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.

Virgo Full Moon 3/16/14 Planting a new garden

"After awhile you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans, And futures have a way of going down in mid flight.

After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much, so plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn, that you really are strong and you really can endure;

And you learn and learn.....with every good bye you learn."

(Comes the Dawn by Debra Rich)

I carried the above poem around in my wallet for years. I think the first time I read it was in a "Dear Abby" newspaper column or something similar. I recall how something stirred in me as I read and re-read the words. I was much younger, at the place where I was truly learning the difference between a "woman's grace" and a "child's grief." I actually have not seen it in a couple years. Then, the other day, I received an email for a poetry exchange, kind of a chain email thing, asking me to send an inspirational quote, prayer, etc to the next woman's name on the list, then continue it on. For whatever reason, the Rich poem came to mind and has stayed with me.

I was pondering the upcoming Virgo full moon. I still ponder Virgo much more than any other sign, though I have been trying to learn more as my son carries not only a Virgo moon but a Virgo rising. I know Virgo is symbolized by the "Virgin," a word that traditionally meant "one who belongs to herself." I also know it's energy and element are mutable earth and that she is ruled by Mercury and connected to healing, organizing and cleansing. Still, nothing ignited in my intuition.

I considered where this full moon falls in the natural wheel: directly between the Pisces new moon and Aries new moon. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I feel like Pisces cycle is intended to close the last cycle, washing the old away in her sacred rain, absorbing all parts of the past and reminding us that we are all connected. Aries, as we shall soon see, is the beginning of the active season, the young, independent, excited candle, eager to make her mark and get the party started.

If I feel these energies in my body, which Virgo rules the human body, and in the changing earth around me, Pisces is the melting snow, the spring rains that prepare the soil. Aries is the divine spark that activates the seed and blossoms to the light. Virgo full moon would then be everything between the healing waters and transforming fires. She is the seed, the earth where the seed is planted and the flower that shall soon grow.

This image brought the poem back.

"Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul."

The first part of the poem is the waters of Pisces. The realization of what has past, all that has changed, the emotion of letting go of what was. We then move into Virgo: the healer and the gardener of our inner and outer garden. The full moon illuminates our grief and cycles completed, and yet she also shows us where we have grown and how we can take the old and use it to prepare the soil to plant new seeds, seeds that have potential to spark and take flight.

This full moon has the power to heal old wounds, cleanse our bodies/minds/hearts and guide us in choosing wisely where and what to plant in the cycle ahead. Get out on the earth under this moon. Write about the last year or just the last month. Write about what you release and what you will plant. Sit or stand bare against the soil, the fertile ground. Ask to receive the healing and guidance needed for the Spring ahead.

Use the last two weeks of winter, between now and equinox, the remainder of Pisces watery rule, to plan the most beautiful, abundant, magical garden. Perhaps it exists only within, or maybe you could plan something for the outside, too. Use the next fourteen days to prepare, continuing to work with water (Pisces) and earth (Virgo) as you absorb, heal and become inspired to let your garden grow.

Full moon love & abundant blessings to you, the earth and to all beings!

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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