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.

Winter Solstice Blessings 2013

I love the holy days. Note that I wrote holy day, not holiday. Even though that is where we get holiday from, I often think of them as different things... But that's another musing. Today is about the solstice, the winter solstice.

Winter solstice is one of eight seasonal holy days. I like to think of it as the first, a new beginning. Because even though it is the longest night of the year, the very next day, the light 'returns' and our days slowly grow longer, we move closer to the sun, until summer solstice, around June 21st. Then the nights grow longer and round and round we go.

I love that this is a cycle we can rely on and also agree on. No matter your personal beliefs, most of us feel pretty comfortable with the theory of earth moving around the sun by now. It is a rotation that is universally recognized and in many cultures, revered.

I like the reassurance of the sun coming closer each year but I never celebrate the same way. Every winter solstice may symbolize the power of dark and the gift of light, but every year, the world is different. I am different. I like to honor that in my sacred celebrations.

That is the balance, after all. The linear, masculine, fixed solar path of point a to b, giving us focus, strength and fiery intent, and the cyclical, feminine, lunar flow that connects us to emotion, intuition and faith.

This particular solstice my thoughts are on the Goddess.

I usually feel the sun as masculine, as I stated above and many cultures agree. But some see him as a she. And at a time of reversal and dreaming, why can't the sun change sexes or perhaps belong to both?

One of the oldest and most sacred Sanskrit chants, the Gayatri mantra, was originally dedicated to the sun goddess. And on this solstice, our most feminine planet, Venus, goes retrograde. The evening star, goddess of love and beauty, appears to descend into the underworld and emerges just a couple of days before the next holy day, Imbolc, as the morning star.

It is poetic and exquisite.

I pull a Tarot card for each holy day, which serves as the theme for that six weeks. My son pulled the card this time, well, he more grabbed at the deck as five month old babies grab at anything, but his hand ended up directly on the card of the empress. In the deck I use, Empress represents the earth goddess, spirit manifested.

These two events, Venus' transformation and the reign of the Empress over winter, shifted my intent for this solstice.

Darkness has always been connected with the feminine, yin, moon energies. People in our culture don't spend enough time in the dark. In the dark is where healing happens, where the seed is planted, where the roots form, where many animals go to hibernate and where we offer our dead. Darkness defines light. Darkness is magic, mystery and every possibility. In the dark, the surface becomes void and all that matters is spirit.

Rather than fearing or avoiding dark, rather than banishing it, I want to see her as part of this goddess cycle. Venus descends and is reborn. From the longest night, the light returns. It is the exhale of the goddess before her big breath in.

We need darkness. We need light. We need to remember that both, equally belong to her.

May darkness heal us, cleanse us, bless us and hold us. May the light renew, inspire and empower us.

May we see the Goddess in all we are, all that is. And in her wholeness, may we find our own. From our wholeness, may we offer light, love and power back to her and may she be restored to her full power. In the dark. In the light. In the goddess.

Blessed be.

Gemini Full Moon 12/17/13~ MAGIC

As Winter Solstice approaches, it is hard not to think about one's concept of "magic." Whether triggered by images of elves, flying reindeer, an incredibly generous bearded man, the sight of glistening, pure snow, the smell of pine and cider or simply the spirit of giving, it is hard not to feel a tug towards something bigger, better and more powerful than what we experience during the rest of the year.

The sun lingers in Sagittarius as the full moon waxes in the sky. The partnership between adventurous, fiery Sagittarius and curious, airy Gemini is a union that can encourage a cultivation of the mystical.

I love magic and magical thinking. I love magic stories and movies and I love people who love magic. The word itself has a few definitions, depending on who you ask, but for me, Magic has always been about awareness of the subtle and extraordinary energies in nature and the universe and an ability to tune into and harness the energy of both. It is also a word I reserve for those events or happenings that are inexplicable and transformative. Magic and miracles often go hand in hand in my book.

Yet I do think we can be active participants in magic. There are many people who are considered more magical then others. In my experience, though, while certain people do seem more in tune or passionate about working with magics, we are all capable of experiencing and exploring the underlying powers that be in all situations.

The moon cycles are a way that anyone can begin to notice and harness the subtle and extraordinary energies. It is magical to watch the moon wax and wane and to feel the affects that has on our dreams, moods and interactions. The seasons are also easy ways to begin to observe and connect with the shifts of light and dark, growth and decay.

This full moon is just 4 days before winter solstice, the longest night of the year. It is a perfect time to begin to celebrate and sense the magic of the cycle and season. Sagittarius invited us to warm up from the inside out by cultivating our passions and filling up with adventure, excitement, travel and loved ones. Gemini full moon enters center stage just before Winter and Capricorn take the seasonal reigns, and to me, this is a huge opportunity to balance mind and spirit, science and art and invoke the magical energies of the moment. Gemini can be way too intellectual, getting caught up in the black and white, the dualities and paradigms, she is represented by mutable air. But when paired with mythological, philosophical Sagittarius, Gemini can turn her keen and penetrating mind on to other things. She can sense the subtleties and extraordinaries and not only can she fully immerse herself but she is also capable of guiding others into the magical realms with her talents of speaking, writing, singing and all around communicating.

Wherever you find yourself in this holiday cycle, we can all use a little magic. Look to the full moon for her wisdom, watch your favorite fantasy movie, read your favorite magical story to a child or pet. Go for a walk in the moonlight, bundled as you need to be, and see if you sense the subtle and extraordinary energies that surround your winter wonderland. Look at your current relationship to magic, and see if Gemini can help you define it for yourself, in a way that brings it to life and inspires your spirit and opens your mind. Solstice will bring the return of the sun (still a magical event in my mind) and Capricorn will start us towards our new goals for a new year, but in these last few weeks of the Sagittarius cycle, let's all invoke magical thinking and being. Can you see the world, and your life, as magic? Can you be someone who is filled with and can share magic? Can we all believe, just a bit more in the supernatural beauty of the world? Can we all, in our own way, make magic?

I hope you answered yes to the above and I hope the full moon, winter solstice and your family holidays fill your heart and soul with all that is wonderful, miraculous and magical.

The curious effect of cold weather

One of the reasons I moved to southern California was definitely the weather. Even though I have lived in varying climates, (Alaska to Sicily) I have always preferred heat. Like, a lot of heat. Like, I am happy in 100 degrees... So long as it is dry heat. I also lived in Virginia Beach and when it's hot, it's humid, which is gross.

But I digress. In general, I prefer warm weather and am usually quite pleased to pay the sky high prices that come with living in a place where the thermostat remains comfortably high most of the time.

So when we get cold weather, like we are having now, I find it incredibly interesting to note the effect the cold has on the LA population.

In Yoga philosophy, one of the main reasons we suffer, and this is also a Buddhist teaching, is either our attachment to something pleasing or our aversion to something we dislike. Everything is in fluctuation and to be attached to something, whether positively or negatively, will eventually create struggle because it cannot stay the same forever. This is at the root of so much pain.

In LA, we grow attached to the weather. Our skin gets thinner and we just assume we can schedule outdoor events all year long. Most of us don't have umbrellas or big warm coats. Some, like me, are attached in a positive way. We love the warmth and hope it never changes. Others dislike the constant heat and yearn for more variety in seasons and temperatures.

When it rains here, or gets cold, like today and the rest of the week, it is fascinating to watch the effect. Many, like me, grow pouty, grouchy and freeze their butts off because they refuse to buy warmer clothing, preferring to believe it will always be hot.

The others become gleeful! They dance around in rubber boots, layer on gloves and scarves, pull out the tea and crock pot.

Inevitably, though, the rain goes away and the cold front moves on.

We return to our attachments and aversions in the California sun and continue the dance that most humans do all their lives, ebbing when change effects their attachment and flowing when all feels right with the world.

I know about this state of impermanence and understand that the only way to relieve suffering is to live in the present, finding gratitude for whatever nature brings our way, creating joy in each situation, no matter if it happens according to my preference or not.

I am telling myself this as I lay bundled in bed, floor heater blowing, clad in sweats, still secretly hoping it will somehow be warmer when I have to leave the house.

Ah, the curious effect the cold and other uncontrollable variables can have on body, mind, emotion and spirit!