Counseling Psychological Astrologer in Atlanta, Georgia. Jung inspired, spiritually infused Astrology Readings and Astrology Counseling via phone or Zoom, wherever you are. And for students, a Beginner’s Online Astrology Course.
Meditating with the Moon – Thursday, January 5, 2017
Moon in Aries
Fresh, hot energy with incredible intensity. This is a moment to expand into your uniqueness and push towards transformation. Adapt and take ACTION.
Words for Meditation
Feel into intensity without fear; I am emotionally powerful and expansive.
FIRST QUARTER MOON Moon 2:47 pm – 55% Illuminated – 8 Days Old
Moonrise: 12:26 PM Moonset: 1:11 AM on Jan 6, 2017
12th Day of Christmas / Twelfth Night (Let the revels begin! And end… until next Yuletide.)
How to Meditate with the Moon
Using these simple Moon thoughts are a wonderful way to begin a daily meditation practice that keeps you focused on, and grounded in, the emotional energy of the Cosmos each and every day.
You can do a very simple 8/4 count meditation, which means you settle into a comfortable position, close your eyes, focus on your breath, and breathein to a slow count of 8, hold it for 4 counts, and then breathe out for a slow count of 8. Hold your breath again for 4 counts. On the in-breath recite a word or phrase from the Moon Meditation in your mind, focusing on that energy and holding it, and then consciously release that same energy out into the world on the out-breath. Then empty your mind space for 4 counts, and begin the process again on the in-breath with the next word or phrase from the Moon Meditation.
Moon in Pisces then Aries An emotional shift from the sublime to the Self. Practice enthusiastic assertion and awaken to the forces within you. Feel alive!
Words for Meditation
I am awakening; I connect to my will.
Waxing Crescent Moon – 43% Illuminated – 7 Days Old
Moonrise: 11:49 am Eastern Moonset: 12:08 am Eastern, Jan. 5, 2016
Moon Void 11:14 am until 11:20 am Eastern
11th Day of Christmas aka Rock Day or Divination Day
Mercury Retrograde enters Sagittarius 9:17 am Eastern
Moon in Pisces Feel into your wounded places and honor them for the wisdom makers they are. Feel mercy for your mistakes, gratitude for your failures, and forgiveness for others.
Words for Meditation
The wound is the place the light enters you.
Waxing Crescent Moon – 33% Illuminated – 6 Days Old
This past Summer I had the idea of meditating daily with the constantly changing energies of the Moon. (I’m certain I’m not the only one to ever have this idea!) It seemed that knowing the emotional Cosmic weather and focusing on it consciously through my heart, mind, and breath would be a wonderful way to stay connected to and grounded in the guidance of the sky that is ours for the asking…
About 2 weeks ago I began sharing daily “Meditating with the Moon” entries on my Facebook page (the Astrology with Michelle Gregg page – you can see a link to it to the right of this page. Please follow me on Facebook!) and folks really seem to like it, so I thought I’d begin sharing “Meditating with the Moon” here too.
Here’s an example entry from today:
Meditating with the Moon – Sunday, January 1, 2017
(NEW YEAR’s DAY; Hanukkah Ends; 8th Day of Christmas / The Kalends of January)
Moon in Aquarius: With a little effort, and letting go of self-denial, 2017 begins with BIG potential to bring unexpected joy, and unique relationships. Be CREATIVE and honor your values. Sparkle!
Words for Meditation: This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!
Waxing Crescent Moon – 15% Illuminated – 4 Days Old
Moonrise: 9:57am Eastern Moonset: 9:07pm Eastern
The idea is that I offer a sentence or two about the energy of the Moon on each day of the month, and then I provide a few words or a phrase or two to focus on in meditation. You can use these words and phrases in any way you like in your own meditation practice, or if you don’t already meditate, using these simple Moon thoughts are a wonderful way to begin a daily meditation practice that keeps you focused on, and grounded in, the emotional energy of the Cosmos each and every day.
I personally do a very simple 8/4 count meditation, which means I settle into a comfortable position, close my eyes, focus on my breath, and breathe in to a slow count of 8, hold it for 4 counts, and then breathe out for a slow count of 8, and hold my breath again for 4 counts. On the in-breath I recite a word or phrase from the Moon Meditation in my mind, focusing on that energy and holding it, and then consciously release that same energy out into the world on the out-breath. Then I empty my mind space for 4 counts, and begin the process again on the in-breath with the next word or phrase from the Moon Meditation.
That’s just an idea of how to use these words and phrases – please use them in whatever way feels good for you. Simply reading them is a great way to start!
I hope you enjoy Meditating with the Moon and that the practice keeps you centered and emotionally clean and connected as you go through your days.
WED. DEC 28, 2016: Spend some time alone today mulling over where you are in life in order to align yourself with the New Moon in Capricorn, the New Year, and the resolutions that are knocking on your heart. The New Moon is exact Thursday morning, Dec 29, at 1:53 AM Eastern. And as the Moon becomes dark today, with no visible crescent… this is when we can tap into the fruitful, fertile darkness of our psyches. When we go into our internal darkness digging for rich, redolent emotional fodder with which to grow, we are often rewarded with evolutionary bounty that was previously locked in our unconsciousness. Be fearless and completely honest in this dark space of the unconquered Self. Now is absolutely the time for this kind of inner questing. It’s also the time to retreat away from others in order to reflect, restore, and rejuvenate.
Themes of this New Moon are Capricornian in nature – so ponder these words and phrases to help you capture the spirit of this Cosmic moment meant for regenerating your Self, renewing your emotional structure, and planning your new beginnings:
integrity conscientiousness structure foundation groundedness framework commitment
determination perseverance achievement goals and goal setting work and career responsibility practicing reliability self-security self-control being or becoming supportive security minded tradition status-quo the time-tested time patience
This New Moon is more than simply about Capricorn however.
First, there’s a distinct emphasis on Mercury, and Mercury is Retrograde. To me this emphasizes the right timing to retreat, if only for short time, into alone-ness and into the unconscious, while using Mercury to delve into the ways of your mind… how do you process? How do you communicate? How do you “travel” through your life? Could your mental workings benefit from being more grounded, more serious, more pragmatic… or less so?
Then, there’s a connection to Neptune this new cycle that lends a less defined edge to this straight-laced Capricorn Moon. Neptune offers opportunities to deeply spiritualize this process, to open to grace, to seek the sublime. There’s the potential for a softer, more yielding sensation around this new emotional cycle than straight Capricorn energy would afford. There may be artistic possibilities – whether being artistic or appreciating art – to tap into that would enrich your New Moon experience. And while the Capricorn Moon may feel the need to retract away from emotionalism, its connection to Neptune and Pisces brings the need for connecting, for union – for communion. So try to make efforts to be alone for a period of time, but if you’re feeling the need to be with loved ones or to make deep connections, move gently into that space as well. It’s a very interesting combination of energies that wants to be both practical and dreamy simultaneously.
Mars is also in this mix of very different energies… Mars in Pisces, is also closely aligned with Neptune. Playing with the symbols we can come up with 1) taking action on dreams 2) the non-violent warrior 3) conquering through yielding 4) yearning for the Divine 5) striving for the boundless 6) love conquers all. There are certainly other possibilities that aren’t quite as positive… but we’re not going there right now.
By 7 pm Eastern the evening of the 29th, the Moon encounters Pluto… deepening and intensifying this New Moon moment. Again, there’s emphasis on diving deeply emotionally, and going into the dark. Pluto assures us that there, in that blue-black space, we can emerge with gold if we dare to see and experience totally, fearlessly, and without holding back. Extremes are probable. 🙂
And finally, this New Capricorn Moon connects with the North and South Nodes of the Moon, connecting us with the past and pushing us toward the future. It may be that emotions arise around things that happened some time ago. If that’s your experience, honor those emotions and see how you can distill something that can propel you forward – toward you purpose.
So, I’m wishing for you this New Moon and this New Year the experience of going deeply, profoundly into your being – going there with beauty and compassion, with imagination and with vision – and finding something concrete, some kernel of self-truth and integrity, that you can form a solid framework around. Something new that you can commit to, work hard toward and bring into manifestation… something that will grow stronger and better over time. I wish for you to do your best so that you achieve your best – not just for you, but for all of us who will receive the bounty of the gifts you provide to the world.
Happy New Moon. Happy New Year!
New Moon in Capricorn – Dec. 29, 2016 at 1:53 AM Eastern – yellow lines show connections from the New Moon to Mercury, the Sun, and Pluto. Green lines show connections from the New Moon to the South Node, Mars, Neptune, and the North Node.
It’s going to be quite a weekend! The Moon will be full in Aries VERY early on Sunday at 12:23 am Eastern. The way we communicate and think is challenging the way we take action on our will and our deepest desires. Our ability to assert ourselves is punching our ability to regenerate and transform, or conversely,the pull to degenerate or be dangerous. The Full Moon, who always triggers high emotions, will connect with the energy of sudden unexpected changes and events – so be ready for anything! There’s a revolutionary feel to what’s happening, and we can experience these energies as empowerment or as rebellion, both personally, and obviously, in our world. If you’ve been following the presidential campaign at all, you know exactly what I mean.
The planetary motions I’ve listed above represent what’s happening now via the Moon, Mercury and Mars. They are the quick moving cosmic entities who trigger the longer term trends provided by the slow moving planets.
The long term trend that has been the backdrop of our lives since late 2014 is the Saturn/Neptune square (and this is actually the final contact between these two in their 36-year cycle that began in 1989 with the Berlin Wall coming down – a perfect example of a separative boundary crumbling). The final EXACT contact between these two life changing forces occurred on Sept.10, 2016, and now we are in what I call “the fallout” period of any major planetary aspect – that period of time when we’re trying to integrate all that we’ve experienced and learned during the time the two planets were contacting each other. In my work with clients over the years I’ve seen that this period of time can be quite challenging, as this is when we decide whether or not to “learn the lesson.” This fallout will be in effect at least until the end of the year… let’s ponder that for few minutes.
Saturn, as a pure energy, represents our structure, the foundation that we have built for our lives, our traditions, the status quo. He symbolizes our urge toward success and integrity, as well as our fear of failure. Saturn asks that we work hard toward a goal and that we accomplish what we set out to do on one hand – yet he also symbolizes where we feel “less than” and unable to perform due to perceived boundaries and obstacles on the other. Saturn is the great task-master and time-keeper, and lives solely in the plane of reality, for good or for ill.
Neptune, like the sea, is forever moving, shifting, ebbing and flowing. He
represents transcendence, compassion, the dissolving of boundaries and our urge to become one with all that exists – he is our urge toward God. Yet, Neptune also symbolizes illusion, delusion, deceit, addictions – all things that escape or cover reality and the truth. Neptune, at its lowest vibration, is the crux of co-dependence and victim-savior complexes. Neptune energy can have us believing a lie, while masquerading as a truth that is sublime.
It is these two energies combined that have created the sense that our structure, our very foundation (Saturn), is shifting – undulating back and forth (Neptune), no longer providing the security we crave, and challenging our sense of what is real. (We can witness this both in the political arena and in the weather.)
When Saturn and Neptune shake us, we are caught in moment in time when we must differentiate between what is real and what is fantasy, and be willing to let go – to surrender – on some levels, while taking up the challenge and being willing to build anew on other levels. We strive to bring our dreams into reality and over time are successful as the best case scenario – or we are so caught up in our self-defenses and co-dependencies and victimization that we feel completely unable to move forward as the worst case scenario. We feel our reality dissolving around us. And of course, there are all the complexities in-between.
The best possible way to work with both Saturn and Neptune simultaneously is to honor both… working with Saturn means to create and apply yourself to a goal, even if it’s hard to do. Make a plan and take the necessary steps to fulfill it – and then reap the rewards of your hard work via success and that golden sense of accomplishment. Working with Neptune means to open your heart, to let down your defenses and allow your compassionate nature full throttle. It means going toward your own divinity – working your spiritual practice. As a matter of fact – working (Saturn) your spiritual practice (Neptune) honors both the Gods. And that’s a happy combination.
Regardless of whether we are working the Saturn/Neptune square at the higher or lower vibration personally, our world is reflecting this challenge all around us. It is a zeitgeist that we must not turn away from. We may feel that we would prefer to escape into our internal world which feels safe and comfortable, not facing the new way… but instead, we must work toward something tangible, something with integrity, something real. We must be present in this moment in time and fully engage our divinely inspired creativity to make the most of where we are.
It is my hope that we are all able to unite with our own newpersonal truth and with others in a more compassionate way, and that we can build something for ourselves and our society that is a gentler, more inclusive, less boundaried reality than the one we have been witness to lately.
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Please click the audio bar below to begin listening to the meditation.
Welcome to the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo guided imagery meditation. I’m Michelle Gregg, Counseling Astrologer.Please join me for a few minutes of quiet, relaxation, and beautiful imagery, so that we can align together with this powerful lunation, this brand new beginning, and raise the vibration of this energy for the world.
The New Moon Solar Eclipse occurred on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 at 5:03 AM Eastern time. The energy of this event is potent and compelling and will be felt for months to come. The energy of an eclipse generally unfolds over time. Feel free to do this meditation whenever you choose over the next year.
The New Moon is the time to retreat into the darkness to reflect, to restore your soul, and to set intentions. An eclipse is the time to consciously let something go that no longer serves you – the beginning of a new cycle.
Ideally, come to the meditation with your New Moon intentions to hand. You could even imagine that you have placed them in a sheaf of wheat… and as your intentions change, re-align them in a new sheaf of wheat and revisit the meditation.
For those who may not be able to access the audio file above, here is the entire meditation in written format:
“Welcome to the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo guided imagery meditation. I’m Michelle Gregg, Counseling Astrologer. Please join me for a few minutes of quiet, relaxation, and beautiful imagery, so that we can align together with this powerful lunation, this brand new beginning. The New Moon Solar Eclipse occurred on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 at 5:03 AM Eastern time. The energy of this event is potent and compelling and will be felt for months to come. The energy of an eclipse generally unfolds over time. Feel free to do this meditation whenever you choose over the next year.
The New Moon is the time to retreat into the darkness to reflect, to restore your soul, and to set intentions. An eclipse is the time to consciously let something go that no longer serves you – the beginning of a new cycle.
Find a place that’s quiet and restful, away from your daily routine, and preferably in the dark. Sit comfortably in any position that feels good to you. Gently close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Begin relaxing your body. Breathe slowly. Relax your feet, ankles and legs. Breathe deeply. Relax your hips and belly. Breathe slowly. Relax your solar plexus and ribs and breathe deeply. Relax your back and your chest and breathe slowly. Relax your hands, your wrists, and your arms and breathe deeply. Relax your shoulders – let them be loose, and breathe slowly. Relax your neck. Relax your chin, and now your face. Breathe slowly. Relax your eyes and your brow, and now the top of your head. Breathe deeply………………. Breathe slowly.
Now, see yourself on a very dark night, no moonlight at all, standing on a beach, with the ocean rolling in, wave after glorious wave, bringing the sea closer with each moment. Beside you is Virgo, the Goddess of the Grain, holding aloft a sheaf of wheat, both hands raised to the sky. You realize as you look at her face and her arms raised high that there a millions of stars above you, constellations clearly visible, and the Milky Way is enormous, filling the darkness with hues of pink, blue, gold, and green, breathtaking in its glorious diaphanous beauty as it descends toward the water.
The Goddess is offering her wheat, the staff of her physical, tangible life, and the bearer of her intentions, to the glory of the sky and the power of the sea – to the Universe, to Source, to the Divine. She turns to look at you, and you instinctively know that it’s your turn to raise your wheat high, lifting your arms in a promise to serve yourself, to serve others, and to serve the Divine with the purpose of your life, with your new intentions, with discernment, with competence, and with the gifts that only you possess. You promise, with a whisper to the winds and the roar of the ocean, to live your life from the spark of your own inner divinity, and to serve life from a place of perfect love.
Now, you realize that there are many others all around, standing on the beach to either side of you as far as you can see. Each one is holding aloft their sheaf of wheat – offering their lives, their intentions, in service to the glories of the Earth, to the wonders of the Divine, to themselves and to all. Now, as the Goddess lays down her wheat in the wet sand, everyone follows suit, bringing their sheaves to create an enormous cairn. As the offering is being built, one sheaf at a time, the waves of the ocean become bigger, and louder, and closer, until a mighty figure appears far out in the ocean. He is enormous and powerful, with seaweed hair and beard streaming all about his face. He is holding up a trident – and with a sharp communal intake of breath everyone present recognizes Neptune, God of the Sea. He comes closer and closer to land, very close to where you all stand, and as he does, you see that his face is creased with lines of kindness, his eyes shine with love and compassion, and his gaze seems to encompass everyone at once, leaving each of you with the feeling of acceptance, just as you are.
Virgo walks into the shallow waves to meet him – earthy, grounded, beauty meets the mystical, boundary-less transcendent. As they embrace, calm and gentle waves roll in at your feet, and begin to disperse the alter of wheat. Each intention, each promise being carried into the sea to become one with all that is.
As you watch the sheaves being taken away you feel a sense of calm and deliberation flow through you. Your intuition is powerful. You know your course. You feel as though this magical experience has imbued you with fearlessness and has ignited the passion of right action, and a practical plan to begin to realize your intentions. You are strong in your sense of self-worth. You course with authority over your own life, even as you stand in your certainty of service to others.
As you turn to leave this wondrous beach, you are strengthened with the wisdom that moves in you, knowing that when the time is right, when the Moon wanes her gibbous light and Mercury moves forward again, you will rise to your new course of action. All is well.
PAUSE
Now, impress those images you’ve just experienced into your memory, so that later they will return with ease. Continue to breathe deeply and slowly for a few moments more… and now, when you’re ready, open your eyes. Begin to feel at one with your body again. Stretch each limb and muscle, pulling the Virgo energy of the physical into your being.
Thank you for sharing this moment with me.
Go into your daily life and bring balance between the real and the sublime, with beautiful intentions, and practical service.
This Retrograde coincides with the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Virgo on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 at 5:03 am. That’s a lot of energy! What I want to impress on you about this Retrograde and Eclipse is to let your heart come before your head… allow Luna (your emotions and the expression of those emotions) to feel her way into where you are; and let Mercury (your mental processes) take a back seat. He is going backwards after-all. 🙂
Trusting your intuition and making space for emotional connectedness is a great way to make new beginnings at the New Moon. Go into the dark of the moon and let yourself explore emotionally while letting your mind’s whirling have a rest – internalizing thoughts and reevaluating how your process is appropriate – just please be sure that you’re also tuning in to the feeling aspect of who you are.
Both of these events, Mercury Retrograde and the New Moon Solar Eclipse, activate Virgo and Pisces – so bring balance between analyzing and blurring the details, between discernment and “it’s all good,” between feeling in-control and out-of-control – and most of all, between being a martyr and being a victim. Both the darkness at a New Moon and Mercury Retrograde ask us to introspect and to restore – not to push forward hastily without feeling or thought.
Here are a few specifics to know about this Mercury Retrograde: Mercury will travel backwards from 29 degrees of Virgo to 14 degrees of Virgo… so that Virgo/Pisces axis is being strongly impacted, as is the Gemini/Sagittarius axis. If you have have planets in any of these 4 signs, this Retrograde is very much yours.🙂 Especially if your planets are between 12 and 30 degrees of those mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, & Pisces).
This is the chart for the beginning of Mercury Retrograde in Atlanta, GA – Aug. 30, 2016 -8:59 AM Eastern
The New Moon is the time to retreat into the darkness to reflect, to restore your soul, and to set intentions. An eclipse is the time to consciously let something go that no longer serves you – the beginning of a new cycle.
Now, see yourself on a very dark night, no moonlight at all, standing on a beach, with the ocean rolling in, wave after glorious wave, bringing the sea closer with each moment. Beside you is Virgo, the Goddess of the Grain, holding aloft a sheaf of wheat, both hands raised to the sky. You realize as you look at her face and her arms raised high that there a millions of stars above you, constellations clearly visible, and the Milky Way is enormous, filling the darkness with hues of pink, blue, gold, and green, breathtaking in its glorious diaphanous beauty as it descends toward the water. 
Virgo walks into the shallow waves to meet him – earthy, grounded, beauty meets the mystical, boundary-less transcendent. As they embrace, calm and gentle waves roll in at your feet, and begin to disperse the alter of wheat. Each intention, each promise being carried into the sea to become one with all that is. 
Astrology with Michelle Gregg 