Taurus New Moon/Solar Eclipse~ Invoking the Earth Goddess

Taurus New Moon/Solar Eclipse~ Invoking the Earth Goddess

"We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia and pray that the breath of life continues to caress this planet home.

"May we grow into true understanding — a deep understanding that inspires us to protect the tree on which we bloom, and the water, soil, and atmosphere without which we have no existence.

"May we turn inward and stumble upon our true roots in the intertwining biology of this exquisite planet. May nourishment and power pulse through these roots, and fierce determination to continue the billion-year dance.

"May love well up and burst forth from our hearts.

"May there be a new dispensation of pure and powerful consciousness and the charter to witness and facilitate the healing of the tattered biosphere.

"We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia to be with us here. To reveal to us all that we need to see, for our own highest good and for the highest good of all.

"We call upon the spirit of evolution, the miraculous force that inspires rocks and dust to weave themselves into biology. You have stood by us for millions and billions of years — do not forsake us now. Empower us and awaken in us pure and dazzling creativity. You that can turn scales into feathers, seawater to blood, caterpillars to butterflies — metamorphose our species, awaken in us the powers that we need to survive the present crisis and evolve into more eons of our solar journey.,br>
"Awaken in us a sense of who we truly are: tiny ephemeral blossoms on the Tree of Life. Make the purpose and destiny of that tree our own purpose and destiny.

"Fill each of us with love for our true Self, which includes all of the creatures and plants and landscapes of the world. Fill us with a powerful urge for the well-being and continual unfolding of this Self.

"May we speak in all human councils on behalf of the animals and plants and landscapes of the Earth.

"May we shine with a pure inner passion that will spread rapidly through these leaden times.

"May we all awaken to our true and only nature — none other than the nature of Gaia, this living planet Earth.

"We call upon the power that sustains the planets in their orbits, that wheels our Milky Way in its 200-million-year spiral, to imbue our personalities and our relationships with harmony, endurance, and joy. Fill us with a sense of immense time so that our brief, flickering lives may truly reflect the work of vast ages past and also the million of years of evolution whose potential lies in our trembling hands.

"O stars, lend us your burning passion.

"O silence, give weight to our voice.

"We ask for the presence of the spirit of Gaia." (Invocation by John Seed)

I have been quoting a lot more in these musings lately, and I think it is partly because I am back in school and in the role of the student, one of my favorites, as I am constantly having my mind blown with new info I want to share. I also think that being in school, working, baby, life, etc have made it so I need to fill up more. I don't have as much to give, so I need help, help to inspire me, guide me, teach me and support me in this time of transition and transformation.

The last few weeks have been intense. But we knew that. As I write this, we are moving into the cardinal cross alignment, right between the lunar and solar eclipses, the full and new moon. The energy is waning, time for release and surrender is here. Everyone I know is feeling these shifts in different ways but we are all, human, plant, animal, we are all feeling it. Additionally, this past weekend was Easter, a celebration of rebirth, and we also have Earth day (4/22), a celebration to bring awareness and change to the environment. Release, surrender, rebirth, awareness, change. Powerful words. Too powerful to experience alone.

That brings me to the above opening invocation and the upcoming new moon and solar eclipse in Taurus.

Taurus is the sign most closely associated with the earth Goddess, also called "Gaia."She is ruled by Venus, but her energies of intent are fixed earth, or maintaining the physical realm. Taurus connects us to the slow, deep, sensual powers of the cycle, and it makes sense as she firmly holds the mid point of Spring on the celestial wheel. Taurus time brings us the most fecund, juicy, sweet and playful part of the season, as we see in the cross-quarter day of Beltane (May 1st, 2 days after the new moon)

As we are reborn from the universal womb into the new cycle, we emerge into the loving, magical hands of the Goddess. Gaia is alive and ready to greet us with beauty and joy after our long journey through the eclipse vortex. But unlike the traditional helpless infant who can only take from his mother, a relationship we have been engaged in for too long, the hope is that, after this huge transition, we can take care of her, just as she takes care of us. We can give to her, as she gives to us. We can love her, as she loves us. We can sustain life on her and she can sustain life in us.

The vision I hold for this new moon, accentuated as it is by the eclipse, is a delicious new relationship with self, other and planet. I hope this past month has opened our minds, hearts and eyes and we can find gratitude for all of our life. We can be grateful and reverent in this gift. As we celebrate mid-spring, the feminine and the Taurus cycle, we do it with reciprocity and consciousness. Taurus loves to be in the body and we often feel lustful and sensual in her light, but perhaps rather than a selfish lust, we bring it to nature. Long walks with bare feet, planting seeds in a sacred way, dancing or making love on the earth, as was a traditional Beltane rite. We celebrate her and she celebrates us through the blossoming happening all around us.

And, don't forget, during this month we honor Mother's Day (May 11)! What can you offer to the great mother of us all?

Take care of yourself, but do it in a healthy way. Get to the farmer's market and buy local, fresh foods to enjoy and share, Go for a hike and thank the trees, or plant one! Buy yourself a new outfit or goodies made from a local, sustainable company, give your home and yard a makeover with green and eco options! We can be sensual and sensible. If we bring Gaia into our comforts, into our hearts, she responds a hundred fold.

"Awaken in us a sense of who we truly are: tiny ephemeral blossoms on the Tree of Life. Make the purpose and destiny of that tree our own purpose and destiny."

I love John Seed's invocation. I encourage you to read it out loud as you pray, meditate, walk in nature or participate in any Beltane rituals. It is a sweet way to connect and set strong intent for this cycle. I also encourage you to get out, onto the earth and just as we need to ask for help from those around us when we lack inspiration or support, Gaia needs us. We need each other. Offer yourself to her in whatever way you see fit, and receive her in the same way. The time is now, in the height of light and life, to show our gratitude and re-connect to our deepest roots and to Gaia.

I wish you all a magical and blessed new moon, a sacred and sensual Beltane and may the highest magic of mid-spring, renewal, fertility and joy be with us all, and with the earth.

3/1/2014 Pisces New Moon INTEGRATION

Is anyone else feeling fragmented? I am sure some of it is the fact that for 7+ months, I have not slept for longer than 3 hours in a row, and rather than there being a definitive end to one day and a beginning to the next, I have been flowing through hour by hour, breath by breath. And, of course, we all just had 3 weeks of Mercury Retrograde in airy Aquarius, which turned my brain upside down.

Regardless, fragmented was the word that came to my mind when I tried to still myself enough to write this email. I think we all experience fragmentation in some way or another. Whether it manifests as a disconnect between body and mind, or mind and emotions or emotions and spirit or any variation therein, most of us tend to feel like we are two (or more) people, living multiple lives, playing many roles. It can be exhilarating and exhausting to realize we use our energy so broadly, but at some point, we realize we lack the "bandwidth" (my new favorite expression) to sustain our intention.

Now is a good time to become aware of this fragmentation. Mercury goes direct the day before this new moon. Soon enough, we will be at Spring equinox and Aries will be demanding action and the time will be ripe for manifesting the dreams of winter. But for the next 28 days, we need to learn to balance collective consciousness (Aquarius) with personal power (Aries) through the mutable waters of Pisces.

Pisces is the last of the Zodiac signs and is considered the oldest. She is said to contain a little bit of every sign and that she can empathize with every other element because her energy is that of rain, or a waterfall or the fast flowing river. She moves through and with all the other elements and in fact is created by the relationship between them. Fragmentation cannot exist with Pisces because she is everything. There is no separation.

One of my teachers, Lynn Andrews, says, "The first lesson of power is that we are alone." We learn this as the wheel begins with Aries, independence, personal strength, setting individual goals. "The last lesson of power is that we are all one." Through the year's twists and turns, through the experiencing of each cycle and sign, we all come to this place, the realm of Pisces, where it no longer seems so important to stand alone or be the "one." We are tired, weary and have been from the roots of earth to the cosmos of space and just want time to heal and rest before it all starts again.

This is not the cycle for big decisions, changes or excessive business. This is the cycle for writing down dreams, gazing at the clouds and the stars, meditating on waves or dancing in the rain. Let yourself be complete. Even though we all have work we want to do, can we sense that it is already within us? And that the outer journey is just the chance to re-member that fullness? Additionally, we cannot truly absorb or embody our new endeavors if we don't first finish downloading all the work already done. We have all come a long way and transformed so much in so many ways. Stop, and let it sink in. Stop, and welcome the integration.

Integration can occur in many ways: You may sense it through the body, so take time to do yoga, dance, get a massage or take a spa trip to support the process. Sometimes we get sick just so the body can rest and absorb all the information! Often we feel it through dreams, which Pisces rules, so this is a good month to start a dream journal. Or it can come through emotions so welcome tears when they arise, even if it is unexpected. Pisces can be quite mysterious and works through intuition, so really honor your gut this month, particularly around self-care.

As with every cycle, if we can really invite the sign into our lives, if we surrender to the current flow, we feel the support. Suddenly, even fragmented sleep is enough to get us through the day or a lingering cough/cold magically disappears, or the missing piece in a current struggle becomes as obvious as the light of day. I know we have big goals and that the desire to "spring" forward is strong. But Pisces is here, at this time, for our highest good. The universe put her between Aquarius and Aries for a reason, and that reason is integration. Just as the water will slowly change everything she touches, there is nothing that Pisces cannot absorb into herself. The hurts, challenges, questions, defeats will all melt into the center, along with joys, truths, loves and victories. We are alone and we are all one. There is a season for owning each of these statements, and now is the time to surrender to oneness. Don't think about, just allow it. Pisces will do the rest.

May Pisces bless you, cleanse you and heal you. May she journey with you in dreams and tears and support you in integrating all aspects of yourself, that we may greet the spring wholly refreshed, renewed and ready for the next steps.

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Aquarius New Moon 1/30/14~ The Web

I have been thinking a lot about friends, relationships, needs and community in general. Maybe it is the residue from the Cancer full moon this month. Mama Cancer brings up what we need and how we need to feel loved, comforted, safe. Or maybe it is simply that so much of my life and priorities have shifted since I became a mother. Either way, relationships, how to be in relationships and what it means to be in relationships are on my mind.

Friends have always been one of the most important things to me. From an early age, I preferred my "chosen" family over my real family. I didn't come from a strict or unkind home, quite the opposite, but the Gemini in me sought popularity, new faces and socializing more than developing closeness with my kin. Even though that has changed some as I have grown older, seen the importance in my family and understand how different those connections are, my friends and community still ranked pretty close to number one on my priority list.

A lot has transformed since I got pregnant and even more so since baby was born. Suddenly, this new soul is number one and even that second slot seems miles beneath the first. I now understand that maternal emotional Cancerian calling in a way I never imagined, fathomed or even desired. I had no idea I would love this kid so much or that I would want to be with him constantly. Everything else just kinda falls away. I don't mean it to, I try to be aware, be present, be kind to those around me. It is just hard. This shift is not just for parents, it can happen anytime you suddenly commit yourself to a new calling or presence.

So I am tired and obsessed. I am overwhelmed. It is easy to stay home with the kid when I don't have to be somewhere. And it is just easier to hang out with other moms, or with no one at all. Suddenly the excitement I felt around social events, networking, even lunches and mani/pedis feels like work and even talking on the phone is an impossibility.

On the other side, Gemini human that I still am, a part of me feels like I need more help and connection now; and it's hard not to just pick up the phone when I want something or someone. Oh, the selflessness in serving another human and the selfishness of still being one!

I find myself being afraid of sounding selfish or needy and then I don't reach out at all. I wonder what the point is of trying to maintain my standing in the community or my friendships. It is not a comfortable place to be. I don't know what the solution is or even if one really exists. Perhaps I just need a shift in my perception.

Enter, as always, the new moon. Aquarius, fixed air, is the sign of community. She is the weaver of the web, the social director that stands back and sees how the event can be unique and wonderful. She is smart and effortlessly maintains all the pieces that need to be woven and the balls that need to be juggling. She does what she does for the highest good, the collective consciousness and the much bigger picture. It's not just about her, or any single person or linear list of persons. She is concerned with all beings.

She is also a little aloof, detached and ambivalent to the emotional needs and desires of others. Aquarius new moon following the Cancer full moon is about as different as it gets, but both are pertinent players in the game of life.

Cancer allows us to drop into that place of overwhelming need and feeling. She forces us to look at the uncomfortable emotions around family, life and what brings us closeness and comfort. Compared to Capricorn, the new moon cycle ending, and Aquarius, the one beginning, she is the almost intolerably needy but necessary.

Capricorn turned our attention towards the active, masculine, anchoring energies of manifestation, and now Aquarius, who is neither feminine nor masculine, but rather androgynous in her universality and preferences, has us step back from father/mother and into the realm of simply being human. Rather than labeling and demanding roles, expectations and results, Aquarius steps back, shrugs and says "what is needed for the benefit of all? Not for just you to succeed (Capricorn) and for you to feel good (Cancer) but for everyone to live just a little bit more happily?"

I, too, have to step back. Being a mom is amazing. But being a wife, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, student and mother feels overwhelming. I know many of you relate, we all wear so many masks! Can we just come back to being human? And can we behave as we want other humans to behave, without attachment or expectation? Can we soften the guilt, anger, love, resentment and fear and just breathe? Aquarius is air, after all. Can we just do, one day at a time, the best we can do and what needs to be done for the highest good for all of us?

It is a tough request, one that requires contemplation and the intelligence that comes from the higher mind, not the primal brain or ego. After all, how can we be human and know the highest good? That is the Aquarian think-outside-the-box paradox and it requires both a humbling acceptance of our finite, flawed nature and the nature of others, a willingness to still want to take actions that benefit all the beings in spite of that nature and then a surrender to something greater, even if it is just the idea that there is something greater than our needs. It is in this process that the higher purpose is revealed. But it is subtle and as it is in the realm of air, it is a brief glimpse, a breath, of the highest consciousness, and then the humanness returns.

Many of us can't or won't meet the challenge. That's okay, Aquarius does not judge. She just keeps weaving the web and knows you will find a place in the fabrics, when you are ready. The web is not neat and not always beautiful, it's magic is in the fact that it simply keeps growing, regardless of the imperfections and mistakes. She just keeps weaving it, finding the exquisiteness in creation and connection, in just being human, aware of our humanness, doing the best we can with other humans, one intricate, complicated stitch at a time, one breath at a time.

I breathe in, and I forgive myself for my desires, expectations, flaws and shortcomings. I exhale and I forgive others for theirs. In that fixed space between the inhale and exhale, the exhale and inhale, I pause, and ask Aquarius, higher consciousness, what next step needs to be taken, for the highest good of all. The weaver keeps weaving and the web grows stronger.

Sending you all love and blessings on this new moon, the second one in January, considered to be auspicious by many in terms of potent beginnings (There is no new moon in February in 2014, but two again in March, it will be a powerful spring, but more on that later); also Happy Chinese new year, year of the horse! As time starts to gallop by, do pause in your breath and ask to be guided. May we all remember our humanness, our connection and trust everyone is doing the best they can. Bekah

Capricorn New Moon 1/1/14~ Auspicious Beginnings

I don't tend to follow our agreed upon western calendar in terms of cycles or seasons. I still prefer the moon and the earth to guide me there. The idea that January 1st is the new year has never made any real sense to me energetically. January is such a dreary month anyway and I like either celebrating solstice or even Chinese new year for a new beginning. But 2014 is a little different because the first new moon of the year happens to fall on new year's day. And it is not just any new moon, it is Capricorn, the queen of the mountain, initiator of winter, earth element in it's most powerful and challenging.

To me, who tries to honor cycle, season, moon, earth, intuition, spirit and goddess, there is something incredibly auspicious about this line up. Particularly as we are coming out of such a hard year. There are challenges ahead, don't get me wrong, 2014 will have it's bumps and ebbs, but I don't know; when I look at the little new moon symbol in Capricorn next to January 1st on my calendar, it gives me butterflies.

The Capricorn new moon is the best of the year to start foundational work. This is the sign of resolutions, making plans and mapping the course. As so many already use Jan 1st as the day of new beginnings, having the strength of Capricorn behind it makes me feel like those intentions might have the ability to manifest better than usual, and they also run the risk of holding us more accountable than usual. Saturn rules Capricorn and Saturn is big daddy planet, the strict father figure of astrology that keeps us in line and has no qualms about forcing us back on the horse, or goat, rather, when we either fall or jump off.

This is a new moon to really take some time to decide what your true goals are for the year to come. This is not the year to write down those resolutions you just write because you always do (make a million dollars, get married, lose 50 lbs) unless you truly intend to get to work. Saturn and Capricorn are listening this time and you don't want to to tell them something you don't mean because they do not have a sense of humor or think not following through is funny. At all.

I recommend getting out on the earth this new year's day. Walk to the park, or better, climb a hill or mountain. Sit or stand with feet or sit bones firmly on the ground, connecting you to her strength. Consider your physical world, (Capricorn is best for goals around the physical and material) What do you really want? What is your long term dream, the top of the mountain, so to speak? What actions can you take to get there? What do you really need to live the life you want?

Be serious. be practical but also, believe in yourself. Believe you have the ability and support to achieve your goals this year. Tell the earth and the moon that you are ready and willing to do what needs to be done. If you are clear and diligent in your intentions, Capi and Saturn are two of the best allies you could ever want and you will get to the top in 2014.

I wish you, and all beings, a prosperous and auspicious new moon and new year.

Sagittarius New Moon 12/2 Stoking the Inner Fire

Sagittarius New Moon: Stoking our Inner Fire

The day the sun left watery Scorpio and entered fiery Sagittarius was also the first time it really rained in southern California.

We have spent the past month mostly drowning in Scorpionic depth. The Philippines literally experienced the height of wet death through the deadly powerful typhoon and the world grieves with them for all the loss and destruction.

For the rest of us, while we may have not felt Pluto's wrath in such an extreme way, it has still been a challenging and transformative cycle.

Even though the sun is now dancing in Sag's mutable fire, and the moon joins the party on 12/2, all is not exactly bright and cheery in our physical and emotional worlds.

But this is the brilliance of cosmic design! It is at this very moment, in the cold days and longest nights that Sag comes into play, Sag with her long mane, adventurous heart and songs of myth, magic and miracles, is the most gregarious and fun loving.of all signs. Fire energy is spiritual and Sag stokes that inner light within us all, the light that has been dampened by Scorpio's flood of feelings.

The sun itself may feel far away, but the flame within burns bright when we invite Sag to the party. Is it any wonder this is the month of holiday travels and celebration? A time of gratitude and good will? Sure, some holidays fall after solstice and into Capricorn, but roughly Thanksgiving to Christmas is Sag time, and it can be a time of stress and darkness or one of warmth and joy.

Sag favors building a big fire and inviting everyone to come by. Sag plays lively tunes and serves warm food and drink and encourages games and dancing. She also loves learning and sharing, telling stories, reading books, watching movies, especially history and adventure. She encourages sharing dreams, jokes and our desires. Sag may also inspire trips, whether short getaways or epic journeys and even if we can't run off, we may fantasize or plan trips for the future. Sag created the original wanderlust. Ruled by Jupiter, the lucky, benevolent outer planet, this is the time for connecting to our spirit and all that makes it burn brighter and stronger, so that we can thrive inside even as winter draws near.

How can you stoke the inner flame? "In" is the key. Doing inner work, delving into the inner depths, celebrating "in" doors. What really sustains you from the inside out? What makes you laugh, shine and savor life? Who are the people that get that inner fire dancing? Who and what inspire you and fuel you through times of challenge? This is where our energy needs to go for the next month. This is not the time for new beginnings or big actions, this is the realm of spirit and shifting our energy in a positive, sustainable way. Sag loves wide open spaces and there are limitless possibilities out there for each of us to explore the Sagittarian way of life. It might be cold outside, but inside, there is a whole world waiting to be enjoyed.

Welcome Sag in your own way. Do something that lights you up and warms your spirit. It's cold and dark enough outside, we don't need any of that on the inner, turn your focus to the things that bring you joy, and in turn, your bright spirit will light the way for others.

In Yoga, we say "namaste," which means that the divine light in me honors the light in you. I think this is the perfect time to offer that sentiment.
Namaste, sweet ones. and many blessings.

Gemini New Moon & Summer Solstice 6/20~ Duality

Whew~ we made it through another eclipse cycle and the culmination of the rare Venus transit. As the moon wanes and the days lengthen, most of us are still feeling the intense effects of Gemini's duality. Confusion/clarity, calamity/serenity, birth/death, light/dark are just a few of the polarities dancing around my head... one moment I feel focused, at the next, utterly overwhelmed. We are being transformed, our old patterns/karma/fears dissolved. This process will continue through the next month as we welcome a second new moon in Gemini the day before Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.

Venus is retrograde until June 27th, and on July 14th, Mercury will begin it's next backward cycle. We are still in the underworld, my friends, probably, in one form or another, until 2013. This whole year has been about re-birth, re-newal and re-aligning with our highest truths, so it is appropriate that we are experiencing so many astrological line-ups that encourage the clearing away of the old and bringing us ever closer to our authenticity and destiny.

Summer solstice marks the exact half-way point in a highly charged year. Next Wednesday, we will greet the longest day with the discerning eye, inquiring mind and open hands of the previous night's Gemini new moon. This moment of strongest sun is the most powerful, palpable, pranic time of the year, an auspicious day for healing and illumination. Then, the very next day, nights slowly lengthen and the gentle ebb of the seasons begins. As Gemini teaches us, while we live in this world, there will be duality, and it is only through this opposition that we can truly experience life.

I don't think that the point to being human is to transcend our nature, or to be one with everything else. The philosophies I resonate with say being human means constant change and experiencing the extremes of nature: hot, cold, light, dark, up, down. Living with so many different expressions means we sometimes suffer and the best antidote to suffering is to develop a relationship with the dualities and discover how to live as happy, joyous and free as you can while being in the moment.

As we move into this next month, I want to encourage you to keep going and to slow down. I want you to play, and get more rest, let something go and welcome someone in, enjoy the sun but allow the darkness. Much of our lessons right now are in letting the mind think, the emotions feel, the spirit fly and the body move. Each of these aspects is completely different and sometimes what they want are equally different that is seems impossible to take action! All are part of being human and as Gemini continues to light our way through the summer, trust that you are letting go of what you need to let go of and making space for what you want and these things happen simultaneously.

It is not about simply balancing our differences, our schedules, our victories and defeats, it is about allowing each to come to light and allowing that experience to blend into our individual and collective 2012 transformations. We are all transitioning in many ways, some that make no sense right now. And they don't have to. Human life is finite and we are playing with the infinite, so stay in the game, loving each play for what it teaches you about your journey.

One of my favorite simple sanskrit mantra's is "Om Shiva Shakti" and it honors both the yin/yang, masculine/feminine, light/dark, life/death, sun/moon through the aspects of Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti. Sometimes, when my Gemini nature is making me crazy, I say this chant over and over. It reminds me that though right/wrong would make some decisions easier, it would take the magic out of being alive.

Welcome the light of summer and the dark of the new moon to move through you this month, mind, body, emotion and spirit. Make decisions based on where the light is shining and trust the play of the infinite. Gemini can make you crazy with her mind games, but she is also the messenger of the divine, if you can stop taking her riddles literally and instead, make them part of the dance. Use your energy and life force wisely now, honor the clarity received through last month's chaos and from the center of light and dark allow your own color to shine.

Libra Full Moon 4/6

Libra Full Moon~ Softening the edges

I was lying awake last night thinking about this full moon, because that's what I do when I can't sleep. (Which has been happening more and more with the active solar flare cycle, I might add.) I was thinking about Aries and how interesting the last couple of weeks have been thanks to the pulsation of fiery spring spirits and retrograding planets altering the natural flow of the season. I have been more sensitive, but also a little more focused than I usually am this time of year because of it, and have found myself grateful for the challenges. Aries is the warrior, after all, and what fun is life without some opposition to make you stronger?

The full moon, always in a different element but same energy of the new moon, tends to bring more clarity to this opposition. I was laying awake at 1am musing on the unlikely but perfect tango between Aries, Cardinal fire ruled by Mars, and Libra, Cardinal Air ruled by Venus. Where Aries brings the initiationn of spring and the inspiring heat of flame, Libra heralds autumn and cooling breezes of balance. Mars is the God of war and Venus the Goddess of love. Mars wants to stir things up and make his presence known and respected, whereas Venus wants to calm things down and bring appreciation and alignment.

With all the current planets in retrograde, other planets heading in that backward direction and a variety of other alignments that my brain can't comprehend, I was trying to sense what illumination these two signs could bring us in the full moon phase. Then, it hit me, I know exactly what the magic between Aries and Libra is, because I live it every day. Aries is my moon and Libra is my rising. Some of you know astrology and what I just wrote perhaps brought an "ah," but many are less familiar and went "what?"

I am not an astrologer. I love astrology, I dabble, google and have also invested in really good readings that have taught me more than I could discover on my own. One of the first things I learned about my chart is that even though all planets, houses and alignments have meaning, if you can at least learn your sun, moon and rising (also called ascendant or first house) you can get a good sense of what energies affect you most. It makes you more three dimensional in the celestial realms, rather than the one dimension of knowing I was born between May 21 and June 21 which makes me, along with a million other people, a Gemini sun.

The sun is the masculine, active purpose in our lives, kinda what we came here to DO. The moon, is the feminine, emotional, receptive side, often what we are bringing in from where we were before this life, and shows us how we need to BE fulfilled so we can commit to our solar purpose. The rising is the outer appearance, how we move in the world with the sun/moon dictating, the yoke between them. Someone once told me that rising is like the car you drive, sun is the driver and moon is the navigator.

My solar purpose is Gemini, to communicate, educate, network, travel, read and write. But my moon is that reckless Aries, so in order to stay balanced in my airy day to day functions, I require my independance, strong physical practice, ability to pursue my passions and a lot of heat in emotional connections (which is what many of you may be experiencing right now in the Aries lunar cycle). Yet, when people meet me, they often see Libra, Thank the Goddess, who can harmonize anything, including the Gemini mental air and the Aries spiritual fire. With Libra rising, I might seem charming, committed and clever, rather than manipulative, intense and a know-it-all, which is how I imagine I come across when my Aries moon runs the show.

Libra softens Aries "I-don't-give-a-f$-about-anything-except-what-I-want-right-now" mentality and brings the awareness back to relationships with others. Aries fire would burn every bridge in town if it meant pursuing her passion, and then, once the desire is satisfied, she would look around like my dog does after she has dug up my garden, kinda like "what happened? why is everyone looking at me like that?" Aries is the youngest, most impulsive of the signs and Libra is the loving mama, who sweetly hands Aries a coloring book and wipes the crayon off the walls. She wants harmony, balance and acceptance in all situations, so she definitely has her work cut out for her in this crazy cycle.

The best I can suggest, having a personal relationship to these signs, is to simply open yourself to taking some deep breaths under this full moon. Let Libra's calming winds soften your Aries edges. Check in with your loved ones and see if anyone has been feeling neglected or hurt during the chaotic weeks of Aries reign and Mercury's retrograde. This is not the time for solutions, but just to open the lines of communication. There is not much Libra can't weigh out and she might offer all of us some clarity and gratitude for the challenges we have been facing.

If nothing else, perhaps she can makes us appear more appreciative and aligned whilst we play out the rest of this month. Ask her to take your hand and guide you through the waning cycle, helping to clean up wreckage from Aries' tantrums, repair any bridges and remind you of what is beautiful and balanced in your life.

Virgo Full Moon 3/8~ Critic, Addict or Healer

Virgo Full Moon~ Critic, Addict or Healer

How are you feeling? As the Pisces cycle reaches it's climax, this is a great week to tune back in to dreams, emotions and receptivity. The full moon is highly charged and makes us extremely sensitive, because the earth is getting the total reflection of the sun. It serves as a magnifying glass, or one of those cosmetic mirrors with the lights that shows every little detail in your face, which can be a little confronting.

The full moon is also always in the opposing sign of the current cycle, so while Pisces is still "swimming" the show, we now have Pisces astrological partner, Virgo, highlighting either the intentions that are serving and culminating or those we should release.

Pisces and Virgo are both "mutable" signs and mutable energy is transforming, adapting or dissolving. In Pisces we see that quality in our emotions, whereas in Virgo, being earth, we see it in the physical. In Pisces it comes out as dreaming, intuiting empathy, or as the shadow of deluded, oversensitive codependance. In Virgo, mutability manifests as healing, cleansing compassion or critical, judgemental addiction.

Those qualities may seem pretty extreme, as do the labels of "Critic, Addict or Healer" but remember, the full moon is enhancing energies that are normally pretty subtle. Virgo is certainly not the only sign connected to healing and addiction, but it is highlighted in this realm.

Mutable earth is a hard nature to describe. Earth seems so much more concrete in the mountain of Capricorn or the tree roots of Taurus. I struggle to find the most appropriate, tangible image for Virgo, but a really close one is the human body. While our bodies are made of all elements, these bones, muscles, bands, skin and organs have an earthy sensation; and we are constantly transforming, dissolving and changing in these forms.

If we are intently focused on the mutable nature of earth, we often see it manifest in the following ways:
1. The critic: Our body is never good enough, nor is our home, job or anyone else. We only see what is wrong and are constantly trying to "fix" it from the outside. We want things to "look" perfect.
2. The addict: Often if we feel not good enough, or have been told that, we start trying to dissolve this form by filling it with another physical substance, which can be drugs, alcohol, food, sex, clothing, other people, etc; anything that makes us feel more comfortable and whole in our skin, or makes us feel like we are out of our bodies for a while. Once either of those states are experienced, we want it all the time.
3. The healer: We recognize there is change occurring, often uncomfortable, but we also see an opportunity to adapt to the change versus fixing or denying. Rather than being defined by the outer appearance, we see it as a gateway to transformation. We go with the flow of the form, which guides us in making the appropriate change. Within the movement, we experience true healing and freedom.

Again, these are very specific archetypes not limited to Virgo alone. Most of us experience some level of criticism, addiction and healing throughout our lives; but as this full moon is in Virgo, and these are her more potent qualities, we are getting a magnified look at our tendencies and the chance to make change.

It can be very healing simply to bring the emotional, intuitive essence of Pisces into the body right now, especially if you have been feeling disconnected and out to sea the last couple of weeks. But I do encourage you to take advantage of the healing potential in the next few days. Examine your own relationships with Virgo's archetypes, sit under the moon, let her light fill your mutable human form and support you in developing a sweeter relationship to your flesh. Try getting a massage, seeing the acupuncturist, chiropractor, energy worker or explore practices like Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong.

The Vernal equinox is right around the corner (Monday 3/19) and our intentions around this full moon, as well as the following waning cycle, will initiate our spring blossoming and summer fruition. If we can let Pisces guide us in cleansing emotionally, connecting more deeply to our dreams, and allow Virgo to bring us into right relationship with our bodies and physical connections, we can greet the fiery Aries cycle that heralds Spring with a healthy, fertile space to hold the power of manifestation.

Take care of yourself, each other and the earth.

Pisces New Moon 2/21

Pisces New Moon~ Dreaming Waters

On February 3rd, just one day after Imbolc, 4 days before the Leo Full Moon and a mere two weeks before this new moon, Neptune, the planet of mysticism, returned to it's home sign of Pisces. Neptune has not spent time in the Piscean depths since 1861 (except for a short time last year as it prepared to leave Aquarius) and will rest in it's natural element until 2025. During it's last 13 year reign, we saw a multitude of artistic, spiritual and cultural transformations, from the birth of the impressionist movement, to the abolishment of slavery, the creation of anesthetics, declaration of women's rights and the invention of the blue jeans.

Much of the Mayan prophecy 2012 chatter has been based in specific, powerful planetary alignments. One is the Venus/Sun transit on June 6th, another is the Pluto/Uranus square and this shift of Neptune into Pisces is also considered a catalyst in creating the new era.

I think the timing of this transition, coming in so close to the Pisces lunar cycle, is a beautiful and blessed opportunity to give us a taste of what the next 13+ years might hold.

The Pisces cycle is the month between winter and spring, where the mutable water element both dissolves the icy snows and nurtures the first seeds to blooming. Mutable energy is transformative and water connects us to our emotions and unconscious minds. I think of Pisces as the changing waters from the sky~ ranging from light rain to hail and everything in between. It can be gentle and healing or cold and damaging.

The best way to explore Pisces/Neptune is through dreams, intuition, meditation and working with water. You may have already noticed your sleep shifting in the last couple of weeks; or perhaps your dreams got really good or really bad. Building up what the shamans call a "dreambody" and spending more healing time with water are tasks that will not just support an interesting month, but tools that can assist you (and others) in moving towards a higher realm of consciousness/awareness/growth that will support our planet's much needed shift.

I have mentioned before that the outer planets are pretty impersonal. Neptune in Pisces will manifest whatever spiritual/emotional changes are needed to continue evolution in our solar system, regardless of our willingness; but we do have a choice about how we experience it and how it effects us. We can harness this lunation and become co-workers in the process. We don't need to drown or get lost in Pisces' adapting waters, we can accept the umbrella offered and decide to dance and sing in the rain.

The umbrella offered, in my opinion, is from our constant ally, the moon. Our grandmother is giving us 28 potent days before Spring Equinox to really drop into our emotional and dream bodies, to cleanse, shift our consciousness, open our creativity and set the intentions needed to ride the coming waves. This is the month to designate a dream journal to your bedside table and commit to writing in it every day, not just dreams, but any message or intuition that comes up through your day/night.

Dream work comes easy for some, and way hard for others. I have always struggled with dream work. Part of my Shamanic apprenticeship involved extensive strengthening in the dream body, and I must confess mine never could carry much weight. It has been one of the bigger challenges I face in mystical work and I have nothing but awe and reverence for the powerful dreamers in the world. Luckily, Neptune in Pisces should automatically enhance everyone's dreaming abilities, so this is a good time for those of us who have a hard time to put in some focus.

In addition to writing down your dreams/intuitions every morning this month, whether or not you recall them, increasing meditation will also open up the unconscious and form a better container to hold messages/visions/dreams. Sitting by water would be a great way for new and old meditation practitioners to set their intent, and using actual water elements tune us more deeply into Pisces' frequency. You can also get some music with sounds of waves/rains/rivers to listen to as you just sit quietly and breathe. Physically working with water is also recommended. I am ever the fan of hot baths, and cold dips in oceans and streams.

The waters of our planet play a pivotal role in the survival of the human species, start to explore ways to conserve, protect and restore our water sources. Buy a new eco friendly shower head, put filters on sinks rather than buying water, say thank you in your shower, donate money to groups that preserve waters and only wash full loads of dishes/laundry with organic soaps.

Maintain a mind that is conscious of how precious this element is as you ask it to bless, cleanse and heal you. Form a relationship with the waters around you, a relationship based in gratitude, and the waters will also respect you and deepen your intuitive process.

One other helping hand that is reaching out to support our experiences are healing herbs. For thousands of years, mystics have ingested, burned, bathed in and slept with sacred herbs to enhance the benefits of water, meditation and dreaming. Consider accepting the guidance of some Mugwort, Wormwood, Chamomile, Valerian Root, Rosemary or even Lavendar in your Pisces journey. I do not ingest many herbs and I don't recommend anyone trying without guidance, but I do love to put them under my pillow while I sleep or steep in my bath before meditation or bed.

Bring the same intelligence and reverence to the herbs as you do your water and dream work, and you will find yourself becoming a more sensitive, creative, intuitive and connected being in an era where that consciousness is desperately needed.

Pisces and Neptune have 13 years to bring about amazing changes, and we have the next 28 days to align ourselves with this transformation and pick up tools that will allow us to be more awake and active in the mutable weeks and months that follow. I hope you will decide to spend some time in Pisces company and begin to understand what a difference each of our own dreams can make when we bring them into consciousness.

Capricorn New Moon~ Building the Foundation

Capricorn New Moon~ Building the Foundation


I am greeting the last week of the Sagittarius cycle with an irritating cold. It seems appropriate, really, as I spent the majority of the cycle that favors expansion and freedom feeling contraction and limitation. Much of this was due to the intensity of lunar and solar eclipses as well as the added lessons of Mercury retrograding in the same signs. As an astrologer I read yesterday said, we were so busy dealing with these alternate energies that we could not put our complete focus into the intention of the cycle.

But I trust there are no mistakes in the cosmic space. As often as I cannot possibly fathom why things happen, I always have to come back to a truth I feel in my gut. That truth is we are finite. Finite, human, fragile and almost incapable of grasping the enormity of the universe. Sagittarius is one of the signs that tries to raise our awareness, get us thinking bigger and brighter, but even the fires of spirit can only blaze so high in these little human bodies. We cannot ever comprehend the infinite possibilities and size of the universe.

Heaven knows we try! This month with so much powerful mental and spiritual energy we were trying, trying desperately to inspire transformations... and since the eclipses are felt for at least 6 months, some of those changes will come to fruition in 2012. But now it is time to turn our attention back to our humanness, to welcome the winter season by invoking the Capricorn cycle and getting back to work in the limitations of the physical realm.

Capricorn is cardinal earth. Cardinal energy is the initiator and earth energy is focused on form: body, home, work, family, manifestation. Last month we were completely caught in the adapting, changing, transforming, mutable energies of spirit and mind. Perhaps you felt like your head might explode or that your body just can't handle all the shifts moving through the ethers. That is the reason I love astrology, just when I can't bear another "spiritual experience", the most stabilizing force on the planet claims the moon light.

I grow to appreciate Capricorn more and more as the years go by. When I was younger, I felt simply bewildered by this sign's focus on the material. Creating structure, routine, schedule and building the most effective foundations on which most anything will thrive successfully. Capricorn is the mountain goat, who sees a huge winding mountain and without a thought, ignores the longer, easier side trail and climbs right up the middle to the top. This sign initiates physical manifestation and generally thrives in any terrain you put in front of her. She accepts the challenge, works hard, knows how to manage her time and is generally victorious in her endeavors.

Part of her confidence is that she understands the restrictions of earth. It might seem miraculous that she can climb that mountain, but her ability to discern where she can step is what makes that climb possible, rather than just a blind faith that she will make it. It is the experience of putting one foot in front of the other, taking a single step at a time and really comprehending the weight and ability of the form that enables her success. If you know many mountain climbers, they will tell you it takes incredible strength, knowledge and practice to scale a summit.

I need that initiative right now. My spirit and mind worked overtime last month and it is the body that feels the effect. The body is the vessel in which spirit, emotions and thought survive. If the vessel is weak, it is hard to rise to the tasks suggested by the other energies.

I can just see Capricorn standing in my doorway this weekend, eyeing me with her cool gaze that can immediately assess that I haven't changed my clothes in 2 days, washed my hair or even shaved my legs in a few weeks. My nails are bitten to nothing and I have been been pretty much ignoring my physical appearance. Laundry needs to be done and the house overall needs some attention. She steps forward, dressed stylishly, but conservatively, not a hair out of place. Jewelry placed and matched perfectly, seemingly effortlessly, as few know how hard she actually works.

I hear her voice, grounded and confident, as she hands me a cup of strong herbal tea and says "You can do this for another day or two. I know you have been struggling. But we have a busy week and you need to show up for it. Another day, and then it is action time. Clean the house, clean yourself. Take pride in your appearance and get back to work. Winter solstice is this week and while I won't begrudge you some time alone in the dark, if you want that light to return, you need to give it a form worth coming back to."

I groan and roll over, pulling the pillow back over my head, welcoming the darkness. She doesn't get angry, she sits beside me, strokes my hand. Her own hand is firm and strong, but still well manicured and soft. "I will stay with you. I will help you. I can pick out your clothes, do your make-up and organize your schedule. This is a big year and winter is the most important season for setting the foundation. I need you to climb these mountains with me and continue to work towards your dreams. This is my time, though all time is my time, and I can show you how to use your time efficiently and powerfully. Just ask for my help, and I am here, I will show you the middle path and together we can manifest anything."

Now I sigh, but I look into her eyes, grey and wise like the tops of ancient mountains. She is the mother of time, ruled by Saturn, one of bigger outer planets that demands we walk the right path and is associated with taking responsibility and the limits of time and matter. She knows the restrictions, but in that knowledge, she also knows exactly how to help us grow within our own boundaries. I understand that this is the year I need her most. I smile wearily and say "Okay. I am with you. I want your help. Please stay with me."

She smiles back, her hand now at my forehead, "I will stay. Now you can go back to sleep and I will be waiting for you to start our work."

Take time to honor the darkness, celebrate the solstice. Rest as much as you need to, but set a limit. The solstice is Wednesday and the new moon is Saturday (which also falls on Christmas eve) The holidays alone can distract us and keep us lethargic. We are gathering on Monday to set intentions, but even if you cannot join, us, perhaps Monday will be a good day for you to start welcoming the Capricorn tasks. Start by cleaning up the vessel, looking the part of the life you want to create. Start to consider your foundation of 2012, what kind of year you want. Get your new calendars, datebooks and start organizing your schedule. Meditate on the mountain top and ask Capricorn to guide you in initiating the foundation. Remember that Capricorn is a realistic task-master and if it feels she is not supporting you in one endeavor, perhaps she is trying to put your focus elsewhere. Welcome her wisdom, her experience and trust that she knows how you need to grow.

Sagittarius New Moon/Partial Solar Eclipse~ Balancing Spirit

Thanksgiving day is usually filled with family, food, tradition and all the things that come along with them. That can include: traveling, shopping, prepping, driving, cooking, eating, drinking, fussing, fighting, laughing, crying, glutton, excess, pleasure, pain, cleaning and I am sure you can each personally add a few more.

 

All of this is intensified by both the Sagittarius new moon & a partial solar eclipse that occur on Thursday November 24th.

 

I am still trying to find the earth from the emotional, watery depths of the Scorpio cycle, even after the grounding Taurus full moon last week. But earth is not the element inviting us into the next month; it is the beckoning of mutable fire that claims the twenty-eight days ahead.

 

The Sagittarus cycle is normally quite welcome, especially in the holiday season. Sag is the centaur, gypsy, philosopher and story-teller. The energy is gregarious, voracious, social and hard to keep still. It's kinda like being hauled out of a deep, dark well (Scorpio) that you have been sitting in for a month and being plopped in front of a giant bonfire with a cup of tea and a camp full of gypsies, singing, laughing, telling stories. It can be a relief, but also a pretty extreme change of scenery.

 

An eclipse intensifies whatever sign it falls on, and solar eclipses intensify the outer, masculine, active qualities, where lunar amp up the emotional, feminine energies. The eclipse on Thursday is partial solar (not as powerful as total solar) and as the sun and moon will be in Sagittarius, that is a lot of fire energy.

 

I feel like we are going to want to do one of two things during this new moon.

 

The first is to completely rebel against all the truth seeking, cleansing and changing Scorpio was demanding and to just hide our heads in too much food, drink, shopping, socializing and playing. I get that, I am tempted to do the same. I am half way through the cleanse I started with the waning cycle and every ounce of me wants to justify ending early and starting to enjoy the pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, cookies and goodies already springing up everywhere. Sag, after all, is the fun loving story teller that can easily make up a really good reason why you have done enough work and should party party party.

 

OR you may just want to burn out. Scorpio brings up all our deep dark secrets, fears, resentments and with the heightening fire energy, it may feel appropriate to spend Thanksgiving telling your relatives exactly what you think of them or forcing your spouse into discussing every intimate issue you have or any other extreme heated exchange you can come up with. Fire energy is always alchemical, always trans-formative and mutable energy makes it faster, hotter and more changeable. It can be really appealing to want to harness all that hot stuff and just burn those metaphorical bridges, houses and villages to the ground. Because, again, we all are recognizing that we have stuff to work on, things to release, why not just get it over with in a huge blaze of drama and glory?

 

Naturally, neither of those plans is sustainable. Neither support our overall health or the healing of our communities and countries. Following the moon generally means we are invoking more of those intuitive, nurturing, balancing qualities rather than the linear aggressive desires solar energy creates. We start to sense, based on the movements of moon and earth, that everything is cyclical and gradual changes stand the test of the seasons better than immediate destruction and instant gratification.

 

The challenge in this cycle is to build a healthy fire and care for it in a good way. Yes, you deserve rest, joy and a full tummy AND yes, you must continue to let go of the things that no longer serve you and work towards the life you want.

 

Use that visualization this month, if you can. Imagine the fire in your belly, see it being built upon the foundation that supports your dreams, lit by your new intentions and the things that bring you joy and burning through that which you carefully choose to let go of. As you move into celebration, see your fire being tended to by love as well as release. When you feel it getting too high, or dampening, use your breath to come back to center and bring it back to that middle place. The place where it is warm, inviting and likely to last all night.

 

Perhaps you will spend Thanksgiving somewhere an actual fire can be lit, either candles, fire place or outdoors. Take time to look into the flames and again, use your breath, imagination and intention to clear negative energy or honor positive. Remember that Thanksgiving is ultimately about gratitude. Be grateful for the heat, the ability to make and use fire. Be grateful for the moments you can let worries go and be with loved ones and be grateful for the times you can burn away something you don't need anymore.

 

Sagittarius can be a mischievous one, but like most gypsies, if you are straight with her about what you need, she will make sure you get exactly the right medicine, be it food, dance, drink, sleep or a good story.

Fall Equinox & Libra New Moon

Libra New Moon~ Choosing Harmony~

 

If you accepted the Virgo invitation from August's new moon, you may have experienced a wide range of weeding, cleansing, clearing, sweating, releasing and transforming your physical world. I clocked more hours of yard and housework time this last month than probably in the last 5 years. It was much needed and worth every drop of sweat and ounce of frustration.

 

From Mutable Earth, the realm of the healer, we now move to Cardinal Air and the symbolism of the scales. If you really did the deep work Virgo required of you, you let go of a lot and you may still find yourself wanting to "do" more but summer is officially over with Libra's entrance into the sky, and the energy all around is releasing. We must now find the way to balance what we are left with.

 

The seasonal shifts are instigated by the movement of earth on her axis as she circles the sun, as well as by the movement of zodiac constellations in the sky. When Libra takes center stage, it coincides with the perfect alignment of our planet for 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness (Autumn Equinox), followed by the shift into shorter days and longer nights for our side of the globe. Libra, ruled by the Goddess Venus, and as I mentioned, symbolized by the scales, seeks harmony. As a Cardinal sign, Libra initiates the creativity needed for compromise and balance. As an Air sign, this initiation starts in the mind.

 

We went camping in the woods this last weekend, a fitting end to the Virgo cycle. As I sat around the campfire with my family, watching the transformation of earth through the burning of wood, my stepson asked me to tell a story. It took me a moment, but as I have Libra rising and Venus ruling my chart, I was quickly nudged to tell my favorite equinox story, a myth that both explained the seasonal change to our ancestors and symbolizes beautifully the act of making choices, compromising, and being in relationship: The myth of Demeter & Persephone~

 

Demeter is the Goddess of Earth, grain, agriculture and all that grows. She was a great nurturing mama and loved to nurture the whole planet all year long, but especially her daughter, the innocent and beautiful Persephone. Demeter was not the only one to adore her child, the lord of darkness and the underworld, Hades, also had taken an interest. Hades got permission, behind Demeter's back, from the King of Gods, Zeus, to take Persephone as his bride, so one day, when the girl had left her mother's sight to gather flowers, the earth cracked open and Hades dragged her down into the underworld. There was no trace of the abduction and Demeter was devastated. She could not eat, sleep or grow any grain until she found her child. She searched and searched and the earth got more and more bare. Finally, Zeus had to tell Demeter that Hades had taken Persephone. Demeter demanded her return or she swore she would never let anything grow again. Zeus agreed.

 

Meanwhile, Persephone was suffering below the earth. She also refused to eat or drink and nothing Hades tried could pull his bride from her sadness. When word came that Demeter was going to take Persephone, Hades grew desperate. He told his wife that she would soon be leaving but to please just eat something so she wouldn't seem so weak. Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds to pacify him. There is a law that if you eat or drink anything while in the underworld that you cannot leave, which Hades triumphantly announced when Demeter arrived. Demeter was beyond outraged and again told Zeus she would let Earth die if she had to return without her daughter; so Zeus was forced to compromise. Persephone would spend six months of the year on earth and six in the underworld. Demeter also compromised, stating that nothing would grow when her child went under but that life would return with Persephone, hence the creation of seasons.

 

There is a lot to this story and many perspectives to consider, but as the the fall equinox and Libra new moon draw close, I want you to consider the journey of Persephone. Demeter represents the light part of the year, the summer growth and blossoming. Hades is the dark time, Winter death, decay and retreat to the underworld. It is Persephone who symbolizes the balance between them, the innocent child of Spring, and the dutiful wife of Fall. It is she who must enter the underworld at fall equinox and return to the earth at spring equinox. Whatever her own feelings, fears and wants, she honors the compromise from Zeus and over time is revered as the Queen of the underworld.

 

Though at first she is just a victim to deities more powerful than she (I think we can all relate to that!) It is still her decision to cultivate the relationships between and within the light and dark. Persephone is the embodiment of the scales and the true creator of harmony and compromise.

 

Whatever may have come up for you on the mental level during this physical cycle of Virgo, it is time to reconcile it. In what places and ways are you having to give up some of your lighter aspects and move into your dark? Perhaps the physical work brought up a lot of darkness and your job during this cycle where there is less sun is to try to find the lightness in them? What can you learn about your relationships and where you can and cannot compromise? Relationships are our greatest mirrors, our most powerful teachers, as we see through Persephone and her connection to both Demeter and Hades. Neither is really better than the other, but they both force Persephone into initiation.

 

This is the month of final harvest, but for many of us, it is in the mental realm of air: practicing slow, balanced breathing, making mental inventories of your own assets/debits as well those of your relationships, reading inspiring books/stories and every day considering how you can bring more harmony into your life. It is not always easy to find balance and compromise, particularly between light and dark, but if Persephone can accept a life split between earth and the underworld, we can utilize twenty eight days for our own exploration of the scales.

Virgo New Moon & Women's Moon Camp

Om Chandraya Namaha, ladies~ it is almost time to welcome another lunar cycle!

It is still a week away, but I can't tell you how excited I am for both the Virgo cycle and our 1st Moon Camp. We specifically chose the Virgo new moon for camp, and the reasons were many.

Virgo is mutable (transform) Earth (form, physical) and is the sign most connected to making changes in the physical realm. Virgo is associated with the healer, and the perfectionist. This is the best sign to get into details and detoxification of the physical world we live in. The trouble can often be that we, especially women, get too critical, too perfection driven, either about ourselves, or we turn this keen eye on to those around us; particularly if we are not ready to do the work that needs to be done.

Choosing this cycle to spend a couple days together in the mountains, on the earth, taking time to do our individual and collective work, sitting in circle sharing our truths and new intentions, making healthy meals together, hiking, sitting around the fire... these are all such powerful ways to welcome an energy that can either be powerfully transformative, or powerfully destructive. 

Especially coming out of Mercury Retrograde (goes direct 8/26!) many of us had a lot of stuff coming up the last couple weeks: challenges, fears, illnesses, communication issues, doubts, anxieties about ourselves and maybe even the world around us.

I found myself more sensitive than usual to the news of famine in Somalia, the seeming hopelessness within our own economy, cases of brain eating amoebas in the South... I was feeling desperate, angry, sad. Is there nothing we can do?

Enter Virgo, problem solver, hard worker, wounded healer, patient, focused, humble and eager to create change. The first challenge is to put your eyes on yourself, and be gentle. Through lovingly assessing and cleansing our own bodies, minds, spirits and environments, we may find a way to share the healing. Perhaps through eating cleaner food, you decide to plant a garden, and then get your neighbors involved. Or if you discover that clean water is your passion, maybe you get inspired to donate to clean water funds or become active in Heal the bay. Perhaps you sign up for a composting class, and decide education needs more attention, think of all the ways you can take action in that field! The possibilities are limitless, as is the nature of mutability. 

Virgo is tireless in her effort to be of service, and as long as she keeps her eyes on herself and stays focused on the progress, not the perfection, this is the cycle that can change the world.

If you would like to join us in Ojai for Moon Camp, you can check out details on the facebook page (www.facebook.com/newmoonwomengather) and I will be sending directions this week, once I get final RSVP's. So please, RSVP:) you do not have to stay the whole time, but we will have Sky Ranch from Saturday around 2pm to Sunday afternoon. We recommend car pooling, bringing food to share for lunch, dinner, breakfast and snacks, as well as warm clothes, optional hiking shoes, sleeping bag, a tent that does not need to be staked (we will be camping out on the deck) and any of your Virgo inspired tasks like journals, crafting, reading, music, etc. There is not a specific ritual or ceremony, as the intent is to simply have time in Nature with our circle, as our ancestors always did at this time of the month, for cleansing, dreaming, processing and sharing. Virgo is the healer and nothing has proven more healing than Mama earth and a loving circle of sisters. The new moon falls on Sunday, but the dark moon was the night most associated with cleansing, and so it was perfect to spend the dark moon night together and then emerge on the new moon refreshed, filled and ready for what promises to be a very busy cycle of creating change. 

If you cannot join us, know that we hold your spirits in our circle, and please take time to welcome Virgo. Take care of your body through diet, exercise and cleansing, take care of your mind through journaling, talking with trusted friends, reading up on things you are interested in and take care of your spirit through meditation, getting out in Nature and sitting with the new moon to receive the wisdom of Virgo.

I hope to see you at Sky Ranch & I wish you a healing, productive and transformative cycle.