Taurus New Moon~ Body (and Earth) as Temple
From the moment the full moon in Libra rose last week until the June 6th transit with the sun, Venus is holding the celestial spotlight.
The month of May, mid-spring, has always been center stage for the sensual Goddess, ruling her most comfortable sign, fixed earth Taurus. The sign of the bull maintains and venerates the physical. The body, the senses, the flowers, trees, animals, anything that is visceral and can be touched, smelled and tasted awakens the earth mother. This is the cycle of fertility for all living beings and fecundity has been celebrated by humans for millenia. Sadly, our current society (meaning the last few thousand years) has overall been more disconnected from the power of life and nature than any culture before; and that separation does not seem to be creating more love, joy and peace in the world, does it?
Venus is getting a lot of attention this year, not only with her usual April full moon cameo and regular season of worship in May, she is also next to go retrograde and is an integral part of both the Mayan and Cherokee prophecies for 2012, which includes her completing an eight year solar transit when she crosses the sun on June 6th.
If I were to say there is just one thing we could collectively do to bring more harmony and balance in such chaotic times, it would be to make a regular practice of honoring Venus.
Like, NOW.
The Taurus new moon is Saturday April 21st, and precedes another intense eclipse cycle over the summer. That feels to me like Venus giving us a chance to ground through sweet physical practices, surround ourselves with the people, places and things that bring beauty to our lives and sustain the mutable time ahead through gratitude, connection, community and love.
The thought that came to me as I admired Venus in the sky (as her planet self and as the energy behind the full moon) was the saying "my body is a temple." I don't know if that inspiration came from the earth, sky or from within myself, but it could truly be said for all three, and that is my intention for this month and those that follow.
How would you treat yourself and the planet differently if you really believed they were temples? I mean, have you ever walked into a space and just wanted to fall to your knees and weep in reverence? That is my reaction to seeing a Red Wood or Sequoia, to standing at the ocean, climbing the red rocks of New Mexico or entering the cathedrals of Italy or Spain. I have always felt that "temples" can be made by hand or nature, as long as the intention upon entering is to worship. What temples have you honored in your time? How can you create that feeling in your own form and the places you call home?
Could you eat better? Maybe this month is the time to plant that garden of veggies and herbs, or find a farmer's market. Have you been meaning to switch to natural in your cleaning, bathing, beauty or home products? Start researching your options. Have you wanted to find a more joyful community? Get into massage, or crafting? There are groups all over this city! What actions can you take to bring more beauty into your life, and into the world around you? I have friends working in community gardens, meeting monthly to align their chakras, doing book clubs, planting trees, hiking in groups, biking to work together, taking time for the spa, learning to cook, all of these and more are Taurus tasks!
Another simple way to connect with Venus is to paint, print or purchase an image of the love goddess in one of her many forms (Venus, Ishtar, Inanna, Astarte, Aphrodite, Hathor, Isis, Lakshmi) and either place it on your mirror, altar or even make an altar just for her. Offer her sweets and flowers and ask for her blessings through this time.
Venus will be retrograde for part of her reign, and that means cleaning up old wounds, particularly around relationships, body issues, environment and abundance. This is the time to put your focus on the temple around you and within you, tidy it up, decorate and celebrate!
Take time to meditate on Venus's invitation. I feel really strongly about how important creating a connection with her is right now and I hope you can create the space to experience her beauty and love in your life. You really are a sacred vessel, worthy of the gifts of the Goddess.
I leave you with an excerpt of one of my favorite Navajo blessings~
In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again
May we all walk in beauty~
Monday, April 9, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, March 5, 2012
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.
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.
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