Category Michelle’s Astro Food for Thought

Jan 6 2010

Yes…it’s Retrograde Season, Saturn and Pluto are squared, but here’s something to inspire you!

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I’ve been thinking about the current Saturn/Pluto square, and all these Retrogrades. And just like that, I came across, for the hundredth time in my life, my favorite quote ever. It’s by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, that wonderful German poet, writer, philosopher, dramatist, playwright, and civil servant. (He was a good Virgo, with a Pisces moon – a man of service and discrimination with a soul connected to the pulse of his world. He was born in 1749 and died in 1832 – like us experiencing the turning from one century to the next. He is known as one of most influential writers of all time.)

The quote I love so much, and that presented itself to me today, is this:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

I do realize of course, that Saturn and Pluto are squared, seemingly wreaking havoc on our very foundation; and that Mercury and Mars are Retrograde – and that in just a few days Saturn will be Retrograde as well. All this Retrograde action translates to a time for mental and physical retreat, and a true internal reality check.  This is not the best moment in time to begin anything new.

HOWEVER – there are words and ideas in the quote above that at this time on our journey, the time of Retrogrades and a Saturn/Pluto square, are of utmost importance. Goethe speaks of commitment, the realm of Saturn. He also speaks of hesitancy, drawing back and ineffectiveness – also the realm of Saturn, but from the lower vibration. He tells us that without commitment we can never be fully engaged in our dream! As long as we hesitate, i.e. as long as we act from a place of commitment phobia, our intentions are not clear to the Powers that Be, and therefore cannot gather force beneath and around us, to rally us forward toward our goals. As long as we are wishy-washy, even a little, Providence cannot help us fulfill our dreams, goals, and aspirations.

So take heed of the Retrogrades and ruminate, stand still instead of running forward just for now, and work with Saturn to get the REAL dream in place so that the Pluto purging of whatever is getting in your way or holding you back can work its mysterious magic that will lead to an incredible transformation in your life as you know it! (Think “work toward transformation”.)

This month and through the next several weeks, during this time of introspection, renewal, rehearsal and not so intrepid and forthright action, go inside and figure out what you WILL COMMIT yourself to. Make lists, meditate, visualize, test and rehearse. Be bold and allow your genius to arise from within – and then, when the time to move forward is ripe (you’ll feel it), the magic will happen – the support will show up, the people of like-mind will appear to help, like the shoemakers elves.

Saturn + Pluto = REAL MAGIC, COMMITMENT TO RELEASING WHAT’S USELESS AND DYING, TRANSFORMATION TAKING FORM, DEEP AWARENESS OF YOUR INNER TRUTH

Read the quote from Goethe several times, only say it in the first person (Until I am committed…etc.) until you can recite it without reading it. Allow it to become a part of you. Internalize it and meditate on it. Feel it. And then…when it’s time to move forward…feel your power, be BOLD and do it! Commit with no concept left of turning back.

See? Retrogrades, Saturn and Pluto really can be your friends!

Oct 1 2009

Mercury Direct! Now the shadow…

Mercury - Roman MythologyTuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 – Happy Mercury Direct everyone! Mercury began its forward motion at 22 degrees of Virgo and will continue into Libra as the days progress. We’re now entering the after-shadow period; the down-time during which Mercury heads back to the same degree it was in when it went Retrograde 3 weeks ago. That means we have until October 15 to assimilate all that we’ve re-structured and received around our communication skills and needs within relationships (Libra), how and where we can truly serve from the heart while engaging our heads and our hands (Virgo). This time also gives us a couple of weeks to re-engage our brains into forward movement and to pull together a mental plan for the next 3 months so that we’re prepared for the next Retrograde that begins the day after Christmas in Capricorn (that should make for some interesting last-minute holiday shopping and party going! Word to the wise – if you’re buying electronics, cars, or anything that includes a contract this year, shop early!)  We can utilize the current shadow time to figure out how we can now take action and move forward on the juicy information that we may have been able to harvest from our psyches during the Retrograde. We can still expect communication glitches and other Mercury antics for the next few days, but if you’re paying attention you can feel the energy shifting. Don’t expect too much too fast; just breathe in the newly forward feeling and focus on what you’ve learned and how you incorporate that new knowledge into your daily experience of life.

Sep 18 2009

A Feeling for the Whole – an excerpt from Gwen Gordon’s “What Does God Look Like in an Expanding Universe”

The Milky Way Over Ontario by Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn

The Milky Way Over Ontario by Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn

Sitting in the grass on a moonless, cloudless night I gaze at the arch of the Milky Way, letting the forms of beloved constellations reveal themselves in the wealth of the luminaries. I sink back into a happy sense of my own nothingness before the certainty of the stars. I do not experience terror at this vastness of space-time, but an aspect of immensity that is comforting – all those stars and all the invisible worlds beyond them are necessary for me to come into existence. I am this immensity gazing into itself, born from the fire of its stars and cooled down enough to be able to think, see, and admire. No matter how remote these distant ancestors are, in this moment I know that we would not be without each other. A sense of awe sweeps through me.

Excerpt from “A Feeling for the Whole” from What Does God Look Like in an Expanding Universe by Gwen Gordon.  Click here to read the entire excerpt.

Visit Gwen Gordon’s amazing website at www.gwengordonplay.com.

Sep 16 2009

Saturn and Uranus – What we must balance.

I’m certain you’ve heard of the Age of Aquarius. Some say we’re fully in it, some say it’s only just started, some that it doesn’t start for quite some time, while even others argue that  it started back in the 60’s or even longer ago – it’s a bit of a gray area.  An Astrological Age, such as the Age of Pisces that we’re departing and the Age of Aquarius that we’re entering, are periods of time lasting about 2160 years and are marked by the sun’s movement, at the time of the Spring Equinox, into a new zodiacal constellation. This movement occurs backward through the Zodiac and is due to the wobble of the Earth on its axis. The sign of an Astrological Age defines the characteristics of the time over a 2000 year period, give or take a couple of hundred years. However “an age” can also be defined as “any period identified with some dominant personality or characteristic”. I propose The Little Age of Saturn/Uranus. It’s far more certain in terms of timing and much easier to define than an entire Astrological Age!

This Little Age of Saturn/Uranus began in the Fall of 2008 and will end just before Fall in 2010. So we have a two year moment that is not only acting as a stand alone event; it is also the catalyst ushering in a brand new paradigm. Here’s why.

Every 45 years, Saturn and Uranus find themselves at a stand-off in the sky – a 2-year period when, like duelists meeting at dawn with drawn pistols, they are opposed – literally being 180 degrees apart, and symbolically. Let’s talk about the symbolism. These two planets are rather like those duelists – feet slipping in the morning dew, the mist swirling thick between them, and not nearly enough light to really see the other for a clean shot. They must feel as if they’re moving in slow motion, sticky with apprehension, and that their target – their goal – is not clearly emerged enough from the elements to offer clear vision. The outcome of this precarious adventure is wildly uncertain…the fact that something has to happen – to change – is unalterable.

(Which can perhaps be seen as the death throes of the Age of Pisces as we move faster into the Age of Aquarius.)  since Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius and is occupying the sign of Pisces

At 8:51 EDT on Sept. 15 (yesterday as I write this) Saturn and Uranus made the third of five exact oppositions, the denouement of this Little Age. This exact 180 degree separation, placing Saturn in Virgo on one side and Uranus in Pisces on the other, is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs about every 45 years.

1918 – 1920

End of WWI

Spanish Flu kills 700000 Americans and others worldwide

Russian Civil War

Austria went from an Empirical society to a Democratic one – the Austro-Hungarian empire/monarchy disentegrated.

Leading into the Roaring Twenties

Change in fashion, music – flappers and jazz

Prohibition – 1919 to 1933 the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution banning the production and sale of alcohol.

Suffrage – August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution became law, and women were finally given the legal right to vote in this country.

Sep 8 2009

Classic

writingI’ve been trying to write a post to remind you of this particular energy for two days now. What’s the hold-up? Hmmm. I’d say, at the risk of sounding woo-woo, that it’s Mercury Retrograde. No kidding…I woke up Monday morning, the first morning of Mercury Retrograde, and my phone, internet and TV were all down. There was a problem with Comcast. I made the call to report the outage, and over 3 hours later my service was restored…but only for a little while. I spent the rest of the day trying to work without much luck. Pretty much the same thing happened Tuesday, except the outage came late in the day instead of early. Late afternoon I finally threw in the towel and decided to take my own advice. I stopped pushing…stopped forcing. I decided that a walk with my family was a better idea than watching the “connected” bubble at the bottom of my screen, hoping for a few minutes of work time. I picked up a book that I’ve been wanting to read…and what happened? I became inspired to start reworking a scene of my own book. Not at my computer, not in my office. I was curled up with a notebook and a pen in a comfy chair with my son beside me, my mom happily watching Turner Classics, and my dog at my feet. And all this stuff just started coming up! It was fabulous. I connected with my immediate relationships, relaxed, allowed myself to take a step back and WOW. Inspiration flooded me. So don’t despair my friends. Yes. Mercury is Retrograde…maybe you should be too!