Category Archives: Astrology

2010’s First New Moon

If you’ve been feeling like 2010 hasn’t really gotten started yet, you are not alone. Green lights and gates fly open in a big way today (11:11pm Pacific). Lots of planetary action in an already active environment. I’m pretty sure everyone’s been feeling it.

It’s Saturn’s time. Winter. Capricorn. And it is Twenty Ten’s first new moon. And not just any new moon. A new moon solar eclipse.

Why We Plan, Strategize and Set Goals in December/January

One word, Saturn. He gets a bad rap (not as bad as Scorpio does). Saturn is known for implementing structure, rules and responsibilities. Burdens and blockages and pushing boulders uphill (that does sound like it’s full of suck doesn’t it?)

Yet, Saturn comes with enormous rewards. Saturn sort of upholds the whole concept of work hard equals win; teaching us discipline, self-control and an ability to direct our attention with great focus (ambition).

Saturn is known as the father. There is a feeling of being controlled by responsibilities and obligations. This energy puts in place forms and structure. Time and the passing of time reside within Saturn’s domain. Over long periods of time, crystallization, stagnation. Holding back. Saturn leans heavily into protocol and tradition.

Saturn rules the sign Capricorn. Saturn-ruled or Capricorn people have a bad habit of taking things too seriously and they’re learning to lighten up as they grow older. Saturn/Capricorn people have a knack for helping us put structures in place so we can be more productive. And so setting goals and thinking about them at this time of the year is very natural.

More On Cycles And Planning

New moons are a time for beginning or seeding a project or plan. Sort of joining with the cycles of nature. The rhythm of life expanding. Astrology is a science for understanding those rhythms and cycles better and how we fit ourselves into the bigger picture.

Under a new moon, we want to plant our seeds for harvest. Usually in 30 day cycles. That’s how a typical new moon works. The sign the new moon occurs in points us where to put our attention. Capricorn says focus on goal setting (duh) and implementing structures to support your ambition. So in January, most of us have our gaze upon a broader horizon.

  • Where do we want to be in one year?
  • What do we wish to accomplish?
  • And what structures are in place to help us get there?

All Saturn/Capricorn themes.

The “Time’s Up” Cycle

Eclipses are another cycle and have their own powerful mojo. Eclipses turn things on and off. Suddenly. It can be insight and awareness-oriented or even possibly take things/people in and out of our lives.

Similar to how the moon and sun move through each zodiac sign pointing us in the direction of where to focus our intention, we experience eclipses in a cycle too. Currently, the focus is on the primal tug-of-war between our individual worldly status/contribution (Capricorn) vs. our inner, home & family life (Cancer).

This axis point is highlighted and active for nearly everyone, regardless of sign. However, if you are a Capricorn or Cancer, you will definitely be feeling more of an impact and overall messing with your personal mojo.

Other Universal Players Worth Mentioning

Venus is in this new moon solar eclipse arrangement. Which (I think) is good news. Venus is just pleasant and lovely so she can join our party pretty much anytime; making it sweeter and more beautiful. In astrology, Venus represents what we love and value. Relationships and money are highlighted. In the mix here, is your personal inventory.

  • What do you value?
  • What do you love?
  • How does it align and mix in your life?

There is mutual admiration party happening between Venus and Saturn. Venus is currently in the sign of Capricorn (ruled by Saturn). Saturn is currently in the sign of Libra (ruled by Venus). Did ya see that? Mutual reception is what it’s called and it means we’ll be able to translate value (Venus) into meaning, purpose and planning (Saturn) more easily.

Mercury is still retrograde, barely. He’ll be turning direct within a few hours of the eclipse. Communication for the last three weeks has been a bit bumpy, to say the least. Again, underlining patience. Thinking things through. Not starting anything. Cleaning up loose ends.

When Mercury comes out of his three-week retrograde slumber, Pluto will be standing there. We are quickly escorted into the depths of our psyches, connecting deeply into our thinking/writing/speaking faculties.

Saturn begins his four-plus month slumber and turns retrograde just two days before the eclipse. It’s time for more patience folks. In extra large heaping spoonfuls. Our relationship area is getting an extreme makeover thanks to an on-going dance with Pluto. Saturn changed signs and entered Libra last fall, shaking things up. We’ll have two and half years to work on our relationship stuff. So buckle up… relationships on the other side of this dance will look totally different than the way they do today.

Finally, another big hitter is changing signs. This time Jupiter moves to Pisces the day after the eclipse. This is a big deal because it’s been twelve years since Jupiter has made a visit into Pisces. He’ll spend about year here (as he does with each sign).  And in a cool mutual admiration society way, Jupiter and Pisces share some similar qualities that actually accentuate one another; enhancing, supporting, celebrating.

Jupiter has been focused on Aquarius stuff for the last 13 months or so. Which is to say expanding social circles, highlighting humanitarian stuff, and enlarging us with “I am my brother’s keeper” energy.

Jupiter’s move into Pisces changes our focal point. Since Pisces is about assimilation into the One, Jupiter will lend his expansion miracle mojo here to help us all understand the true nature of who we are and that will affect how we approach life. The more we are willing to step into faith, the more we will be blessed.

Jupiter will enter a retrograde slumber after reaching Aries in early June. All Pisces sun and rising signs have extra “guardian angel” blessings. All signs are invited to dream as big as you possibility can (and you most likely won’t be able to keep yourself from doing that either).

2010’s first new moon feels more like an official start to a new year and new decade than January 1st did. This month’s new moon sets a vibrational tone for the rest of our year. And it’s extra powerful due to the eclipse. As we awaken over the next few mornings, you can join me in a new moon wish where we ask to receive Divine Guidance that clarifies our sense of purpose and direction (Saturn) so that we may continue to add meaning and Love (Venus) to our own lives and to the lives of others through 2010 and beyond.

Happy New Moon Day.

Choices & Intersections

I’ve been thinking about relationships lately. Relationships as intersections. And people and destiny. And all that fated stuff.

And how, in the intersections, we get connected.  What is the magic that is that connection? For two people. Connections like the ones with our children, our lovers, our clients and our teachers (the ones helping us continue to expand and experience more).

And I’ve been thinking about powerful people. And when a particular intersection feels destined or fated. And what it’s like to have big things rattling you and disintegrating your attention. And it more than rattles your attention, it wakes you up! From a dream where you might not have thought you were even sleeping.

And then, with the attention span of a gnat, wondering to myself, “Where did my focus go?” Oh. Yeah. It’s over there. On that. The thing that has my attention. The thing that’s waking me up.

Whatever that thing is… there is this fated quality about it. It feels a little bigger than the rest of everything else. Maybe because I thought I was already awake, but I’m beginning to realize that I don’t think I really was. That it’s a little scary to contemplate how much I don’t know.

I get overwhelmed quickly. By my thoughts trying to figure it all out. Because I’m also realizing that with everything I think I know, the less I understand. Really understand.

I’m not sure I ever do. At some point, it becomes easier to just surrender to that oblivion. I understand nothing. And yet have the means to creatively summon together endless forms of possibility becoming new universes.

Really?

Well this is probably what clinging looks like then.

Fate or Something Else?

I like that when something “fated-ish” happens in my life, I can look at it from an astrological perspective and always find a finger pointing back at reality. This is comforting to me. Helping to soothe a part of my nature that seeks security in all forms (Taurus). Telling the Bull she can relax into the rhythms of the unknown and discover what looks or feels like chaos is really an orchestration in divine perfection.

Using astrology, I can also continue to support myself in the midst of transition. The evolutionary constant. Astrology helps me see what pattern or cycle is already being supported within the underlying context of some great big divine order.

And when it comes to the people, who I’m sharing my life with, well astrology just keeps uncovering. Some kind of explanation for what words have a hard time translating. Only what the heart and regions of the heart can know and for which there is an entirely different language. With astrology, I can see the connections.

Why the “it” from before woke me up. Connections. Why I’m waking up. Connections. Where I am waking up. Some awakenings happening slowly, like a gentle sunrise. Some are more abrupt. Having the energy of a locomotive. You cry out, “What freakin’ train just hit me?” Connections.

Connection energy is palpable. I appreciate noticing its force and suddenness because then I know it’s real. When it’s that sometimes slow and methodically constant, turning the giant wheels in the sky, moving us through time and space, I’m dreaming again and don’t know it.

Using astrology has helped me understand me better. And give myself room. Room for stuff I’ve had a hard time seeing before. Parts of me that judge good & bad, or insists on rushing it, or is really good at ignoring it or denying myself. No, you can’t have that. But why can’t I?

Oh ok, Saturn is involved. The cop that says stop. Ok. I get that. I really get that.

Using astrology helps me understand the people in my life better too. Also giving me understanding about the dynamics of what gets created when we unite our intention, the relationship itself. It is its own thing.

Everything is. Anything born. A business. A nation. A child.

A season. Which astrology is ultimately all about. The seasons of change. Cycles. Movement. Nature. Math. Ugh, yes math. A lot actually. Thank goodness for computers!

Is destiny real? Within each intersection, who or what decides the connection? Will we hang out for a while or just simply pass each other by? Are some of those intersections fated? And maybe it’s not so much the meeting itself that is karmic, but what we choose to say or do to each other in the intersection?

Choices & intersections.

Timing

Intersections come and go in life. Everyday. All the time.

Literally as frequently as each stop sign in traffic. Interesting. To me.

We have intersections on the road of life. At some of them we stop and chat. We connect. Sometimes we end up hanging out, for a while. A time for sharing great love.

Other times, we pass each other by without ever thinking twice about connecting on a deeper level. There is a deeper level ‘calling’ that comes, urging us forward into an uncertainty. And in those crossing-the-intersection moments, we are never called. The urge never appears and we don’t go deeper.

And sometimes, it feels like we’ve connected and yet the intersection is almost not existent. Feeling like life rushed us by it in a swirl of hurry and we can never go back. Or at least, feel challenged to see the possibility of a next-time intersection. And yet the calling is still present. A desire to connect, hang out, create great love.

And sometimes the urge is there, and the wanting to reach into the deepness and we simply don’t allow ourselves to have that voice, to accept what we want and create the space in the intersection.

So I’m thinking about how I will be using my intersections.

Noticing and nurturing who is showing up? And having deep gratitude for the awareness of my intersections.

And then cherishing a bit more. Some intersections are fast & freaky. Some are long and lovely. And I want to cherish it all, not comparing one to the another. Just allowing my heart to take in what is available to me. And allow to flow past me with deep gratitude, the things that are meant to flow past me. Being grateful for the intersection. Learning to trust and have faith in the deeper undercurrent of Divine Order.

And how wonderful it all really is.

Contentment is golden. The real way to raise above wants is not to want anything. If it comes, let it come. If it goes, wonderful, let it go. @SwSatchidananda

New Moon Wishing

New Moon. Beginnings. Fresh starts. What a perfect day to write and begin again! After my gut-wrenching last post, I’ve just been taking time with myself and giving myself lots of room. That means whatever I feel, I feel. And trying not to judge any part of it; my feelings, the situation or reactions from others.

Many of us were raised in environments that may have taught us that feeling intensely or feelings we judge as “bad” were not OK. Your intense feelings made others feel uncomfortable. They did not know how to help or support you (or themselves) so instead of allowing you the space to feel your feelings, they may have asked you to shut them down. To put them away, somewhere. And now, we’ve noticed that within ourselves we continually judge some of our feelings as not good, and believe we need to monitor or control them. But I’m only monitoring and controlling myself, not the feeling. I’m reinforcing a now internal message of  ‘it’s not OK to have and experience my feelings’ and end up rejecting part of myself in the process.

My feelings ARE me on a lot of levels. If I reject the way I feel, I reject myself. So in getting out of that business, the one where I reject myself and/or blame others for what’s happening in my life, instead I’m making room for how I feel. Making room is the first step in a peace-making process. By choosing to make room for my feelings, I’m making peace with what is, right here and now.

Once we give our feelings space to be acknowledged (especially after living as professional emotional stuffers), we can often feel a tremendous shift in our energy (letting go) and the space for renewal and healing is now open.

New Moon Wishing

Today is a new moon day. At precisely 10:14 p.m Pacific, the moon will arrive to the same degree the Sun occupies making it a new moon day. It’s a day to make a wish for the next 30-day cycle.

As the moon makes her way through each zodiac sign, she will assist us with processing how we feel and work with our feelings while the sign can help us put our focus on specific areas of life and create powerful 30 day intentions.

Lady Luna

But first I want to introduce you to the Moon, through the lens of astrology. Archetypes she represents. Some you may find yourself already familiar with.

First, the moon comes out at night, so she points to things that are private or kept secret, our dreams. She is in charge of our inner emotional lives. How we feel. And even though the moon travels quickly within her domain is beginnings. The past, as in reaching way back through times, to soul beginnings, roots and our family are all found in the container of the Moon.

She’ll spend about two and half days in each sign, rendezvousing with other planets along the way. Sometimes the “meetups” are tense and carry us through uncertain terrain and other times there is a harmonizing quality, cooperation, complimentary exchange and benefit. I like to picture a couple dancing… sometimes it flows and is beautiful, sometimes it’s rough and full of challenges.

One rendezvous the moon can bet on is when she’ll conjunct or come in union with the same sign the Sun is currently transiting, also know as the New Moon.

During a new moon it is a good time to plant new wishes you’d like to see realized by the next new moon, 30 days from now.

Getting Specific

If you are the type that enjoys bringing your awareness to the natural cycles and rhythms of life, say through nature or art, astrology is simply a practice of understanding a quality or essence (contained in each sign) as it unfolds in our time/space reality. A sort of “nature” and also a domain over life that each sign (and it’s ruling Planet) influences significantly. It is here we see recurring patterns of influence, in timing with the rising and setting of the Sun each day as well as all the other planets on their universal journey across the zodiac.

New Moon Astrology by Jan SpillerAccording to one of my all-time, have-on-hand astrology favorites, Jan Spiller talks about the most powerful time to make wishes to harness the power of the planetary cycles in her book New Moon Astrology. Not only can we time when to make our wishes (each new moon) but what to wish for is indicated by the sign the new moon occurs in.

Currently, we are under the influence of Scorpio.

We are purging. And it’s felt very deeply. Because of Scorpio’s probing nature to get to the bottom of things. It is a time of unearthing inner psychological realms and bringing that “Scorpio stuff” forward for purging, the cycle of letting go. It is the cycle of making room. Often something outdated dies so that something new can be reborn. Transformation. It’s very powerful energy.

Taking a closer look at areas of specific focus during this time…

Transformation & Relationships

Partnerships energy continues to be highlighted and will be for the next 2 ½ years with Saturn’s recent shift into Libra. I think many of us are looking to harness beneficial energy and support to assist us where recent changes in our relationships have begun to take place. Or where endings or beginnings may be occurring (death/rebirth). That cycle is naturally supported now.

  • I want right ideas to occur to me relative to mutual empowerment and experience it with others in a way that is healthy & happy for me and my relationships.
  • I want to easily find myself embracing change in the area of relationships.
  • I want a positive transformation to occur in the area of ________.
  • I want to easily find myself forgiving _________ in a way that is empowering for me.
  • I want to easily find myself gaining power by ceasing to blame others for my circumstance.
  • I want positive change to enter my relationship with ___________.
  • I want to easily find myself restoring my relationship with _________ to one of mutual support, understanding, and respect.
  • I want to find myself easily accepting my own emotional depth.
  • I want to easily find myself saying the right words to _______ that create an atmosphere result in a deep emotional connection.

Health Wishing

When we are processing stress and imbalance in our lives, especially a lot of it, our bodies are the first place that really begin to show wear and tear. Plus, supporting your body to live well supports you! That’s why I’m including a basic wish for health and well-being.

If you are a Scorpio than perhaps you’ll find that you’ve been secretly plagued all your life by the areas below. And even if you are not a Scorpio, you may find that right now these areas are currently activated.

Scorpio rules the sexual organs, including other organs of elimination such as bladder, colon, rectum; PMS and menstruation and sexually transmitted disease also fall in Scorpio’s domain.

  • I want a total healing to occur in the area of (insert body region from above).

Scorpio covers resources also. A type of resource where assets are pooled together; legacies, wills, insurances, debt and taxes, financial partnerships, all Scorpio stuff!

  • In my financial negotiations with ______, I want to easily find myself feeling full self-confidence in a positive way.

This sign is also highly sexual and because of its natural ability to go deep, a concept of Soul Mates lives here also.

  • I want to easily find myself getting along with ______, growing our love and bonding every day in a way that is also positive for us as individuals.

Power Struggles

Scorpio also deals with the misuse of power and power struggles. If you currently find yourself in a situation that feels like there are forces beyond your control, sort of fated or destiny-like, you might like to include a wish this month about power and control . Because Scorpio is a fixed sign, its focus is intense and powerful. And if left unchecked, can sometimes lead to brooding and obsessiveness. Scorpio is extremely magnetic and filled with a charisma of mystery making them irresistible to some or frightening for others.

  • I want to easily find myself using my power constructively in all situations.
  • I want the tendency to be absorbed in the force fields of others easily lifted from me.

And if you’ve already found yourself having crossed the line into darker Scorpio regions of feeling obsessed or jealous.

  • I want my (obsession/compulsion) completely lifted from me.
  • I want to easily find myself filled with strength and making changes in my life that are in my overall best interests.

Make A Scorpio New Moon Wish

At this time, you are invited to think about and set an intention for healing in any of the above-areas. It is the goal for this new moon energy cycle.

And if you’re curious about what astrology has to say about you personally or a relationship, I offer some fantastic reports to help you gain and leverage insight provided from the ancient art-science of Astrology.

To supporting yourself with the process of letting go and the promise of new beginnings!

A Time For Letting Go

I’ve noticed recently in my life and the lives of several clients, a recurrence of the theme of resisting feeling the uncomfortable stuff. For myself, the yearly passage of the Sun through the sign of Scorpio (end of October and most of November) often stirs a great depth and intensity of emotions that usually lie very low throughout the year. I often forget they are there.

Yet one of Scorpio’s primary functions is to bring forward what lay at the depth of us. And because it is a water sign, emotions are linked into this transformative process of death and renewal, reflected by the falling leaves that were only a few short months ago, thriving and nourishing its life support system. Now they surrender themselves, falling away from that comfortable place of attachment, to be crumbled to bits or strewn and scattered like ash in the wind.

It Is A Time For Letting Go

It is a time for renewal, but not the vibrant “breathe of life” renewal of Aries that comes in spring. This renewal comes from a shedding or molting, which is why the snake is often a symbol for this sign’s transformative power.

Understanding the astrological archetypes has helped me tremendously with my own growth cycles. Like life, offering to me opportunities disguised as contrast, I can choose to embrace change or resist it.

For a very long time, I’ve resisted. With everything in me. Just like my recent clients, we box ourselves off from uncomfortable feelings, judging ourselves and the feelings from within a too-narrow focus and cut ourselves off from the awareness of a divine process at work in our lives.

In the exploration of resistance, what actually happens to that emotional stuff that gets compartmentalized as we shove it away? Does it really go anywhere?

It doesn’t really. At some point in our growth process, we’ll get hit by something that triggers the repressed energy into front and center. A Pluto transit maybe. Or, if you’re a nature-loving sign like I am (Taurus) you might already be attuned, watching the skies turn, stepping into the cycle and giving yourself permission and room to grow.

But for some, this isn’t so automatic. And so we rely on the turning of the skies to help us evolve into all that we are becoming. More of our true self. The self behind the baggage.

So why do we have baggage at all? Well, from a very young age, usually before age three, we have experienced enough to teach us that uncomfortable feelings are something to avoid because we hunger so deeply for our parents love and approval.

Herein lies the road to believing our happiness is obtained from some external source. A long road, fraught with expectation; a deep yearning for things to be different than the way they are and certain conditions be met in order for our happiness to be realized.

For many of us, our need for love and approval has conditioned us into compartmentalizing uncomfortable feelings in the vein effort not to experience them. When all they really want, is our love and attention. Just like the children we once were.

When we refuse ourselves the room and spaciousness to actually feel our feelings, we create emotional baggage. Energy fields of incomplete emotional experiences. All nestled up neatly, often out of sight, but there nonetheless.

In every human interaction, we connect to one another at varying levels of intimacy. However, those connections are thwarted by the baggage of incomplete emotional experiences all tied up in our human energy field. We wonder why we can’t connect. Or how to get to deeper levels of intimacy in our most treasured relationships.

The Scorpio energy is probing and goes deep. It has a will and sense of determination unlike any other sign in the zodiac. Taurus, its opposite, is known for its stubbornness, however, you haven’t really encountered stubborn until you meet a Scorpio bent on realizing their goal.

And our emotional baggage is no match for the transformative power of Scorpio. Like a scalpel, cutting deeply, cracking us open and revealing to us that which no longer serves. And then with focused intensity, making available to us a cauterizing effect to reveal what needs to die so a transformed version of our self can be born again.

So our choice is to either turn into this cycle or resist it. And resistance is futile. Nothing can be hidden from the penetrating scope of Scorpio. It embodies the mysterious and like a universal detective, uncovers us for our healing.

Yes healing. Scorpio is an amazing healer. Even though it has a bad reputation for being obsessive and jealous, brooding and secretive and the best-ever revenge giver of the universe. It will lie in wait for the perfect time because in its darkest moments, it seeks death. Again, the transformative powers of Scorpio still at work.

Now is a perfect time to join with the transformative healing power of Scorpio to support you with the hidden parts of yourself, particularly the hidden emotional “pieces” of you.

A Process For Letting Go

One way to help resolve your old baggage is to sit quietly and think about one uncomfortable situation or feeling you’ve been avoiding. Really dare yourself to be fearless like Scorpio and provoke this feeling to the surface. Close your eyes and scan your body for the area where the emotional baggage is stored. Is it pressure in the back of your neck? Does your stomach do a topsy-turvy thing? Does your heart ache?

Once you locate the baggage, using Scorpio’s laser-like focus, feel into the center of the energy field. Like a teacher’s red laser pointer, focus on just the center of the energy field and allow yourself to feel whatever emotion is provoked. Feel it with your whole being. Stay in the center of it…

Two really important things will occur if you are fearless enough to create this experience for yourself. The first thing you’ll notice is that you don’t die. Sounds humorous, but true nonetheless. The second thing you’ll begin to notice is that the feeling begins to dissolve. Like a morning fog burning off to reveal a glistening coastal edge where earth meets sea. It might possibly feel more intense as you start, but if you stay with the center of the emotional baggage, and feel deeply into its center, an amazing miracle unfolds itself in the completion of the feeling. What is revealed… in the absence of the uncomfortable feeling itself, is the overwhelming presence of You.

And now, open your eyes and contemplate the very thing that just previously spun you out. Poke some sharp sticks at it. See if it’s alive, in there. I promise, you’ll giggle and laugh in the amazing realization of just how much larger in scope and nature the presence of your being is and how absent the previous uncomfortableness is.

And one less energetic vibrational bag’o uncomfortableness is now NOT between you and everything life is offering you, whether you are relating with a loved one or client or just being in the world.

If this technique has piqued your curiosity, or you’d like some personal one-on-one support to go deeper with it… please contact me or check out my BlogTalkRadio interview in March 2008 with the technique’s creator Tom Stone.

To fearlessly feeling your way into letting go!

Social Media Takes A Dive

So many of us woke up this morning to a big surprise… a denial of service attack on Twitter, not to mention various other forms of social media experiencing technical difficulties such as Facebook.

For those of you who aren’t social media mavens, you are likely not to even be reading this. If you are, then you know the heart palpitations you experienced when you realized Twitter was down, and down for some time!

So aside from my own personal processing about what it felt like “not to be connected” to a universe that supports me so much, after Facebook & Twitter finally came back online, I found it curious to see what others were saying about it.

And one more time, one of my most favorite past times and teacher of the mysteries of life provided a point-on explanation of what was happening: Astrology.

Ecliptical Indigestion

So many of you muggles (heheheh) may or may not have been listening when our media reported that, this summer has been quite unusual because we’ve had several eclipses (three to be precise).

On July 7, 2009, we had a Lunar Eclipse. Then on July 22, 2009, a bigger and more prestigious Solar eclipse occurred seen mostly in Eastern part of our planet. And finally, last night, August 5th was yet another Lunar Eclipse.

From an astrological perspective, eclipses herald change. And with so many crammed into a small space of time, it’s time to pull the security bar down and buckle into the roller coaster of life.

Lunar eclipses generally affect women more because the moon is a feminine energy, ruling home & family, the breasts and tummy area. The moon in your natal chart represents how you feel. So you can see why the ancients stamped a Lunar eclipse as dangerous because when it comes to our feelings (and mostly because of the addiction most of our western culture has of trying to put them in tiny little boxes) sudden outbursts, that seem rather reactive, can occur. Lunar eclipses also are more personal where Solar eclipses activate things on a world or government landscape and being masculine energy, effect men more strongly.

So how is Social Media drawn into last night’s eclipse? Well, let’s look at the astrological signs this eclipse occurred in for some enlightenment.

Eclipses generally happen in cycles of three over an 18 month period. Last night’s eclipse was the final eclipse on the Leo/Aquarius axis.

Leo
If you know a Leo or have known a Leo, you know they’re motto is “It’s all about me, babe!” Not all Leo’s are like this, but generally speaking, Leo’s rule, period (at least they think so). In a few words, Leo rules personal self-expression. Several other areas fall under its domain too: creativity, children, leisure activities, speculation (like gambling), the stage (actors). Leo rules the house of true love and Leos partake in all the pleasures of life and more so if there is a promise of glorification in it for them!

Aquarius
At the opposite end of the stick or axis is Aquarius, the brotherly-lover. Where Leo is concerned with pomp and pleasure as it relates to themselves (personal self-expression), Aquarius is the sign of the humanitarian and rules all things social. Friends, charity, the future, ideals. Aquarius also rules technology & astrology. It is avante garde in nature and cannot stand conformity of any kind so the unusual lives here also.

post_lunareclipseWith the type of eclipse we had last night, the earth came between the Sun and Moon. Symbolically, this represents an interruption in the energy flowing between the two celestial bodies. On an individual basis, we’ve all been affected by these eclipses and have downloaded new information, so the “time-out” this morning is right in line with every thing receiving a reboot! System down, system back up… but with new installed information.

Here’s what my new information looks and sounds like… continuing to “find my voice” and express it, no matter what others say or think (Leo). Friendships have been radically shifting since Fall of last year (Aquarius). Some old friends (Aquarius) went bye-bye, if only temporarily, so the relationships could be transformed and redefined on my own terms (Leo). Did I mention eclipses often introduce endings/beginnings?

On a more global level… No social media (Aquarius) this morning and a lot of unhappy peeps not able to have their leisure play (Leo)! Since the planet Uranus was also involved in the Lunar eclipse configuration, surprises and interruptions in the status quo. Uranus is often referred to as the great awakener (and is the ruler of Aquarius). So you can interpret change as awakening. And also during full moons, information is brought forward or exposed for what it is.

So as Twitter reveals more details about it’s denial of service attack and we also discover what/why/how it might be related to Facebook and even other social media gateways, it might not be so surprising with the enlightenment Astrology provides.

Also, each individual astrologer understands and deciphers the energies a bit differently. Some with more experience will hone in on the specifics while I hang back, with a huge smile on my face, because I definitely have connected to dots.

Astrology helps me do this all the time. I’m either understanding myself better or how/why I relate to others better. If you’re ready to put your toe in, hit me up! I just love opening the Pandora’s box that is astrology to those who are attracted by it’s mysteries.

As for what’s ahead, well since the new cycle of eclipses is activating Cancer/Capricorn… family/home life vs. public status/career is highlighted for the next 18 months. And the next eclipse happens December 31, 2009 in Cancer which may bring into fullness changes activated last month. Also, as Venus and Mars continue their trek around the solar system, they’ll hit some of these sensitized, activated degrees the eclipses have awakened. Those dates to watch are August 25th and October 15th.

Curious About You & Astrology?

If you’re curious about what astrology has to say about you and your relationships… Hi! I’m Mynde, (a) keeper of the flame.

And for a more in depth dive into eclipses, check out Astrologycom.com’s great article.

I’d love to hear from you in any fashion if this topic has piqued your curiosity. And, if you’ve noticed Leo (self-expression) or Aquarian (friends, social circles) themes coursing through your life, today or within the last 18 months, chime in with a comment below.

To Be A Warrior

To create change on this beautiful planet of ours nothing will happen unless we change our idea of what it is to be a warrior. ~ @DelphicWave

Yesterday, I had a conversation with one of my favorite real-life warriors, Charlie Gilkey. Besides fighting for our American freedoms abroad, he’s a coach. And a friend.

I can always count on Charlie to help me with my own stucknesses, even when I’m not sure I AM stuck. Yesterday was different because I knew I was stuck and just sitting in it. I guess in a way, I was choosing to be with my stuckness and when he began poking at it softly, I wasn’t budging.

It was weird for me because my usual MO has the typical “go-for-it” Aries rising attitude that I show most of the world. Instead, my Taurus sun said in so many words, “Don’t push me. Don’t make me.”

Charlie responded with an “I’m not going anywhere” and my bull softened just a titch. Relief. In any amount, is shift.

Since it was clear to both of us that there really is no pushing or proding a bull (think about it!), I started asking him questions. I guess on some level we both trust each other, or the process, something enough to know that in the world of duality, it’s all good.

What I mean by that is everything is a mirror, or a reflection. Even if I turned the conversation to what was happening in Charlie’s world, it would be ok. I would still have a few aha’s along the way. I always do. It’s one of the reasons I coach and consider the coaching relationship a holy one.

I wanted to know where Charlie’s edges were with his current projects. I wanted to know how is wife was doing since she had earned her Ph.D. I listened and asked questions… a space I love to be in. More relief.

And then, all at once, my bull was ready to make a splash. I brought forward that I was writing an ebook but was being haunted with questions like, “Not another ebook! Who wants another ebook?!” I mean, I have several of them. Unread. Nicely organized in my “Continuing Education” folder.

And he asked me to step into the possibility of letting mine go, so I did. And then we could play. What do I really want? What do I really need, for myself?

Crystalizing another awareness, I stumbled onto connection. And in duality, I knew it meant I wanted me. I wanted a way to express more of me. I wanted a way to practice suspending all the judgments that swoop into any moment and paralyze me with stuckness.

Thinking ManIt’s a room that’s marked with Doubt on the doorway entrance. Have you been there?

I’ve been finding myself sitting in that room for far too many hours. And it made me sad because what I really want is to lead my life with my heart wide open. I released some of the weight of doubt as tears ran down my face. Holding my breathe. And I remembered forgiveness. Exhale.

Stand guard Doubt. A new warrior is on duty. She doesn’t really want to fight, or be “at war” with you. She holds the Light on the pathway to myself. She dons a shield of acceptance that renders all things neutral, cutting through the foggy vagueness of fear.

Am I willing to accept what wants to be expressed? Am I willing to practice suspending my judgment of that which wants expression? Am I willing to accept that this is the process?

I am. Becoming, a new kind of warrior.

Of Interest

 As I prepared this post for publishing, I knew I wanted an image of a warrior, specifically, Pallas Athene, the mythological warrior goddess. In astrology, many points in the chart are interpreted including planets, stars (our Sun), luminaries (the moon) and asteroids.

There are four asteroids in astrology that are primarily focused on: Ceres, Vesta, Juno and Pallas Athene.

Pallas represents how you choose your battles and how you go after what you want.

The Greek goddess Pallas Athena (Minerva to the Romans), the protector of Athens, fought with Zeus’ shield, the head of Medusa, and a thunderbolt. She utilized her cunning and strategy to win her battles.

Pallas compels you to stand up for your rights and your Pallas sign can help you find the strength to turn setbacks into something you can use.

My Pallas is deposited in the sign of Capricorn which aids me in the powerful manifestation of visionary / creative ideas. Charlie’s Sun is deposited in Capricorn, about two degrees away from my Pallas Athene which means that he helps to awaken and shed “light on or into” my warrior goddess.

Coincidence? There are none.

Astrology is a powerful tool for understanding yourselfand how/why you relate with people. If you’re interested in understanding yourself or who you are relating with more, I can help.

Making a “Penn & Teller” Ass Of Myself

Are you confident enough to sign up to be on a Penn & Teller edition of BullShit? Showtime’s series features this comedic couple poking very sharp sticks at things “they don’t believe in” like Astrology. Weeeeeeeeeee!

I do enjoy the show, from time to time, if I want to be convinced to adopt their position on a given subject. And that’s just the problem for me, people convincing me something else is wrong. Especially (albeit not too cleverly) while leaving what’s right about the subject completely out. Hmm. Biased?

I did do a full-on ranty-processing-thingy immediately after the taping which is in the archives at BTR. I can’t even remember what I said really, only that it was probably very revealing in terms of where Mynde is with her own stuff. And today, being six months later or so, I’m in a completely different yet ironically same “place in my process.” (‘Process-talk’ on a coaches blog… bahahaha!)

My Commentary

Overall, I found the episode slanted toward debunking astrology for it’s prognostication or telling-the-future abilities versus looking at astrology as a personality profiling tool. This is the typical approach by most debunkers, to say the least. And this is exactly how and why astrology gets lumped into the rest of the mystical-hippy-gypsy-fortune-telling-charlatans-exist-beware! line of thinking that I call a bad case of the Eeyores!

Charlatans exist everywhere, in every profession. If you are paying someone to tell you what you want, most will not object and take you and your cash obligingly.

Here’s my personal rule of engagement: When I speak to people about their astro stuff, I like to clarify a very important part. The part about looking for answers where they are not… like outside of You; in some astrologer, palm reader, the next great self-help book or the current U.S. president.

So although astrology does indeed offer insight around the timing for certain things to occur, it is not so predictable as to call it destiny since You still have the choice whether or not to watch P&T tell you why it’s stupid or come to your own conclusions based on a personal experience with astrology (aka, free will).

Overall, I think P&T’s warning about using astrology to make all your decisions is exaggerated. And certainly, if your health is involved… “People!… Expand your support system as wide as it will go! Doctors, nutritionists, acupuncturists, herbalists, astrologers, whatever and wherever you feel supported to live a fuller healthier life… do it!”

I study and use the stuff almost daily, but I make my decisions. I know you see the difference because only very smart people read my posts.

Yes, if it’s mercury retrograde, I will consider putting off an electronics purchase or signing on the dotted line but that’s because I’ve learned the hard way… by standing in line at the electronics store to return new purchase or recognizing that the dotted line wasn’t really finalized to begin with creating the need for reviews, updates and another whole new agreement!

The segment on the “experiment” in the Psychology class was great! I enjoyed very much what it revealed about our shared human nature. I think providing the experiment in that format helped to prove P&T’s intention of debunking astrology. Therefore, I am naturally curious to see what would happen if each student’s actual sun, moon & rising sign personality profiles had been given to them and how that would effect the outcome of the results of the first experiment. Would we see human nature doing its thing again? And might those results actually help to fortify astrology and show its efficacy? Curious minds want to know!

Here’s another observation about P&T’s show: When you have no debunking evidence, make it up! P&T aren’t after credibility, obviously. It’s easy to see this vantage point, of understanding that their show isn’t about revealing the truth about anything, it’s purely for entertainment purposes, when they attempted to inject the possibility that Sheldon knew Holly based on info I fed him in private.

Any skeptic of astrology needs far less than that to criticize or find fault in it. But I’ll mention that I don’t need to tell Sheldon anything about anyone because he does most of the telling/talking/bitching&complaining (if you’ve heard us on BTR, ‘nuff said).

So where am I today? Ah well, congratulating myself for being willing and able to make myself available to Penn & Teller’s latest “look at this ass” episode on Bullshit. I knew going into it that this was the point of the show.

So why do it?

I guess because I know astrology is real! I think I did it because I also wanted to see if I believe within myself, that I do not need others to agree with me to make it right for me or true or whatever. Just because Penn & Teller call it bullshit, is it?

The actual practice of doing this is definitely “easier said than done”, but ironically it comes with a nice refreshing after-prize. I am able see and acknowledge a freedom from that old need, to have you agree, or to not risk being made an ass on Showtime. A freedom to know and celebrate what I love which is astrology and helping people feel more empowered in their own lives. A freedom to be even more me: wacky, optimystical Mynde.

I did it to show myself how free I am. And I think knowing what I love and how free I am is much more supportive, expandable perspective than falling into the habit of looking at what’s wrong with what-is. But hey, Showtime isn’t paying me big bucks… yet!

  • What do you love enough to be willing to stand for it even if someone else builds evidence against it or makes you feel like an ass for loving it?
  • And what freedom could you discover that being an ass might just well help you achieve?
  • What would be different about your life if your inner clown was more accessible or available?

I’m off to more ass-making. 🙂


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Sitara | MySpace Video

Why Newspaper Astrology Sucks

If you’ve ever read your newspaper horoscope, you know what I’m talking about. General and vague.

This is because the paper is covering one part of who you are in Astrology (and it’s Western Astrology, the type with circle charts. Vedic Astrology has square charts). I am not an expert in all kinds of Astrology. Western Astrology pretty much keeps me busy. I’m also not an expert even in Western Astrology. I find it a fascinating study in human dynamics. So did Carl Jung and Albert Einstein.

I think it’s also worth mentioning how far back Astrology goes in history. Again, I’m not a huge history buff, but the stuff is found in many of our ancient civilizations.

Are You A Believer?

Scientifically speaking, most people have a hard time believing that planets in space have “the power” to affect one’s personality, moods and even more serious, our choices (oh my!) However, if you have the opportunity to hear Tom Stone talk about neutrinos, you’ll soon see science is beginning to get its head around Astrology. The explanation of how it is possible, and why it works, is out there.

Yes. Remember what it was like before the movie What The Bleep Do We Know?

Ok, back to why newspaper astrology sucks.

On the day you were born, the sky was full of planets, stars, asteroids, and the Sun & Moon. The paper usually covers your Sun sign. That’s it.

Your Sun Sign is a big deal, don’t get me wrong. It’s a pretty big deal in how we express to the world. So, in a way, it seems like it should be more on the mark. Maybe we just have high expectations. Sometimes the Sun scope is not always wrong either.

Astrology Stew

But from an Astrological perspective, we are much more than just our Sun sign. Each part of our human personalities is uniquely expressed because each of the planets has a role or assignment.

Your birth chart is ultimately most like a recipe card. Each of us has the same ingredients, just arranged in different proportions. This is why some people “mix” better with you and others do not.

What? You still want to know what your Sun sign is all about? The good news is there are several ways to do this. In fact, since this is my blog post I will say right now I read Susan Miller’s Astrology Zone each and every month. I think she is one of the best sun sign writers around.

But when you are ready to go big league with Astrology, the critical factor will be your birth time. Birth time gives us a couple of really important pieces of your astrological recipe.

First, the houses of your birth chart. The houses describe an area of life where something is likely to be played out. Like an actor’s stage. Some of these houses, or stages, can represent home & family, while others involve your public status or image, or your career, your friends and romance too.

Since the astrological “houses” of the birth chart are known using the birth time, the rising sign or Ascendant can also be determined. The rising sign or Ascendant is the mask we show the world. Where the Sun is how we express our personality, the rising sign is actually the lens through which we view the entire chart, including the Sun. So the rising sign is also very significant and never considered in newspaper astrology, which is another reason why newspaper astrology sucks.

Finally, newspaper astrology sucks because it sells the idea that you need to read Astrology everyday and/or that something outside yourself has the answers (which is really two reasons in one).

Not Over-Doing Your Stew

As I’ve studied astrology and come to understand more and more about it, I have rarely had the need to review my horoscope on a daily basis. That is a bit obsessive. The planets also do not really change drastically from day to day except for the moon, which changes signs about every 2 ½ days. And that only really matters if you are a Cancer.

As for the answers outside yourself, well that’s when you don’t trust yourself or your process. Astrology is not a faith or religion, not that those will save you either. All answers we seek in this journey, whether from Astrology or otherwise, should be tested against your own inner knowing-ness. When something is true for you, it’s a pretty undeniable sensation.

I invite you to see for yourself what Astrology has to say about you. Yes, it will be foreign. Yes it will be an overwhelming map of glyphs and legends and yes, you will need an interpreter to help you travel down your astrology rabbit hole. That’s what I’m here for.

Start with understanding your Sun sign’s characteristics, whether that’s Virgo or Aquarius or Aries. Next, go deeper into your personal astrological profile by understanding your rising sign (and start reading your rising sign’s horoscope too). Finally, newbies will also want to understand your Moon’s sign.

These three pieces (the Sun, Moon and Rising signs) are the best place to begin. Visit Astro.com to create your own free chart and then visit Astrologycom.com to begin understanding the essence of your Sun, Moon and rising signs.

Easier is to order a report and I’ll email it to you. You’ll get your three biggies and much more.

Happy star gazing!