August 31, 2012 Full Moon in Pisces (With Chiron and Neptune) – Compassion and Healing

Full Moons bring awareness and ask that we intensify our focus in a particular direction, just as we do when we walk out under a night sky containing the glory of a huge glowing orb – we are compelled to look up and see it – to experience the mysterious beauty above us. That fully visible and perfectly lovely full moon both lights our way through the dark and casts deep shadows. The same is true in our emotional selves at this time – we are both brought to awareness of something and may also be made aware of the shadows in our psyches.

This Full Moon occurs in Pisces, with the Sun in the opposite sign of Virgo. This is the axis of service (Virgo) and of compassion (Pisces), of getting on with the work at hand (Virgo) and of daydreaming (Pisces), of the Martyr (Virgo) and the Savior (Pisces), of practicality (Virgo) and of highest ideals (Pisces). And as all oppositions do, we are called now to find the balance between these very different areas of awareness – or in today’s Full Moon due to its connection to Mars –  to find the balance in these very different calls to action.

How will you bring balance between these areas today and for the next two weeks until the New Moon?

The Moon is very closely connected to both Chiron and Neptune, as well as Mars and Pluto, Jupiter and the Nodes of the Moon (see the chart I’ve included below)…

We are compelled to look deeply into our family wounding (family of origin, immediate family, family of choice, neighborhood, city, country) and feel out the ideal, the appropriate healing road to take. This can be a time of enormous healing – but also of enormous wounding. As always the two sides of the same coin are there to be chosen from. Let your imagination and your deepest compassion inform your awareness. And then, with the practical working ethic of the Virgo Sun, and the impetus stimulated by Mars, put forth the effort required for the healing to happen. And understand that what issues from today will both pull from the past, probably as information already received and processed, and lead toward the future, changing our beliefs and philosophies, due to the Grand Square being formed with the Moon’s nodes, which represent where we come from and are comfortable and where we are stretching toward.

Our *bodies and our physical health are part of today’s energies… there may be a kind of malaise here… a feeling that something is wrong but it’s hard to say exactly what. The Virgo/Pisces axis is the one of the health of the body, prevention, and of hypochondria. Most affected by this Full Moon are those with strong placements in Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. I would say that in health concerns, hard decisions are not the way to go today. Practicing meditation or yoga, or finding peace and solace are more the tone of the day. If you’re feeling energetic (more likely for the Fixed Signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius), dispel any lingering clouds by doing something physically active – just don’t overdo. Our bodies (Virgo) are a reflection (Neptune/Pisces) of our consciousness. So whatever you’re feeling on the inside is what you will manifest through your body on the outside. This is a great thing to remember today and throughout the next two weeks (and always): love and be compassionate with yourself – your body and its health will reflect it. (*”bodies” can also be thought of as the body of the Earth.)

There’s a very Universal feeling that goes beyond the personal and familial realm that is the typical designation of the Moon. We have those connections to Chiron (conjunction), Uranus (semi-sextile), Neptune (conjunction) and Pluto (sextile) that speak of bridging the purely personal and moving into the collective. The healing energy available now can be a balm to the flood victims of Hurricane Isaac, and beyond, especially if we harness the practical work ethic of Virgo, hand-in-hand with the compassion of Pisces.

Whatever and wherever you are today, know that there is healing and compassion available to you if you need it. And for those on the other end of the spectrum, today and until the New Moon is the perfect time to reach out and help – to be of service to those in need.

Aries Wheel Chart for the Full Moon in Pisces on August 31, 2012

Happy Friday the 13th! A little Love and Romance on an Inauspicious Day…

Not the stuff of superstition...

I have a bit of hard time understanding the superstitious fears around Friday the 13th… and this year we’ve got 3 of ’em! So sorry to be the bearer of that inauspicious news to those of you who don’t relish this infrequent date. (After this year there won’t be another Friday the 13th until 2026 according to Charles Walford, columnist for Mail Online in the UK in this very eye opening article.)

Here are a couple of bits of Friday the 13th lore: Friday is considered unlucky in the Christian tradition because it is the day of Christ’s crucifixion. 13 is considered unlucky because Judas, the last and 13th to show up for the Last Supper, was the same disciple who betrayed Christ resulting in his crucifixion. And 13 is the number of turns of the rope that tie the hangman’s noose.

In just doing a little reading I’ve discovered that auto accidents really do go up A LOT on any given Friday the 13th (maybe due to anxiety?) and the real estate business slows down to a trickle… people just don’t want to buy on this inauspicious date and many won’t even think about buying a residence that has the number 13 attached to it. Who knew?

Well this particular Friday the 13th doesn’t have any black magic attached to it that I can see. So take a deep breath and let your fears subside. 

This day looks to be largely about relationships according to the astrology at hand. Venus and Neptune are conjoined lending the possibility of  gentle romance, idealism, yearning for the Other (with the alternate possibility being deception or dissolution in relationships – so there is that to watch out for). Chiron, the Wounded Healer is involved with that combination as is the Moon – there is the potential for healing past transgressions now – particularly with family members and lost loves. And Saturn lends support to our relationships today, helping us to understand and define them and possibly helping to create stability. Mars strokes the Sun lending desire, strength of will and a bit of earthy assertion to the package while the Moon kisses Pluto and Mercury perhaps compelling some of us to want to dig deeply and emotionally for the truth in our relationships and, of course since it is Mercury, to talk about it.

If you are opting out of life today – staying home and out of trouble – watch romantic films, read  poetry, dive into art, or curl up with a good psychology book. Probably a great day to chat with friends, get the scoop on the stars (movie stars that is), and to re-connect. Have a glass or two of wine…

So, happy Friday the 13th! And have fun relating… family, friends, lovers – let them all know how you feel!

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.

US in Financial Transformation – Some words from the experts

About a week ago a friend asked me if I thought we, as a country, would be out of this financial crisis soon now that Obama is in office. Sadly, my answer was no. There are many reasons why that is a true response, but I’ve decided that rather than re-write what’s already been written brilliantly, I’ll share with you a couple of articles from the experts.

Raymond Merriman - Financial Astrologer

Raymond Merriman - Financial Astrologer

Here is the first from Raymond Merriman, creator of The Merriman Market Analyst – The Leader in Market Timing Services and Products. Ray is the leading expert on the planet today in astrological financial timing and consults with the big dogs in the stock market and other financial arenas.

Here’s the first article from him:
MAJOR GEOCOSMIC SIGNATURES OF 2009-2010: SATURN REALITIES, JUPITER AND NEPTUNE HOPES

http://www.mmacycles.com/articles/articles/saturn-realities,-jupiter-and-neptune-hopes-in-2009%112010/

And here’s the second:
THE CARDINAL CLIMAX: 2008-2012
WE ARE HERE

http://www.mmacycles.com/articles/articles/the-cardinal-climax%3a-2008%112015/

If you’re interested in money markets at all you should explore Raymond Merriman’s website. He knows what he’s doing!

Michael Lutin

Michael Lutin

Now I want you to read something from Michael Lutin, another great astrologer who writes the Planetarium for Vanity Fair. This article is from 2006 – before we even knew the name Obama really. Michael does say that the country is going to become even more conservative politically – I’m not sure that’s happened since our election of Obama, although the conservatives are becoming stronger in their fight against the liberals, and we have seen the rise in popularity of folks like Sarah Palin (despite her resignation – some still say she’s planning to run for President in 2012).  Lutin’s take is more historical and cultural, than financial, and very readable:

SPECIAL ALERT: HOROSCOPE U.S.A.
A planetary configuration not seen since 1776 is coming our way, heralding chaos, revolution, and rebirth. Let the stars guide you through the coming storm.
by Michael Lutin VF.COM December 6, 2006

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2006/12/lutin200612?currentPage=1

For those of you are hoping that the national financial crisis ( and the cultural one) is on a up-swing, you’re right. But we have to get through the trenches first. And that’s going to take awhile.

Oh! If you haven’t seen the June/July 2009 issue of The Mountain Astrologer, and you’re interested in reading more from Raymond Merriman, you should try to pick it up. The article is called the Economy and the Cardinal Climax of 2008-2015. Hope you can get your hands on it!

Be in touch!! I’ll talk to you soon…