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.

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.