Happy New Year! January Forecast w/ something for everyone…

I know. I’ve been away a long time (3 months exactly) and I really don’t want to explain, but suffice to say that it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be here. Sometimes things get in the way, sometimes the path diverges unexpectedly, and sometimes I really need to be more than one person to fulfill my personal expectations…but I think I’m back and I have something for you…

Happy New Year!  Happy New Decade!

(If you want to have a printed copy of this but are doing your part for the planet and don’t want to use even more paper, pick up a copy of the January issue of Aquarius magazine. In February you can use it to build a bonfire for Carnival…)

For Sign by Sign Forecasts for January 2010, go to the Current Forecast.

“Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and your judgment wage war against your passion and your appetite.”  ~Khalil Gibran

The portal into 2010 is a profound New Year’s Eve Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse! That’s a mouthful and indeed 2010 opens with serious emotionalism leaving you with a lot to chew on over the coming weeks. Be aware that the effects of an Eclipse are felt long after the event, and this Full Moon in Cancer on New Year’s Eve demands a change of course in terms of your family, close ties, your history/tradition and the way you nurture and need nurturing. With Pluto and Saturn involved in the Eclipse your fears and limitations may try to get in your way over the next 6 months. Instead of falling to that dark side, tap the positive energy of Pluto/Saturn as the year begins: voluntarily purge what’s no longer useful in your life, particularly in the areas of family/tradition, career, and relationships. Willingly envision practical steps you can take for a more effective, more efficiently run life. Then take on the responsibility of actually accomplishing those necessary steps. Patience and perseverance will be required as well as a good dose of deep, soulful, self-reflection. Tightening the money belt may also be necessary, and there may be financial loss – learn to do more with less. Remember when being Eco Friendly was called being frugal and was the territory of common sense? Your depression era parents and grandparents can teach you all about that. Spend some time with them and learn the beauty of using only what you need, and saving for a rainy day. The era of boundless waste and thoughtless immediate gratification without consequences is over. With Mars Retrograde  in Leo, Saturn turning Retrograde in Libra on Jan. 13, and Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn until Jan. 15, don’t expect your new course to simply fall into place with your first effort. Persistence, diligence, and perseverance, 3 positive traits belonging to Saturn and Capricorn, will likely be required. January is more about charting the course than acting on it – get clear, get real, plot the map. Previously beloved projects may lose their shine and your interest may be projected elsewhere – it’s okay to let go IF you practice the proper rumination and use realistic judgment. Letting go may be a part of your changing course!  On Jan. 15 we are released from Mercury Retrograde and the communication, transportation, and technological glitches that come with it, and we are gifted with another moment to chart a new course with the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Capricorn. This Eclipse puts emphasis on your outer place in the world and your ability to perform with responsibility and dedication. The purpose of this moment is to offer the potential to balance the home/family/nurture energy of the Lunar Eclipse that began the New Year. The completion of duties is necessary to achieve goals and accomplish dreams that are dear. This is not the time to take off the yoke – but to ponder how you will throw your weight and strength into the practical, earthy furrow before you, despite the rocks and roots in your path. In what new way can you go about these responsibilities and tasks? If the way you’ve been at it has gotten you nowhere, this New Moon Eclipse brings the opportunity to go about bringing your dreams to fruition in a new, better, way – one that leads to fulfillment. You need only do the work, while maintaining focus and integrity.  Jupiter moves into Pisces on Jan. 17, Venus moves into Aquarius on the 18th and the Sun moves into Aquarius on the 19th. These new positions will offer a lighter feel, a softening  toward those who suffer, perhaps a bit of rebellion against the work that is now required, and some new innovation and new ideas to put toward achieving the goals began at the Solar Eclipse. Jan. 30 offers the Full Moon in Leo, the grand, high energy moment that is the culmination of the month, letting us know that despite limits and intensity, life is worth living, particularly when shared in relationship. Open your heart, watch for drama, and give love. And try to balance “yourself in the moment” with “altruism and the big, future picture”. The last day of the month is the second exact square between Saturn and Pluto – the first occurred Nov. 15, 2009; the third will occur on Aug. 21, 2010 heralding the demise of this nine-month Saturn/Pluto era. This second square is the time that we start to understand what we’re supposed to learn from this chafing combination of energies: limits, boundaries, time and tradition from Saturn; and purging, intensity, transformation and rebirth from Pluto. The rub creates the friction necessary to motivate a huge change…what will yours be? It’s not a warm and fuzzy start to 2010, but it can be one that gifts you with the practical reality of taking control of your own life and becoming authentic – live from your true core.  Be willing to steadily pass through any crisis and wholly experience the resulting transformation. Carry this Saturn/Pluto spirit with you throughout 2010.


For Sign by Sign Forecasts for January 2010, go to the Current Forecast.


For a complete look at Mercury Retrograde in a positive light, read my article Mercury Retrograde – The Unlikely Healing Gift here.


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.

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.

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.

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!

Full Moon in Pisces – Respite, Imagination, and Idealism to Feed the Source of Service

Oh, how lovely the moon at it’s fullness! What ripe and ready intuition does this Pisces illumination bring us on Sept. 4 at 12:02 pm EDT? The gifts of idealism, imagination and respite for the Soul. Allow yourself some space to connect with these gifts…maybe as a rehearsal for the upcoming Mercury Retrograde on Monday, which asks us to reflect and re-organize our minds. Meander through your creativity, allowing your imagination to emerge fully engaged. Allow yourself to wander through the place that unlocks closed, solitary being and grants permission to feel, truly experience, the connectedness of all life, all existence.

A Full Moon is always exactly opposite the Sun reflecting back the incredible light and energy of that powerful star. Because the Moon is in Pisces, the Sun is in its opposite sign, Virgo. Every Full Moon is about reflecting and balancing polar opposite energies. In this case we become One through Pisces in order to inspire the Virgo work of service. Simply being in the Oneness and the space of imagination and idealism isn’t enough…once that is felt, the Solar energy of Virgo encourages us to buckle down to the work necessary to bring the dream and idealistic goals to fruition. In my September Forecast I stated, “This illumination shows us where we have either seen only the forest and not the trees, or vice versa. On this lunation focus on bringing together ideals and vision with the practical details that will certainly be required for accomplishment. Feel the unity symbolized by Pisces, while doing the work necessary to harvest the vision.”

Here are some key phrases to inspire you

harvesting the vision
working toward the dream
perfecting the ideal
healthy imagination
practical spirituality
idealization of order
dissolution of old methods of working
dissolution of social differences
inspired service

Think back to anything you started at the New Moon 2 weeks ago (see New Moon in Leo article) and to six-months ago and one year ago to see what has come to fullness in your own life. Reflect on lessons learned and begin integrating what is culminating now. Happy Full Moon everyone!


September Forecast

September 2009 Forecast
A Month of Mercury Retrograde

(sign by sign forecast included below)

Mercury - God of Communication and Transportation

Mercury - God of Communication and Transportation

We enter September a bit wobbly. Many are still incorporating the shifts brought about by the Eclipse Season in July and August. September 4th brings a Full Moon in Pisces. Focus on bringing together visionary ideals with the practical details that are required for accomplishment. Feel the unity symbolized by Pisces, while doing the work necessary to harvest the vision. Mercury turns Retrograde in Libra on Sept. 7th, marking our relationships as the target for misunderstandings and demanding that we look deeply into the way we communicate with our loved ones, rebalancing the manner in which we relate with them. On Sept. 11th, Pluto, harbinger of purging and transformation, turns direct in Capricorn. Expect shifts in business, where locked horns will begin to work their way loose to continue the lessons in “new finance” for our country. Saturn and Uranus make the third of five exact oppositions to each other on Sept. 15th. These opposing energies, in place from 2008 through 2010, represent the archetypal battle between light and dark,

The last Saturn/Uranus opposition brought us The Sixties - the Beatles, Vietnam, JFK's rise and fall, MLK's dream and death, free love, psychedelic drugs, and the overturn of the old into the new for our country.

The last Saturn/Uranus opposition, which happens about every 45 years, brought us The Sixties - the Beatles, Vietnam, JFK's rise and fall, MLK's dream and death, free love, psychedelic drugs, and the overturn of the old into the new for our country.

old and new. Think Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker! This is a season of “tradition vs. the new way” with September as the dénouement. This month will bring much in the news demonstrating this struggle. Our personal goal is to find the balance between our own darkness and light, learning to embrace the past as a wise teacher and the future as a better way. Mercury moves back into Virgo on the 17th, requiring that how we serve others and our ability to be discerning undergo some re-adjustments.  The 18th brings a New Moon in Virgo. This New Moon, strapped as it is by Saturn, brings old emotions with it – perhaps with the purpose of finding new meaning in them. This is a sober, practical and work oriented New Moon, with connections to both past and future. Mark your new beginnings by looking behind you to figure out how to move forward. Mid-month Mercury again becomes shadowed by Saturn and opposes Uranus. For those of us unwilling to reflect and re-evaluate, problems with technology could be on turbo boost. Venus moves from Leo into Virgo on Sept. 20th, shifting our relating principle from creativity and fun to practicality and service.  On Sept. 22nd we very soberly welcome Autumn as the Sun moves into Libra. The Sun is close to Saturn, and this Equinox strongly activates the Triple Aquarians – Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune. This liberating group is the most profound messenger of what is happening in our lives right now:  a new egalitarian belief system, profound social healing, and a unified vision of connection for all of humankind. Saturn is in an agitating relationship with the Triple Aquarians and their inspiring message for the whole of September. We can expect irritation between those who are pushing the new message, and those who would see the rich/poor class system maintained. September 29th Mercury Retrograde is over. This is our opportunity to process the lessons experienced during the Retrograde and incorporate our new-found way of communicating in relationships and service.

For a More Complete Forecast and the Sign-by-Sign Breakdown for September, visit the Current Forecast.

For a complete look at Mercury Retrograde in a positive light, read my article Mercury Retrograde – The Unlikely Healing Gift here.

Today’s New Moon in Leo – Express Yourself and Feel the Love

 

New Moon - Dark of the Moon

New Moon - Dark of the Moon

heartThis is a special New Moon indeed. It lets us know that despite all that’s awry right now in our world, despite all the challenges that we face both personally and collectively, we are still a world filled with love. Leo is the ruler of the heart – both the actual physiological pump and the feelings that are stored and emitted from that wondrous organ of life. And the sign Leo is ruled by the Sun – that burning orb of expression. What we have then is our expressive selves becoming love through our emotional awareness. Mmmmm. Lovely.

If we’re becoming love, it stands to reason that we become loving of ourselves. And that’s perfect, because if we love ourselves, we express ourselves without guilt or fear, just as does the Sun. We love, we express, and then we are loved in return via the expression of others. The New Moon in Leo can bring out a win-win love fest for all of us if we a) let it happen, and b) express it!

And that’s not all. This New Moon in Leo is opposite Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter in Aquarius. Now we’re talking BIG UNIVERSAL love. We’re talking feelings that take us out of ourselves and into a higher dimension. Agape, an ancient Greek word has several meanings. It’s translated into English as “love”, but our love has too many meanings to do this word justice. It’s not “eros” or intimate, erotic love; it’s not “philia” or brotherly love. My favorite definitions of “agape” are “unconditional divine love” and “wide open”.  Take this New Moon and allow your love/heart center to be wide open, and to express what’s coming up and out of it in a universal, unconditional way.

 

Sliver of a New Moon

Sliver of a New Moon

Start something from your newly wide open, self-loving and unapologetically self-expressive heart today. In 14 days at the Full Moon, see if something loving comes to fruition as a result and then blossoms to fullness just before the next New Moon. And remember too that whatever you begin today and in the next couple of days, has both a six-month and 1-year cycle that’s being put into play. When you see the slightest sliver of the Moon in a day or two, remember what you’ve read here, and commit to a new start in self-love. Be wide open with your heart and accepting of universal, divine, other love, be expressive of your heart – your deepest desires and most wondrous joys.

Start love.

An August Opinion

ladderThe third and fourth weeks of August come packed with punch…possibly literally. If the 4 planets at play directly impact your birth chart,  pack your bags for a short solitary trip to blow off some steam if possible, or to get out of the line of fire of someone else’s steam blowing. Can’t get away? Do something physical – and do it hard to release the tension of the coming weeks.

There’s a lot of ambition and the desire to work hard during this month, with high energy and the possibility of achieving much. The culmination of something you’ve really put effort into could be at hand. But there are pitfalls to be aware of to harness this energy successfully. We’re experiencing a strong Grand Cross alignment between 4 planets that demand change during August, and a couple of them are hot heads. These 4 planets move into a tense and motivating 4-way cross, each one pushing in a different sort of way. Saturn wants change slowly and cautiously with a well-defined goal and represents order, discipline and structure; Uranus wants change yesterday with a bit of shock value thrown in and represents a revolutionary energy that makes way for uniqueness and stepping outside the status quo; Pluto wants complete transformation after a good purging, representing death, transformation and rebirth; and Mars wants to enforce its own way and survive, whatever else happens, and represents how we act upon our will. Therefore…

Rams Head ButtingThe third week of August, commencing now, has us fiercely feeling the need for independence, and wanting to pull all the stops to make it happen – yet there is resistance – the possibility that we remain grounded, despite the ants in our pants. Mars is edging closer and closer to an exact square (90 degrees apart) with Uranus, with the day of the most breathless and intense display of this energy occurring on Wednesday, August 19. Rebelliousness is likely in those most impacted (it all depends on your natal chart), and most of us can expect impulsiveness or at least restlessness, either in ourselves or by being challenged by those feelings in others. Yet despite our antsy feelings, we might not be able to forge ahead as cleanly as we want. Head butting  and tempers could flare easily, so be prepared by creating a release valve of some kind – a place or activity where you can vent, preferably alone, so that you can come back to the group in a good space.

The goal of this time period is perhaps realizing that a change is necessary, and it should be change that pulls in your unique creativity. It probably should also be a goal that involves others and that has a “greater good” aspect involved. If it doesn’t then your ego attachments and will might be challenged. The up-side of this month is that there’s a lot of energy to tap into to get things moving. Remember that you’ll be most successful if you honor what’s still useful and authentic about whatever needs changing. In other words, throw out the dirty bath water, but you probably don’t need a brand new tub. A new exotic blend of essential oils in the fresh clean water might do.

Pablo Picasso - Girl Before a Mirror - 1932

Pablo Picasso - Girl Before a Mirror - 1932

The fourth week of August strongly pulls in the opposition to Pluto from Mars. If nothing else there is intensity of purpose. This combination at the lowest vibration of possibility screams two words: power plays. If the battle for control commences in your life this month, take a look at yourself to see how this outer conflict is mirroring your inner conflict – there’s likely something unconscious within you that’s trying to push it’s way into consciousness. This is an energy that you can harness to create powerful and positive change – don’t waste it fighting resistance. Instead ask the penetrating questions and act with integrity and subtle authority. Utilize it by getting to the core of the matter honestly, and learning that it’s only yourself that you can control. At its highest vibration this is a time that can bring the courage for deep-reaching transformation and healing on a soul level.

Some cautions: be care-ful, don’t drive fast, wear a helmet, protect your adrenals, re-schedule surgery if possible (especially if it’s on your head), thoughtfully deflect anger rather than reacting.

Eclipse Season Ends with a 3rd Eclipse and New Birth

Lunar EclipseWednesday, Aug. 5  at 8:55 PM in the Eastern Time Zone we have the 3rd eclipse in one month’s time. Did you catch that? A 3rd? you say. Yes. Quite unusual. This entire Eclipse Season has been a very intense one – perhaps fitting that we end it with an extra Lunar Eclipse!

A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon during a Full Moon. Symbolically speaking, we are cutting off our emotions from our egos, and have for a short space of time the ability to stand clearly in our place without such strong pulls from these two powerful forces in our lives. Eclipses herald the end of something and the beginning of something new. This particular Eclipse is like an exclamation mark at the end of an astronomical/astrological proclamation that a new era has begun, and things will no longer be as they were before. We’re in that space of knowing that change is upon us, and just for a moment we’re allowed to feel that space without being pulled from the past or pulled by our attachments to what we believe should be.

Taken singularly, this Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius (the tail end of which will be visible in Eastern North America), has a buoyant, almost happy feel to it. With Jupiter rising over the Ascendant (in Atlanta and places nearby) and Mars agreeing with both the Sun and the Moon, and Mercury and Venus communicating nicely, we have a pleasant Full Moon indeed. It’s quite a social energy, encouraging us to mingle in groups, pool our creativity, share beliefs and visions for the future. Thinkers and creative types can come together and inspire each other toward new social trends that just may translate beyond the social, and fly us closer to our unified dream of a better future for all humankind.

Taken as the kite tail of the astronomical events (including the 2 Eclipses in July) we can see this Eclipse as an inspiring moment on a string of some seriously transformational developments. Here’s the line-up:

June 21 – Powerful (!) Summer Solstice with Pluto as the herald of Death, Transformation and Rebirth.

June 22 – An equally powerful New Moon in Cancer, almost intoxicating us with the power it leant to the Solstice the day before, encouraging us to begin a new way to nurture on every level. The pangs of a new birth begin.

July 7 – Lunar Eclipse in Cancer intensifying and accelerating the energy of change and a profound new nurture, for our Mother the Earth, our country as Mother, and in our personal lives as well.

July 21 – Solar Eclipse in Capricorn, making sure we know that the status-quo will not be maintained – regardless of those of us who want to dig in our heels.

August 5 – Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius – letting us know that all that’s dying and all that’s being born are expressly to serve the greater good. We will usher in a new paradigm that insists on equality and a new values system, even as the forces of tradition and “the new way” battle around us.

We’ve had some shocking news during this short 6-week period. Many of our icons have died, health care reform is being pushed and pulled furiously, Sarah Palin suddenly quit her job, the financial crisis and lay-offs have accelerated – all of which I view as the contractions before the crowning of the wonder that’s coming.

We have had some good news too – several AMAZING environmental leaps have been actualized, and just today, to put a halo all around today’s Eclipse, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, journalists who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in N. Korea, were granted amnesty and brought home!

Hold the power of this time with the energy of transformation, the gratitude of the better way that’s coming, and ask what creative role you can play to actualize it. Such is the energy at hand.  Happy Lunar Eclipse!