique skills, talents, and personas.  Thus, the last eclipse brings to the fore a long lasting message: speak and act from your heart and your true authentic being.

As Stephanie Austin, astrologer, muses about this eclipse: “You were born for a reason. You are unique. No one has seen through your eyes, felt through your fingertips, lived in your skin. Ruled by the Sun itself, Leo summons each of us to shine our light, our singular spark of the Divine; to live from our essence rather than from our ego or programmed personality. How do we know when we are doing that? The degree of joy or strain tells us whether we are on our spiritual path — or bushwhacking. If life is largely effort and struggle, we’ve lost the trail. If we're watching the clock more than feeling in the flow or "The Zone," we've gotten off track. If we're following our fears rather than our heart, we're ready for a big course correction.” That is what eclipses do: they present opportunities to shift to a higher consciousness and a new direction that serves our soul needs.

Not only are the Sun and Moon in Leo, but Mercury and the North Node as well, offering extra illumination as to what our heart and soul wants now. Many of us had our creativity stifled at an early age, criticized or shamed overtly, or shut down in more subtle but equally destructive ways.

The archetype of Leo, symbolized by the King and the Lion, represents bravery, power, and sovereignty. It takes courage to be true to our Self, to listen to our heart, and ‘follow our bliss’ as Joseph Campbell put it. This solar eclipse urges us to be lionhearted; to shine our light and share our unique gifts. It reminds us that our inner "Sun", our core, our essence, knows what lights us up, what brings us joy and fulfillment.
 
I end this post with so much gratitude for the many beautiful voices that have come to me lately.  Many exist in my every day life: Barbara, Jane, Judith and Joseph. Your presence keeps me centered and connected. Also, there are my dear friends who live far away from me, such as my dear artist friend, Margaret, who lives in Melbourne, Australia.  Also, Linda, who is responsible for getting me interested in astrology so many years ago, and has been a strong constant in my circle of divine and inspirational friendships. We have known each other since 5th grade.

Or take dear friend Jim who lives in upper New York State. I have never met him in person, but as a fellow Aquarian, he confirms and supports my thought process.  Then there is Basil, who lives in North Carolina and is consistently illuminating my world.  He helps me realize that my consciousness is shifting and I am awakening to a new reality.  Speaking of this, Basil suggested my reading a new book: A New Republic of the Heart, by Terry Patten.  I leave you with this quote from the section of the book, Translating Heartbreak Into Action:

“The work we have to do can seen as a kind of coming ALIVE.  More than some moral imperative, it’s an awakening to our true nature, a leasing of our gifts.” (Joanna Macy)
 

March 2018 Astrology News

The beginning of March finds us in the time of Pisces, and so, we find ourselves in an interesting energy.  The Piscean energy is one of the most complex and amorphous. As a mutable water sign, it is the most sensitive of the astrological world.  Piscean persons’ boundaries are so thin that they pick up too much information just by stepping out onto the street. Pisces lives in the unconscious of the collective. As astrologer Caroline Casey has described: “Pisces is in touch with what the culture has forgotten or represses: dreams that dart, fishlike (Pisces is represented by two fish attached to each other swimming in opposite directions) beneath the surface. The Piscean task is to retrieve what the culture has denied, to bring it back to surface awareness.”

Often times, the aspects of the Piscean world are expressed in our movies.  In this past year of movies, The Shape of Water expresses the themes of Pisces extraordinarily well.  The film tells a story of an amazing love story of two figures, so very different, yet are able to go beyond natural boundaries to find a connection of mutual desire and love.  The couple’s bond is possible due to their intuitive communication. Interesting that their relationship forms in water: an allegory to our subconscious, intuitive mind.  Also, the message of Pisces as well as this movie is that LOVE is the unifying and transcendent energy of our world.

Right now (beginning of March 2018) there is a great deal of energy in Pisces:  Sun, Mercury, Venus, Neptune, and Chiron. Thus, it should not surprise anyone, especially those with strong Pisces, and/or other sensitivities to energetic forces, that you are currently experiencing altered states, or desires to escape the harshness of our everyday 3-D reality.  I mention escape as a caveat to everyone reading this message.  All of us must learn to surrender our fears, judgments, and pain rather than trying to escape to the illusory world of misperceptions.

Pisces is co-ruled by Neptune, the principle of dreams, visions, imagination, and illusion. Neptune, god of the sea, is represented by the trident, on which we can be hooked.  When we as either individuals or a culture lack a clear mythology, or a connection to each other, or even a shared divine purpose, we can become hooked on anything that numbs the pain of alienation.  .  .  drugs, alcohol, cults.  In their correspondence, Carl Jung and Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, discussed their shared belief that there is no cure for addiction without a spiritual awakening. (Carolyn Casey)

So much of our world is invisible and it is in this realm that we find ourselves. Spirit speaks to us from our inner space. Also, we learn to love ourselves when we step out of the ego-mind into the eco-mind.  Neptune as ruler of Pisces dissolves the individual ego identity to bring us into a spiritual collective consciousness.  As we dissolve our fears, judgments, and pain, as we forgive, accept, and learn to love ourselves, we develop an unshakable sense of inner peace, wholeness, and connection with all of life. To come to this, we have to do less and be more; be more still, more quiet, and more attuned to our inner guidance. Becoming aware of our breath is an immediate way to connect with Pisces energy. Whenever we find ourselves feeling ungrounded or overwhelmed, we can slow and deepen our breathing, making our exhale longer than our inhale; like a soft sigh, breathing in through our nose, and out through our mouth, as long as needed. The beauty of this Sufi water breath practice is that it can be done any time, anywhere. And it benefits not only us, but everyone around us and beyond, as it helps others entrain, relax, and re-center as well. (Stephanie Austin)

March 1st Full Moon in Virgo helps us to surrender our past conditioning and concepts of who were are, so that we can embody and express who we really are.  Virgo Moons bring us healing and grounding energy. This is helpful as we integrate our bodies with our spiritual nature. The Moon in Virgo nudges us to be discerning, and take extra good care of our body, so we remain grounded, balanced, and able to integrate a higher level of consciousness. This full moon asks: What seeds are you watering? What visions are you cultivating for the world? Know that your light, your every thought, word, and deed, make a difference. The New Age is being born breath by breath, step by step, heart by heart. We are Light. We are Love. We are Starseeds. And Spring is coming.

March 17th – New Moon in Pisces.  This cosmic event allows us to renew our relationship with the invisible world. This is a powerful time to set in place your intentions to reconnect with the deepest part of who you are – infinite, eternal, and divine. During this sacred time of year for many cultures and religious traditions, it allows us to pause and to reflect. Thus, it may be a perfect opportunity to honor what is sacred in our lives.  What ritual or celebration can bring you to greater awareness of your divine nature?

March 20th – Aries Equinox.  Sun enter Aries. This is the start to a new zodiacal year.

March 31st – Libra Full Moon.  The April newsletter will devote more time to an explanation of the Sun in Aries and this particular lunar event.

The current times can be confusing, disorienting, and even chaotic.  But, turning to our inner world can bring solace. When we find our heart-center, and orient ourselves from this sacred space, the world becomes more harmonious and loving.  We will find ourselves in synergy with all that is.

2018 Lunar New Year

On February 2nd we celebrated Candlemas, the Celtic holiday honoring the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox during the time of Aquarius. This was an opportunity for all of us to turn within and reflect on our soul’s journey. The message of Candlemas is to bring light into the world, and with light we can see into our shadow.  The message may have been adulterated by the American culture, with Groundhog’s Day. But, a deeper significance is to liken to Carl Jung’s shadow archetype:
 
The Shadow describes the part of the psyche that an individual would rather not acknowledge. It contains the denied parts of the self. Since the self contains these aspects, they surface in one form or another. Bringing Shadow material into consciousness drains its dark power, and can even recover valuable resources from it. The greatest power, however, comes from having accepted your shadow parts and integrating them as components of your Self.  -  John Elder.
 
My advice to those reading this is to cast light into your deep recesses of the psyche to actually recognize those hidden parts of your persona. Even while we have passed this midpoint event, by doing our shadow work we can align our body, mind, and spirit. It is not just the recognition, but also the integration of all the various parts of our psyche that make us whole and authentic. Seeing one’s shadow is not to be dreaded, but gives an opportunity to work out those kinks during the rest of the introspective winter season to spring to a rebirth and renewed self at the equinox.
 
The passing of Candlemas gives way to another favorite aspect to this time of year: Valentine’s Day.  This is not because I will be romanced by a long list of suitors, but because of the emphasis on love and the heart.  Actually, it helps Aquarians like me to get a grip on our heart work.  Aquarius as the 11th sign of the zodiac is not necessarily the love master of the universe, but more of a thinking, fixed-energy archetype that can be aloof and detached from the emotional connections that we humans are prone to make.  Actually, Valentine’s Day would be better suited for the time of Leo.  This zodiacal sign rules the heart and romance!  But, by putting Aquarian and Leonine energy together, we have the perfect balance!  Aquarius can look at humanity from a universal love and be the true water carrier who nurtures the world with gifts of insight.  Leo can put the personal into love and the heart so that we all find our unique ways of giving and receiving love.

This message is so very strong these days as the potent Eclipse cycle has been (since 2016) on the Leo/Aquarius, karmic lunar nodal points.  Most astrologers, Western and Vedic alike, look at the lunar nodes to understand karmic cycles, both as they work with the energy of current time and space, and also, the influence of the nodal points in our natal charts.  We can learn a great deal about the karmic lesson we are to learn this lifetime by interpreting the sign and position of our personal nodal points.
 
The major Leo Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017 opened up a portal to a new consciousness and awareness. This solar eclipse revealed where each one of us may be on our personal journey.  The evolutionary path of one’s soul is very much a heroic effort.  Thus, at the time of this eclipse, there were those who may be heeding the call to strike out on one’s authentic path, struggling with personal demons, or truly taking empowered steps, but the fact is clear that we all are evolving. This cosmic event may have initiated a powerful time to take up the gauntlet and head off to fight in the crusade. The North Lunar Node in LEO designates our spiritual frontier: in the case of Leo we are learning to embody our heart-consciousness.  When we become heart-centered we become connected in love and unity to all that is.
 
Those people that were able to witness the August 21st eclipse in North America along the path of totality have shared their magical experiences.  One person aptly described this event as an experience (which defied description) as: being suspended in time and space.
 
Are we entering a time when our consciousness shifts?  I wonder. Yes, I believe there is an increasing awareness on the part of many human beings that we live in a multi-dimensional universe.  A “Unity” consciousness is occurring for one and all. 

Think about Einstein’s musings:
            A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe", a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security. ~ Einstein
 
We can change from a self-centered, individualistic perspective through heart-centered actions that bring forth a loving unified consciousness.  As a dear friend suggested (who shared his eclipse experience) the new frontier is not necessarily time and/or space, but Consciousness.
 
This new thinking continues to evolve as the eclipse cycle continues influence the global consciousness. Potent cosmic events have continued starting with the New Year 2018. On January 1st, there was a SUPER MOON in Cancer opposite the Capricorn Sun.  Actually, turning points and new beginnings happen for me during Solstice points, thus, a new year cycle begin on December 21st when the Sun entered Capricorn, the Winter Solstice.  However, this year’s January 1st brought a powerful lunar event with strong healing energies of the divinely feminine Super Full Moon in Cancer.  Thus, following the Leo/Aquarius eclipse themes of authentic loving consciousness, this full moon highlights a crucial, ongoing theme: reclaiming the power of the feminine.  

Thus, January 2018 both began and ended with potent full moons, holding a huge cosmic spotlight on what needs to be seen and changed; the first was the above-mentioned Super Moon, peaking on January 1 (12º Cancer-Capricorn), the second a total lunar eclipse on January 31 (12º Leo-Aquarius). An interesting note is that from January 2 to March 8, no planets are retrograde, encouraging us to take big steps forward on our path. Hopefully, all of us were able to check our spiritual compasses, to see if either we were firmly on course, stuck on a side track, or gotten pulled onto someone else’s path.

As of today’s date, there is still time for a course adjustment because the Leo-Aquarius Eclipse cycle remains until August 2018.  

This brings us to February 15th with a powerful New Moon Aquarius Solar Eclipse.  This is an opportune time to renew one’s thinking.  Remember:  the Aquarius archetype is the Oracle, Visionary, and Seer.  As Emily Trinkaus describes: Aquarius rises above present circumstances, sees the bigger picture, and from that higher perspective envisions radical new possibilities.
 
On February 15t, what are some radical new possibilities for you to initiate?  When an eclipse occurs in connection to the lunar south node, we could benefit by figuring out what to let go of in our lives..... in order to bring in the new.  
 
Take the time at this New Moon Solar Eclipse to state your intentions as you will have a positive and powerful cosmic force to support your affirmations.  Also, Jupiter the benefactor planet in the sign of Scorpio will be at an angle to the Sun and Moon to provide a transformational boost.  
 
This Aquarius New Moon marks the Chinese Lunar New Year, initiating the Year of the Earth Dog.  Dare we hope at this event for the positive care and steward of the Earth?  The Dog archetype evokes loyalty and protection. Anyone born in an Earth Dog year (1958 last Earth Dog Year) will be communicative, serious, and responsible in the workplace.
 
On an end note:  I can personalize all these astrological events by looking at your own natal chart and seeing how the eclipses and transits affect you.  One person recently asked about the issue of “houses” as the transits and eclipses take place.  For example, take the recent February 15th eclipse.  If you have Aquarius ruling your first house or an Aquarius Rising sign you may find that your entire personality changes because you are looking through a changed lens or perspective.
 

August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse in Leo

LEO (TOTAL) SOLAR ECLIPSE

August 21st

We are lucky if once during our lifetimes, we can experience the impact of a total solar eclipse.  Those of you who are living in the United States along the 70-mile wide path of this astronomical event will be in for a spectacular treat. And yes, all of us have the potential to experience a transformational shift, maybe not that particular day and time, but quite possibly in the weeks and months following this eclipse.

The question that arises coming up to this rare event is: Who were you born to be?  This leads to another question: What is your soul’s gift to the world? The August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse at 28 degrees, 52’ LEO calls us to remember our divine destiny. Leo’s archetype reminds us that we are all individually unique with a particular set of strengths and talents. There has never been nor will ever be someone with your singular set of qualities and experiences. You are a sovereign being. Your mission is to be true to yourself. Your thoughts, words, and deeds shape your reality and the course of human evolution. This Leo Solar Eclipse urges us to realize the depth of our creative power.

The fifth sign of the zodiac represents the hero/heroine’s journey; to discover and express one’s true identity.  Hollywood produces many films/movies depicting the hero’s journey: the call to adventure, then faced with dire circumstances, we find the protagonist taking a leap into an unknown world and new path. Along the way mentors show up to guide the hero/heroine and of course villains test and challenge. These heroes and heroines are seen facing their worst fears and in doing so, are transformed and empowered.   Often times we see in these stories a death and rebirth experience with the climax occurring at the point when the hero or heroine receives his or her sword, ring, golden lasso, or holy grail.  (The grail is symbolic of finding the true self). The end of the story finds our heroine returning to her community sharing her found gifts and talents.

This solar eclipse will reveal where we are at in our personal journey.  The evolutionary path of our soul is very much a heroic effort.  Thus, we may just now be hearing the call to strike out on our authentic path, struggling with our demons, or truly taking empowered steps, but the fact is clear that we all are evolving. This is a powerful time to take up the gauntlet and head off to fight in the crusade. The North Lunar Node in LEO designates are spiritual frontier… we are learning to embody our heart-consciousness.  When we become heart-centered we become connected in love and unity to all that is.  This Eclipse lifts us in love and light.

Take the time before August 21st to prepare for insights that you may receive during this celestial event. Commune in nature, and take time to meditate and reflect. Write down your intentions and spend time affirming your deepest desires and wishes. Then get ready for the shift and transformation. Now is the time to know that all that you do is sacred. (Hafiz)

Astrological Trends for 2017

1/27/2017

Happy Lunar New Year!

This astrology newsletter speaks to the astrological events of 2017.  As you read through this dense article, please read with your own personal lens, particularly as you notice the astrological descriptors that match your natal chart. Read not only for your Sun sign, but you Moon and your Rising. I post this with gratitude!!

Right now our turbulent times comes with healing opportunities. The January 21st Women’s March in D.C. that initiated marches and movements of solidarity around the world symbolizes the changing consciousness around the world. And, so begins a crazy, confusing, and chaotic time in history, one that may end in a more unifying consciousness.

Wow, so much is occurring that is significant, I do not know how to begin to bring you this picture of the astrological landscape these days. Shall I mention turbulent?  Well yes, and also, consciousness-raising.

The energy these days means that few of us can remain staid and comfortable in our personal lives as we are brought into an awareness and awakening into the worldly arena.  Our inter-connectedness is becoming almost visceral due to social and digital media.  Frankly, unless you live off the grid, in a cave, you cannot escape the times-they-are-a-changing energy, even if the times and movements seem scarily reactionary.

Thus, the way to look at the astrological landscape of 2017 is to describe the various conflicting energies that are about – as expressed through the various movements, crises, and behavior in our world this year.  I am conveying all of this via Themes that seem to emerge from the archetypal, astrological energies.

Upheaval and Turbulence – Uranus, the energy of change and paradigm shifts, in warlike Aries, is at a tense angle to Pluto, destroyer, power broker, and transformer, in determined and strong Capricorn. The energetic signature of these turbulent times is the ongoing Uranus-Pluto square, which remains within 10º of orb until 2020. Whenever other planets link up with it, we are especially impelled to transform unsustainable and unsatisfying ways of living, working, and relating, as well as the underlying misperceptions which maintain them. Uranus is the archetype of freedom and innovation; Pluto represents the evolutionary imperative of death and rebirth. Together, they impel the purging of an old way of seeing and being, so that we can go to the next level. This cosmic combination urges us to take radical responsibility, reminding us that we are in the driver seat, that we have more power than we realize, and that with power comes responsibility.

From January 8, when Mercury turned direct, to February 6, when Jupiter takes its yearly turn retrograde, all of the planets are moving forward, adding to the impetus for us to move on, up, and out. Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto remain in a catalytic T-square from November 3, 2016 to September 26, 2017 (10º orb); as a reference, the last time this combination of expansive, liberating, and transformative energies were in a cardinal T-square was June 27, 2013 to June 15, 2014 (in Cancer-Aries-Capricorn).

This theme has been in effect since 2012, and has resulted in huge groups of people wanting to hold onto the status quo, the ways of the past, the structures that may only work for the privileged white people, in opposition with huge groups of people who want a world that works for all.  Bottom line:  we are seeing a striking divide, a polarity in thinking, within societies across the world, and no more striking and clear than in the United States. One group in the United States voted in Donald Trump as the President who promised a return to an America that describes a version of days long past. Disenfranchised Americans feared losing power and rallied around a non-political presidential candidate.  The other group is opposite from this reactionary stance, and speaks to (generally) a progressive stance. These are persons who want to continue the agenda of the 1960’s Civil Rights Act. These folks supported Bernie and yes, Hillary in the 2016 presidential campaign to maintain social, political, and political rights for all. This group was widely represented in the 1/21/17 Women’s March across the United States, and the world.

This energy will continue throughout 2017 and beyond.  On an individual level, it is greatly impacting those people with strong cardinal signs in their natal charts.  Thus, you Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn SUN, MOON, and Rising signs folks, you have been and will continue to experience huge changes and transformations in your life.  This started years ago, but really since 2012, you have been experiencing breakthroughs, breakdowns, and dynamic shifts, and most of all transformation in your thinking, in your relationships, and the actual structures (think family, career, and self-awareness) in your lives. Aries, your self-identity is shifting greatly. You are feeling the need to activate new expression in your life. Cancer, you are finding ways to break through old childhood issues and tension to recreate safety and security in your life. Libra: you have experienced huge relationship changes or challenges. These dynamics have taken and will continue to take center-stage in your life, but you are gaining traction on this. And last dear Capricorn, with Pluto moving slowly but profoundly through your “sign”, you find you are redefining what it is to be in your “power”.  There are times when your drive (your will) will allow for huge transformational leaps of faith.

For all of us: When we get to 2020, we will look back on the last eight years, and be amazed at the changes that exist in our lives.  One caveat, however:  if you fight the pressures to change and do not surrender to these forces, you may suffer loss in a variety of arenas. A helpful mantra is to state: “Change me, divine one, to be someone who can be true to my highest purpose and calling.”

Lost at Sea, Confusion and Dissolution – Neptune, Chiron, and Venus in Pisces
At the same time, there is a cosmic convergence in Pisces: Venus, Mars, Pallas, the South Node, Chiron, and Neptune are all in the last sign of the zodiac, so it's not surprising to also feel adrift in a fog without a sail or rudder. Much is dissolving and shifting on inner levels, which takes time and energy. We are unraveling centuries of old programming, down to the cellular and DNA level, reconfiguring our bodies as well as our psyches. Pisces draws us out of our mind and into our heart; to listen for the promptings of our soul and follow our intuition.

Feeling spacey or forgetful are signs to do less and ‘be’ more. During accelerated times of growth, more rest, quiet, and solitude are required. Many of us are in a chrysalis phase; like a caterpillar going into a cocoon before it can become a butterfly, we too experience a period of dissolution. The more we slow down, trust, and surrender, the more gracefully the transformation occurs, and the sooner our wings appear.

Venus moves through Pisces once a year, Mars every two years, Pallas every four years, the Lunar Nodes every 19 years, Chiron every 50 years, and Neptune only once every 168 years. Having so many celestial bodies in the 12th sign gives us extraordinary support in releasing personal and collective conditioning. In cultures which are very mental and materialistic, this deeply spiritual process is not well understood nor supported.

The evolutionary intent of Pisces is Christ consciousness, where we realize our inherent divinity and unity; the shadow side of Pisces is denial and codependence, escapism and addiction. Take advantage of this spiritual tailwind by doing what feeds your heart and strengthens your soul connection. Meditate, contemplate, and be in nature as much as possible. The veils between dimensions are more easily parted and creativity is heightened as well; sing, dance, paint, do whatever brings you joy. Your angels, guides, and muses are on standby. Boundaries blur as Venus conjuncts Neptune on January 12. Healing happens with less effort as Mars conjoins Chiron on January 16 and Venus aligns with Chiron on January 24. Surf this inwardly rich wave while it lasts; more outward energy comes in toward the end of the month, as Mars moves into Aries on January 27 and Venus on February 3.

Again, on an individual and personal level, those with strong mutable signs in your chart, like Pisces, Sagittarius, Virgo, and Gemini, you are especially sensitive to the energetic forces at this time.  Persons with strong mutable energy are more susceptible to syncing up with external energies.  With Gemini and Virgo, you are captivated by news and ideas that is coming through all the forms of media these days.  Be careful to not bring this into your inner world as Thoughts influence your Emotions, which lead to your Actions.  If you absorb too much negative news, you will be tossed into an emotional abyss, and this will affect your physical being. Sagittarius, this Pisces energy is at a hard angle to your astrological frame, prompting you to adjust your belief systems, and even possibly helping you to recreate a new journey that takes you into a higher consciousness. Pisces: this can be such a difficult time, and also uplifting as well.  You are transcendent, and this makes it oh so stressful to live in the 3-D reality. Your ego is dissolving into the ecological landscape. You want to exist in another reality that takes you away from all the harshness.

For all of us:  This is a time (and I have mentioned this before) of profound spiritual reformation.  Our current time has echoes from the “Axial Age” of the 590s to 550 BCE with Uranus, Neptune, Pluto conjoined in the same sign. No time since then has involved the concert of all three transpersonal planets shifting and transforming the world consciousness. This past age brought forth the birth of many of the world’s principal religions and spiritual traditions. Now during this decade, we find similar transpersonal energy taking us into a multi-dimensional and unity-consciousness.  Shall we say altogether: OM?

Truth or Dare: Reality Check – Saturn in Sagittarius
Saturn, Capricorn's ruling planet, conjoins the asteroid Juno on January 10 at 23º Sagittarius, giving us a reality check on our desires and beliefs about relationships. What assumptions do we need to question? Where do we need to face a new truth? Saturn deals with forms of all kinds: roles and rules, responsibilities and boundaries. Juno, the goddess of marriage, calls us to reconsider our needs and commitments in partnerships. Her mythic struggles with Jupiter illustrate how balancing our inner masculine and feminine sides are necessary for harmony in relationships and peace in the world. Saturn and Juno last conjoined on September 17, 2011 (17º Libra); their next rendezvous will be March 28, 2022 at 22º Aquarius. Saturn and Juno trine Uranus, Eris, and Ceres in Aries, making it easier to think out of the box and come up with creative solutions.

The need to discern fiction from fact, opinion from truth intensifies as Saturn at 24º Sagittarius forms a waxing square with Mars at 24º Pisces on January 18. Their last conjunction was August 24, 2016 at 10º Sagittarius. January 16 Jupiter, the traditional ruler of Sagittarius, forms the first of three oppositions with Eris this year at 23º Libra-Aries, amplifying the cosmic message to rebalance the masculine and feminine; Jupiter and Eris last conjoined on June 4, 2011 at 27º Pisces.

These alignments remind us of the importance of keeping the big picture in mind, and constantly checking in with our internal truth-meter. It’s easy to get discouraged and frightened by mainstream media, which only reports a tiny fraction of what’s happening, and almost nothing about positive changes. How many of us heard that on July 11, 2016 more than 800,000 people planted 50 million trees in India on one day, as part of their commitment to the Paris Climate Change Accord? Read the article posted on National Geographic’s website here. Or that Science Bulletin reported new research shows acid pollution in the atmosphere is now almost back to the level that it was before it started in the 1930s? Or that the Pan African Parliament endorsed a continent-wide ban on female genital mutilation last June? Here are some good sources of news I've come across:

• Truth Out, a daily emailed newsletter with articles from alternative sources here. • Want To Know: articles and concise summaries of major cover-ups and corruption here. • Yes Magazine: covers social justice, sustainability, alternative economics, and peace here. • Daily Good: inspiring news articles and videos here.

When you hear or read disturbing news, instead of going into fear, go into love. Send your prayers to those who suffering and in need of support. Pray for those displaced by war to find refuge and peace. Pray for Trump to do what is best for all concerned. Pray for those in fear and hatred to have their hearts healed and minds opened.

Remember: “…you are among those who went to Earth to show the peoples that love is the pathway to peace, to joy, to prosperity, mutual respect and life in harmony with Nature. By living your light fearlessly and confidently, you radiate love to everyone around you, and it doesn’t stop there. Love energy is so powerful that it flows around the world, out into the universe and on to the cosmos. In the Oneness of All, everything everywhere affects everything else everywhere else, and the love-light you send forth brings it back in limitless measure—this is the unequalled vastness and power of love.”

The Great Awakening - 2017 Eclipses on the Leo/Aquarius Axis.
 Okay, so with all the turbulence in the world, we may want to escape to alternative realities. But, rather than being Asleep At the Wheel, why not keep your eyes wide open?  On January 20th, 2017 the Sun entered Aquarius, and we witnessed the inauguration of the 45th President. Well, frankly I did not witness it, but I paid attention to the significance of this event.  I personally believe that the extreme differences in the “essence” of Trump versus Obama, even Trump’s rivals in the presidential election, Hillary and Bernie brought to the collective consciousness how much polarity exists in the United States.  And, this polarity may even exist throughout the world within political, economic, and social structures and organizations.  Perhaps the election of Donald Trump opened up the portal of our consciousness to the stark reality that there is a huge disparity between haves and have-nots. Maybe the actions of the 45th president is sending out shock waves and waking up the citizens to act to protect rights that appear to be threatened.  Hence the amazing and powerful Women’s March in DC and the countless other marches for women’s rights and equal rights throughout the land, and the world.
 
Aquarius is the sign of the humanitarian. This sign (as ruled by the planet Uranus) is the awakener, the futurist, and paradigm-shifter.  Right now, many of us are being challenged to see ourselves differently in order to step into an evolving humanity. My personal take on this is the human genome is changing and mutating into a new entity. (More on that at another time) Aquarius represents a higher octave of communication from the sign of Mercury. The signs of Gemini and Virgo work with communication on this earth plane. The energetic expression of Aquarius communicates multi-dimensionally.  In the Tarot deck, the STAR card represents this astrological sign as a light force radiating information and illumination out into the darkness. Aquarius represents our desire to communicate on a massive scale through radio, TV, film, satellites and the Internet.  Its symbol is the Water Bearer, the woman pouring forth the waters of a NEW LIFE.

Because Aquarius is an AIR sign (think mental thoughts), the water in this symbol is the wave energy going out into the world.  Aquarius’s glyph, two horizontal wavy lines, also has to do with fast-flowing currents of energy. The water is highly charged, inventive, electric energy. It cascades into society, either strengthening the pre-existing order or disrupting it.
 
Thus, this is the potent message of the eclipses that come forth on the Leo/Aquarius axis this year.  Eclipses happen 4-6 times a year, bringing sudden changes and turning points to our lives. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about an issue, the eclipse will knock you out and force you to face the facts. Truths and secrets will rise to the surface. Things that aren’t “meant to be” can be swept away without notice, leaving space for a better fit. Eclipses are like giant industrial vacuum cleaners.  They either suck away the messes, or clean up what’s gotten dusty and leave it shiny and new. Procrastinate if you must, but it’s best to find out when the eclipses are, so you deal with your issues in advance—before an eclipse deals them right back to you.
 
On August 18, 2016 the first in a series occurred with an Aquarius Lunar Eclipse.  This started a new cycle that occurs every 18.5 to 19 years within particular opposite signs, in match degrees along the lunar moon nodes. On January 27th/28th we experienced an Aquarius New Moon.  It was also, the Chinese Lunar New Year.  So new beginnings have been initiated to bring in a new paradigm. What we are witnessing thus far is chaos and upheaval as we see (in the United States) Trump upending the very foundation of the government. By February 10th we will start to see where the U.S. is headed as we experience the first eclipse in 2017: the Leo Lunar Eclipse.  Shall we see continued disruption and upheaval?  Well, yes, I suspect so.  But, there are forces working to establish a new world order, and my hope and vision is that the old order that is not serving all of humanity will fall apart and the new order will take its place. Everyone has the power to live a vision that sees the world, it communities, and its government serving everyone and everything.
 
So the Great Awakening is upon us, and it may take a while to see the end result. This eclipse cycle occurs two more times in 2017 on August 7th and August 21st to push this change agenda. And we all will play a part in this, especially if we hold a strong vision of a world we desire. The Leo/Aquarius axis represents the position of our own self-expression (creating our authentic and empowered place in the world – Leo) balanced with the place of one’s self within the global humanity (being true to our purpose as we bring value and healing to our communities – Aquarius)
 
On an individual and a personal level for those with strong fixed signs in your chart:  Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, you are the people who will consolidate all this turbulent energy into tangible positive work, projects, creations, and communities that support the new world order.  Taurus: you are the “stewards” of the world. You care for our “mother” and through this eclipse cycle will find an avenue to improve the environment that supports all of us (this can operate on many levels). Leo, your creative self-expression and authenticity will expand during this eclipse. You may even build a new platform or stage to carry forth your ideas.  Scorpio, the force and power of the eclipses and zodiacal energies is carrying you to new ways of being. You will feel the transformation on several levels of your life, (self, relationships, and career).  As Obi Wan states to Luke Skywalker: “May the force be with you”. That is the message for those of you with strong Scorpio energy in your charts.  Last, but not least, Aquarians…you will be challenged greatly to be the STAR and illuminate the dark corners of the world.  Shine your light on the inhumane forces, the unconscious people who are sleepwalking, and the unenlightened to awaken the world to the vision of a better reality. You can change and shift the collective consciousness. Go for it!!

October 2016 Astrology News

Welcome to a new season!  For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we saw the fall equinox arrive on September 22, a day after Mercury stationed direct from a difficult retrograde motion in Virgo.  Actually most of the month of September presented challenges and emotional upheavals as the energy of the two eclipses (September 1st and September 16th) worked their way through our lives.  Here are some effects of the cosmic events in the past month, culminating with a Black Moon on September 30th:

v Change in health habits and regular routines

v Opportunities to begin new actions in your life.

v Ability to heal the split within your psyche between spirit and matter.

v Taping into your emotions to work as a vehicle for change in your perspective, your thinking, your beliefs, and yes, your actions.

v Acknowledging we live in a multi-dimensional world.

Now with the recent event of the Black Moon (New Moon) in Libra on September 30th we are able to bring balance within our relationships and to see how we honor ourselves within the context of our significant others and partnerships. Both the equinox and the time of Libra call to us to think of what is out of balance in our lives.  This is the question that comes up for all of us.  And, the answer comes by setting our intentions around this lunar event.  For those of you who want to bring more ritual into your lives around the new moon, I have linked you to an article on how to make new moon wishes a reality.

The event that brings the greatest significance this month is the full expression of Jupiter entering Libra.  Jupiter represents growth, expansion, and good fortune in our charts.  When Jupiter is in Libra, relationships flourish and grow.  Also, our incomes can grow as well.  Also, along with Jupiter, the Sun in Libra emphasizes a time that looks for reconciliation of opposites, especially the masculine and feminine aspects of our lives, and the balance of our own self-interests with the interests of others.  Remember opposites attract to become whole. To achieve unity (the theme of the September 16th Lunar Eclipse) we have to integrate dichotomies.

Jupiter is useful to all of us as it helps to expand our perspective. Jupiter is a philosophical and spiritual sign representing the higher mind. Also, with Jupiter we can tap into a higher intelligence.  Freud referred to this as our super-ego, the higher consciousness.  This higher awareness is able to communicate in a multi-dimensional world.  There is always this possibility, however, October 31st, and November 1st, we enter a time when the veil between the various dimensions thin and we can meet with both dark and light forces.  During this time period, which includes a New Moon in Scorpio on October 30th, we can experience how darkness dances with the light. Sometimes we forget we live in two-worlds: duality exists.

Since Jupiter in Libra is present for the next twelve months, we will have opportunities to bring balance into our lives, particularly where we need to restore stability.  Wherever Jupiter is passing through your chart, you will be able to bring balance to two opposing forces.  It is interesting that six years ago, Jupiter was in the opposite sign of Aries.  At this time during the year 2010 to 2011, we may have been driven to start something new such as a career, a relationship, or a new health regimen.  This is what Aries does:  it initiates things out of the ego and identification with the “self”.  Now in 2016 to the October of 2017, Jupiter will respond to the echo of Jupiter in Aries by looking at decisions made then and how things have come to fruition. Now for the next twelve months we are reconciling actions taken five to six years ago, particularly within the context of our relationships. 

Let me provide an example of what I am proposing with Jupiter in Libra as an echo to six years ago in Jupiter in Aries.  A woman I know well has her Sun and Moon in Libra.  During 2010 she gave birth to her first child (during the time Jupiter was in Aries).  Since that birth, this child has been the center of her family and has posed interesting dynamics within the family unit, including another child being born in 2013 when Jupiter was in Cancer at a 90-degree angle to both Aries and Libra.  This added a new dynamic, even major tension to her family interactions.  However, as we come to current times, particular with the Libra Sun/Moon going over this woman’s natal Sun/Moon in Libra on September 30th, and with Jupiter in the mix with these celestial bodies, a new energy is creating a reconciliation of relational patterns within this woman’s family. As an astrologer, I predict that greater peace and harmony will be present.  There may be even further heightened consciousness about what will work between husband, wife, mother, father, and children.  Jupiter in Libra could bring new equilibrium: taking each individual from ego-self (Aries) to eco-self (Libra), going from self to “other”. 

Another interesting transit that happens soon and connects to the Libra theme of relationships is Pluto in Capricorn at a hard angle to Sun in Libra, October 8th.  Pluto is the powerful force of transformation that releases or kills off what is not beneficial to the evolution of our soul.  When Pluto and the Sun are at ninety degrees of each other, something has to give.  This transit of Pluto will allows us to conduct a slow and thorough investigation of behavior and patterns in our lives that we have covered up due to our addictions, our neediness, and our co-dependent tendencies.   Pluto allows us to get to a deep soul level to find our truth, to connect with our authentic selves. This means that when we get away from those illusions that we keep within a “false” ego-self, we can truly discover that we are all beings of LOVE and LIGHT. 

September 16, 2016 Pisces Lunar Eclipse

Eclipses serve as those cosmic events that help to shift one’s consciousness, both on an individual level and a collective level.  These events occur on a particular lunar moon node axis of opposing astrological signs, such as Virgo opposite Pisces.  The last 18 months the axis was on the opposing signs of Libra/Aries (yes: eclipse cycles are retrograde).  Many people with strong Libra and Aries in their natal charts had dramatic shifts and transitions in their lives during the late 2014 through March of 2016.  Now it is time for Virgo and Pisces to cycle through our lives. 

All of us have a place in our charts where Virgo and Pisces can be found. There are twelve houses in each natal chart; thus each person has two opposing houses in their natal astrology charts where the axis of Virgo and Pisces exist. You may get a greater understanding how this may affect you by reading the forecast section below in this newsletter, particularly if you read for your rising sign.  For example, if you have Virgo on your Ascendant (the opening to your first house) the eclipse could bring balance between issues concerning your first house of “Self, such as self renewal, and self-awareness, coming into alignment with the 7th house of relationships, or interactions with “others”.

Tomorrow’s powerful Lunar Eclipse in Pisces will illuminate issues within all of our lives that concern the polarity between the following archetypes that are found in the opposition of Virgo (Sun) and North Moon Node with Pisces (Moon) and South Moon Node. Obviously, those people with strong Virgo and Pisces Sun, Moon, and Rising may find in the next 90 days to a whole year that there life will have major shifts and changes.  Also, other mutable signs such as Gemini and Sagittarius are strongly affected as well.

Universal Themes of this Full Moon Eclipse Polarity:

·      Healing issues of connection between Matter (Virgo) and Spirit (Pisces).

·      Shifting consciousness from self to the collective.

·      Balancing the sacred dance within between the masculine and feminine forces.

·      Aligning head/thinking with heart/sensing or intuiting.

There is a central issue facing humanity at this time, which is to reconcile the division and disparity within humanity as a whole.  Our consciousness needs to expand from duality to unity consciousness.  Coming from a duality consciousness continues the strife and belief system that there are good and bad elements, light and dark, winners and losers. Yes, we need to consider the notion that we are all connected and have an inter-relationship with each other, not just human-to-human, but with all sentient beings. When a community is suffering such as the destruction in the country of Syria, we all suffer.  Living in denial, fear, and isolation prevents one from living an empowered life sharing love and plentitude. Taking positive and loving action helps align and unite all in a common bond.  Thus, it is not simply aligning our minds (head) and hearts (emotions) but “being” those forces for good through our will (hand) and our actions.  Head/Heart/Hand = Unity Consciousness.  

This collective consciousness starts from each individual healing the “self”, healing the body, mind, and soul.  We heal through LOVE.  This Lunar Eclipse has the power to heal us as individual and also, heal the collective consciousness of humanity.  I say “Namaste” to this!!

September 2016 Eclipses

This is a powerful month when it comes to celestial energies. My message this month is extensive and thus, I ask you to read thoroughly. In August, our consciousness opened to new forms of thinking and being.  Now, in September we take another step towards creating a world that supports our dreams and aspirations.  The Sun is in Virgo at the start of September. This astrological sign promotes an earth-bound discernment and critical eye to our world. Mercury rules Virgo and is an archetype dealing with the world of ideas and conveying thought through communication.

Virgo is able to sort through ambiguity to arrive at clarity. This is the amazing skill that strong Virgo personas possess. They have a critical eye and can communicate complex- abstract ideas into neat and precise order.

Thus, we come to the September 1st Virgo Solar Eclipse. This is a significant event for all of us as we are going to be able to download more cosmic information into our psyches.  A solar eclipse is a time when the Moon and Sun are aligned in the same sign, exact degrees. Thus the Moon can block out the Sun’s solar radiation. On September 1, 1997, there was a solar eclipse in the same degrees.  Ask yourself – What was important to you back then? What needs to change in your life now?

This Solar Eclipse can bring clarity to you regarding what actions you may need to begin or to start in your life to meet your aspirations. Where Virgo shows up in your chart provides a clue. For example, I have Virgo in Mars in my fifth house of creativity. (Mars is our assertion and our “will” to prompt and move us into action in the world). Thus, one of my aspirations is to be out in the world on a bigger stage working with people as a new thought leader. My intention for this “new start” at this solar eclipse is to create action steps to use new forms of communication to convey my ideas. Yes, most of my lens in this arena would be through astrology and interpreting the archetypal cosmos we live in to provide a new lens and perception. 

Mars is currently in Sagittarius, out of its retrograde period and ready to start a new adventure.  What will be your new action in the world?

September 1st - New Beginnings with a Solar Eclipse in Virgo
The following concepts are the energy of any New Moon in Virgo, with this being an eclipse, a stronger energy is initiated to cast out the old and start new steps in those issues that concern Virgo:

- Ability to start new patterns and new regimens.
- Time to initiate those critical habits that support positive health.
- Reevaluating day-to-day routines to bring in better results for your work.
- Comparing your status to others in order to assess your own place in the world.
- Figuring out new ways to communicate that improve your connections with others.

State your intentions near this event to focus your energy. This is a time when we all can recreate our identities from an ego-focus, to an eco-focus (meaning that we are concerned with our individual impact on the well-being of our communities).

REMEMBER: A New Moon Solar Eclipse blocks out the Sun so that we can access the Moon’s message of healing and greater self-awareness.  
 
September 15th – 16th Pisces Total Lunar Eclipse

The Virgo Solar Eclipse set in motion new beginnings, now two weeks later we see some of the results of this effort.  Many of us could have started a new chapter and established some new action steps on September 1st to accomplish new goals.

The Pisces Lunar Eclipse may serve to reveal where we are on our new path, particularly for those who initiated changes in the last weeks.  Perhaps more important, this Lunar Eclipse may bring up issues of wounding in our lives, and on a greater level reveal the wounding of the human spirit.  I have mentioned for the last couple of years, that we are entering a new age of healing:  A Spiritual Reformation.  External authority has tamped down and dominated the human spirit.  Over the last many centuries, these external forces have oppressed and in some case destroyed people who question religious and governmental authority. Think of indigenous cultures, the witches of Salem, the racial discrimination, and the persecution of particular groups of people such as the Jews to understand this oppression and destruction in the world.

Now it is time to heal these conditions!

This Pisces Lunar Eclipse as aligned with Chiron in Pisces is illuminating where we have been wounded as individuals and can also reveal the wounding of humanity. The Solar Eclipse may help us with shifts in our self-perception, but the Lunar Eclipse will activate our deeper soul yearnings and bring up a conscious awareness and illumination through our emotions.  Full Moon and Lunar Eclipses typically bring our emotions to the surface.  This event is no exception. This Eclipse on September 15th-16th will help to heal the disconnect between spirit and matter, masculine and feminine, and head and heart.

Chiron in Pisces, Saturn and Mars in Sagittarius are other planetary movements that accompany this eclipse in a profound way.  It is pointing to a critical issue facing humanity at this time:  We need to EXPAND our view of reality from duality to unity, from living in fear and isolation to living in the greater truth of love and interconnection.

Thus, the question for you and the rest of humanity at this time:  How can you heal from your own wounding and then take steps to heal others?  How can you live in your spiritual truth and reintegrate your soul needs into your life’s work?  Seriously, whether you are a CEO of your own company, or are driving for UBER, your life is important and has purpose.  And, at this time, you have the opportunity to experience significant healing at this Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse.

Because of the earth-bound Virgo energy opposite the spiritual Pisces energy it is important to bring balance into your life.  Be good to your body, specifically the days before and following this Lunar Eclipse.  Drink plenty of water and eat fresh organic foods.  It is highly advisable to not imbibe in any controlled substances.  You could experience (energetically speaking) a powerful emotional release.  This could bring about a “Leap of Faith” allowing you to leave your past behind and work toward a new way of being.

Your emotions can serve as a vehicle to help your change and move into new patterns of behavior. If you need to walk away from a person, place, pattern, or work – then DO IT!  Remember our emotions are communications from our multi-dimensional self. Listen to the messages that come to you from your intuition during this powerful celestial event.

Special Note:  Mercury in retrograde in Virgo started August 30 and will station direct on September 21.  This means that the two eclipse events will have you reviewing, recalling, reintegrating memories, ideas, and action steps to be brought into clearer focus by the end of the month.  This month brings opportunities to make major moves toward a new direction in your life, and to take actions that could serve and benefit your true self.

For all of us, stay focused, be responsible, and stay in the present (here and now) during this energetic month of eclipses. Virgo energy allows us to heal, so this is a good time to work with healers, shamans, psychologists, etc. Do not try to escape through drugs, alcohol, too much TV watching, over-eating….. DO NOT GO INTO Denial about your life’s circumstances. The energy now is helping you to examine your life and to bring out the best parts of who you are. Stay in your truth. Be authentic. The rest will fall into place.

August 2016 Astrology News - Part 2

Aquarius Lunar Eclipse – Thursday, August 18th.

We are entering a season of change as eclipses are happening this coming week into and through September. On this date, we are still in the time of the LEO Sun with an impending partial Lunar Eclipse in an Aquarius MOON, this Thursday August 18th.  Actually, this event happens in the early part of the day.  For those of you with strong Aquarius energy in your chart (Sun, Moon, Rising) and/or also, Leo, this celestial occurrence has the potential to shift or enhance your direction in life. 

Aquarius is the higher octave of Mercury, the great communicator and Pied Piper of ideas. Thoughts often come to Aquarius from other worlds, so-to-speak.  Aquarian energy allows an awareness of invisible forces and other dimensions to come into one’s consciousness. This is why many Aquarian Sun and Moon persons are highly intuitive and can foresee future happenings.

Thus, the question – What is happening to us and for us these days, weeks, and months ahead? The simple, but involved answer is: we are starting to wake up to a new consciousness.  My own theory on this is we are evolving out of the Dark Ages.  Yes: This is the term used to define the Middle Ages following the fall of the Roman Empire that now seems to apply to the current energy on our planet.  Actually, while we had a Renaissance that brought technology into our world – think printing press and the world is no longer flat – we have not had a Renaissance2 to rebirth our own human identity as co-creators with the Universe.  The modern-day astrophysicists (think Einstein and Neil DeGrasse Tyson) have provided us new scientific thought such as Quantum Physics and a new cosmological lens on our world. This new lens speaks to how everything is energy and how we are all connected. Thus, when a butterfly flaps its wings in China, it can produce a tsunami in California. Certainly I am getting hyperbolic, but I do want to make my point.

The partial Aquarius Lunar Eclipse occurring early Thursday morning, August 18th points to a beginning opportunity to wake up to a new consciousness about how we are in the world.  It is a time when we get to choose an ecological approach to our lives, and give up or lose an ego approach. What do I mean about this?  We all have our individual identities; these are our ego containers that make each of us unique individuals in an ocean of “others”.  However, how we relate and interact with other people, places, and things is the current differentiation and dichotomy on the planet right now.  We need to ask: Are our actions ego-driven to foster our own gains, or are our actions “eco”-driven to support our health and well-being along with a concern and regard for others.  If we offer the syllogism that our actions affect everything because we are inter-related and connected to all life, then it would make sense that each of us (accepting this premise) would go into positive and right actions.

I was listening to a message from Oprah the other day and she quoted the law of physics: The Third Law of Motion that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Not opposite in the sense that if I do something hurtful, it will come back as helpful. No. What this Law of Physics means to me is that what I put out into the world --- my energy ---- will have an impact and come back to me as such.  I know that when I meet each day with love and treat others with kindness and generosity, the world smiles back at me in interesting ways. I think it is just how I create this consciousness within myself.  Yet, I must say with all transparency, that I do not always go into right action or greet others with respect and love. That may be due to my own struggles with my demons and fears in my psyche.  However, I feel so much better in my life when I can lift myself up to a loving and positive viewpoint.   In Eastern religions and philosophy, the issues of karma and one’s dharma speak to this “what goes around comes around” concept. It appears we are in an age when science and philosophy are joining together to define a new human definition, a new humanity.

This is the path I have been drawn to these last several years: I am beginning to open to a new lens to define who I am in the world. Believe me, this is a quantum leap (no pun intended) from decades ago being a teacher in a high school. While I still identify with the teacher archetype, I have jumped to more of a leader archetype.  I consistently ask myself, how can I support, guide, provoke, and awaken others to a new way to look at our human existence?  Maybe our lack of consciousness and the disasters we see occurring on this planet can be solved through a new awareness. As Einstein once stated: “We cannot solve any problem from the same level that it exists”. Hence, my leap into metaphysics: going to another viewpoint or lens to see my world via a spiritual connection with all existence. The Beatles had a lyric in their song, I am the Walrus,  that stated (I can hear John Lennon’s voice as he sang): “I AM HE as YOU are HE, as you are Me , and We are ALL Together.”  Please forgive the pronoun, “He” in this quote…. Personally I am looking for someone to create a neutral pronoun, instead of identifying everyone as either she or he.  No: “IT” will not do.  But, the lyric speaks to an invitation to accept a new reality.

Thus, the energy of the coming ECLIPSE may support a shift to a new humanity, an awakening of who we are during this second Renaissance.  Eclipses occur on lunar nodes and also, when the Earth, Sun, and Moon are in alignment along the same axis.  The one on August 18th is on the LEO (Sun) opposite AQUARIUS (Moon) axis. 

Wherever you have Leo and Aquarius in your chart, you are being called upon to deal with an awakening to your soul’s purpose.  This Full Moon eclipse will deal with those pieces of your psyche that needs to be brought out of the shadow and embraced.  Remember that the dark side of Leo is domineering and oblivious to others, where the Aquarian shadow is unable to realize the “change” that begins with him or herself. But, both energies are healed through love and opening the heart.  A mini forecast for each sign is found at the end of the newsletter to discuss the effects of the eclipse.

Key points of Lunar Eclipse on the 18th:

·       You may find yourself awakening to new possibilities in your life. 

·       All eclipses even this one as a partial eclipse may initiate change in a key area of your life.

·       The change agent Uranus is in retrograde and will have you reviewing former events in your life that will bring you to new realizations and actions.

My advice for this week is to gather with like-minded souls around the time of this eclipse, and consider this: “Our world is in crisis because of the absence of consciousness. And so to whatever degree any one of us can bring back a small piece of the picture and contribute it to the building of the new paradigm, then we participate in the redemption of the human spirit, and that after all is what it’s really all about.” (Terence McKenna)