Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Cosmic Story: Scorpio Lunar Eclipse, April 25, 2013





            We are entering an intense eclipse season as the lead up to the revolutionary/evolutionary 3rd Uranus/ Pluto square on May 20th.  Our ability to see the truth is sharpening, and change is happening from the bottom up!  We have to remember that change on a global scale will take time.  We also have to remember that we are the grandmothers and grandfathers of the future.  The decisions and actions we take today will create the foundations for the future.   Making wise decisions for our lives is a must now.
            Eclipses occur at the Moon’s Nodes, where the Moon’s orbit intersects the Earth’s path around the Sun.  The point where the Moon ascends through this elliptic is called the North Node and symbolizes where we need to evolve our consciousness.  Where the Moon descends through the elliptic, the South Node, we are pulled to the past, to the patterns and beliefs we need to release to get to our new future Selves.  These next 3 eclipses all take place very close to the South Node in Taurus, so we will feel the cosmic pressure to release old patterns of behavior, especially around the issues of our relationships, our use of both personal and collective resources, our talents and our money.  Be aware of what memories come up for you now.
            Energetically, eclipses dissolve old energy patterns and create new ones.  During and after eclipses, our consciousness can be regenerated and reconfigured into higher states of awareness.  So listen to your instincts and intuitions—they are strong right now and will guide you as you build a new paradigm to live in.  There’s a grand trine in the water signs: the asteroid Ceres the Nurturer in Cancer, the Moon and Saturn in Scorpio and Neptune and Chiron in Pisces.  Be open to the imagination (Neptune) and discover what nurtures you (Ceres).   Bring that knowing and truth to your relationships (Saturn/Moon). 
            The two lunar eclipses signal major endings in our lives, while the solar eclipse fertilizes the new beginnings we energized during the past month while the Sun was in Aries.  Remember, the Sun connected with Uranus, Venus, Mars & Mercury in Aries, while squaring Pluto in Capricorn, energizing our will to carry forward the evolutionary revolution within ourselves and in the world.   The really exciting aspect of these times we live in is that there are enough conscious people to channel the energies into positive directions and make a difference.

Scorpio Lunar Eclipse
            A lunar eclipse is an extra powerful Full Moon.  At the Full Moon, when the Sun stands opposite the Moon and fully illuminates it, we can use the Moon as a magic mirror to become more self-aware of our emotional patterns regarding the many issues of our lives. The Sun’s light, reflected in the Moon, brings emotional patterns out of the shadows, so we can see them and transform them.   On a lunar eclipse, when the Earth’s shadow blocks the Sun’s light, the Moon’s dark face can cause us to unconsciously act out these emotional issues in ways that show us what must be resolved if we’re to move ahead in our lives.   


The cosmic clock not only tells us when it’s the right time for change, it also gives us hints as to the flavor of that change.  The South Node of this eclipse is in Taurus, along with the Sun, Mars and Venus.  Taurus is the first Earth sign, a fixed energy that concentrates and shapes Aries fiery energies into manifestation.  When the eclipses take place in the signs of Scorpio and Taurus, the Cosmic Story asks us to look at our security and self-worth issues (Taurus) and release (Scorpio) old beliefs that outer things give us our value instead of our own inner worth.   Self-esteem and self-worth are the virtues we have to work on at this lunar eclipse.
            Taurus is the sign where we learn to relate to our physical world in a healthy way.  In Taurus, the senses open up and reveal to us the ancient laws of life and fertility. Taurus teaches the lessons that help us relate in a responsible way to the beauty of Earth and its resources.  That’s why Earth Day comes at the beginning of the sign of Taurus.  Taurus is the Goddess made manifest; the energy of Spirit at work in creation.  Open to your senses and see what they tell you about what you want out of life. 

You know, Taurus is also the sign of our values; the best things in life arise from living a life based on our values.  What are your strongest virtues?  It never hurts to remind ourselves of our strengths.  Our virtues uphold our values: we are honest when we believe in Truth, compassionate when we believe in Love; brave when we believe in Honor.   Knowing we act according to our values is what makes us strong and secure.  But we have to live those values, not just lip synch them.   
            Along with the Sun and the South Node, Venus in her Wisdom aspect and Mars in Taurus call on us to become conscious of what we really love, want and need to build the most creative, fulfilling life available to us.  That is, if we can step out of the old patriarchal mindset that forces us to think in its terms of jobs, money and prestige.  What if we imagined a life-style that actually fit our needs rather than the imposed needs of patriarchy?  New lifestyle patterns will start to spring up as we become more creative with our choices. 


            Where Taurus teaches us how to tame our appetites so we can discern what we really want to create in our life to feel fulfilled, Scorpio challenges us to leave behind what stops us from discerning it.   At this time in history, most of our prefabricated needs are fake, unfulfilling and therefore addictive.  Scorpio has the power to burn away and release these false needs so its healing waters can do their work.   Just as Taurus gives birth to Earth’s blossoming, Scorpio ushers in the death aspect of her year.  Life and death and rebirth, love and desire and creation, light and dark and shadows are all encompassed by these power signs of Taurus (ruled by Venus) and Scorpio (ruled by Mars).  What will we hold onto?  What will we overcome?  What will we create?
Scorpio deals with the emotional battles we engage in with ourselves, over ancient sorrows and bitter losses, hard deaths and unexpected betrayals.  If we can let go of these old emotional scars, understanding that they were the experiences which taught us the meaning of life, we really can start all over again.  These 3 eclipses offer us a new beginning if we focus on how the energies affect us.  By staying aware and awake, we can shed some skins and re-ignite our senses and instincts in a conscious, wise way.
The Scorpio Moon lines up with Saturn and the North Node, symbolically telling us that we are emotionally ready for this evolutionary challenge.  Saturn has been working its way forward and backward through the early degrees of Scorpio and will oppose the Sun and the personal planets as they move through Taurus.  Saturn narrows our focus so we must deal with the issues it brings up.  Saturn uses fear as his weapon, and the only way to deal with this energy is to move past fear into acceptance.  Our Scorpionic Saturn forces us to face those uncomfortable feelings we have about sharing ourselves with people in our lives, confronting us with the choice to hold onto resentment or open up to forgiveness. 
We will see the results of his lessons when Saturn opposes the Taurus planets in the sky now and those planets which you might have in Taurus.  Anyone with planets at 0*- 17* Taurus and Scorpio, as well as Leo and Aquarius, will be very affected by the first two eclipses.   Saturn and the Moon in Scorpio bring up old memories and feelings that need to be honor and let go of.   Venus opposes Saturn on Monday April 22—self-worth is put to the test.  The Sun opposes Saturn on April 28—you might ask yourself, ‘who am I and what am I here for?’  And on April 30, Mars opposes Saturn in the test of desire.  How much do you desire your new life and what are you willing to do to achieve it?

The Scorpio Full Moon Lunar Eclipse
            This Full Moon eclipse occurs on April 25, 2013 at 12:58pm PDT/ 3:58pm EDT/ 7:58pm GMT.  This is a partial eclipse of the Moon and is visible from most of Asia, Australia, Europe and Africa.  It will not be visible in North and South America.  


            The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 6* Taurus is: Cantilever bridge across a deep gorge.  Dan Rudhyar says that this image ‘suggests the conquest of separativeness through group cooperation’.  In working together to build a bridge into the ‘unknown’, people overcome our collective obstacles. These are the tests of our evolution as a species.  Taurus’ often tends to be independent and doesn’t ask for help, so this image from the symbols suggests a new way of creating the Garden for all of us.  Not alone but together.
The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 6* Scorpio is: The Gold Rush tears men away from their native soil.  Rudhyar says, ‘this is the passionate search for new values which promise a more abundant life.’   This is the symbol of a passion that fires the imagination to make us leave home and the ‘known’ for our dreams and visions. Scorpio looks for the intensity of transformative experiences.  This Moon will be shouting out our secret desires to live more and better by dying to our fears.  
            Together, these two symbols merge into an image of undertaking a collective project—raising our consciousness about global issues—that will take us into our future visions.  We have to decide how we’re going to treat each other and work together.   It’s time to find your people so you can build your common dream together.
            The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 9* Scorpio is: A Dentist at Work.  It’s time to get a grip on what’s happening in the world.  We need to expose the rot before we can heal the wound.   We have to heal the patriarchal wounds inflicted on our senses, and take more responsibility for understanding our lives and what we are called to do.
            The Sabian symbol for both the Sun and Venus when they oppose Saturn on April 22 and 28 at 9* Taurus is: A fully decorated Christmas Tree.  What is more magical than our beautifully decorated Christmas tree? We experience this image of renewal and happiness and hope and wishes at the darkest time of year.  It is the Light within the Darkness, the faith in a fruitful future.  Opposite Saturn, we must look at and clear out any doubts about our ability to create a different future than our governments have planned for us.  We the people can rise and make it happen, if we work together.  If we invoke the renewal of life.
            When Mars and Saturn oppose each other, they are perfectly poised at 8*00’ of Taurus and Scorpio, so we can use the two symbols for 9* and also go back one symbol and look at 8* Taurus and Scorpio.
            The Sabian symbol for Mars at 8* Taurus is important.  A sleigh on land uncovered by snow.  This symbol urges us to plan ahead when we know we’ll have to deal with difficult situations.  We need a future-oriented imagination, one that will work outside the box of convention and use what we know in different contexts.  Mars symbolizes our desire nature as well as our energy and determination, and in Taurus works to build something of lasting value.  Invention and creativity are needed in changing situations.


            The Sabian symbol for Saturn moving back to 8*Scorpio encourages us to relax and reflect on our deepest feelings.  A calm lake bathed in moonlight.  This opens us to higher inspiration.  So let go of fear—it is all in the mind.  Quiet the mind and let the imagination give you the answers. 
            The Sabian symbols for the Moon nodes are telling.  The South Node of the past is located at 17* Taurus:  A symbolic battle between ‘swords’ and ‘torches’.   In ritual and tarot symbolism, swords symbolize the element of air and of the intellect, and torches or wands indicate the fire element, the creative spark of inspiration.  There is a battle between these two forces.  Perhaps we need to stop the battle and join forces.  In a healthy situation, the elements work together. Our intuition and our intellect can work together if we know their proper use.  Intuition and imagination get us the meaning and answers we need.  Our intellect helps us manifest what we need to do about it.
            The Sabian symbol for the North Node at 17* Scorpio is: A woman, fecundated by her own spirit, is ‘great with child’.   This is an image of Lady Wisdom, the cosmic woman as the ‘woman clothed with the Sun, standing on the Moon, crowned with Stars, in labor, giving birth to the Savior.’  The Inner Light of Spirit is driving women to give birth to ourselves and to a new and better world.  The feminine side of men is awakening, and if the women in their lives are awake to the source of their wisdom, the men can learn quickly how to listen as well.


            Happy Earth Day—may we all learn to be good stewards of our Mother, the Earth. 
Cathy  

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Mars conjunct the Sun

When Mars and the Sun team up, anything is possible.  The energy of desire is made conscious and we KNOW what we want.  When Mars and the Sun meet in Aries, we want something NEW.  And we want it NOW!

There are many different versions of the Sabian symbols, images that speak to the 360 degrees of the zodiac.  The degree of the Mars/Sun conjunction is 28* Aries, and there are some interesting differences between two of them.



Dane Rudhyar's Astrological Mandala gives this image:  A large audience confronts  the performer who disappointed its expectations.   This symbol seems to indicate that when we have high hopes and great expectations, they cannot be sustained for long if these hopes are not met quickly.  This might be relevant to those people who expected something physical to happen on 12/21/12.  No, the aliens didn't come and open a portal for us to escape our earthly life.    What 12/21/12 indicated is that a great cosmic Age ended and a new one began.  So we have a responsibility now to protect and grow this new life.

In Steven Eardley's Revised Sabian Symbols, we seem to have an opposite image.  A crowd applauds a man who shattered a dear illusion.  I love opposites!  They fit so well together, don't they?  This image speaks about exposing hypocrisy and liberating the mind by cutting through false ideas.



We can bear this tension of opposites and say, it is time to let go of expectations of deliverance and take responsibility for our lives and our world.  It is time to expose the hypocrisy of the patriarchal system, that shaped our lives and our world.

Happy Sun/Mars day!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Venus in Taurus: But first, Jupiter is in the sky with the crescent Moon.

                                                           Jupiter


If you go outside tonight, you'll see Jupiter with the crescent Moon high in the western sky.  Moon gazing is in order.  And of course, Jupiter sparkles as it approaches the degree of the Venus transit over the face of the Sun last June.

This past week saw many celestial shifts.  After the splendid Venus/Sun/Mars sacred marriage last weekend, we finally shifted energetically into 2013 with the Aries New Moon on April 10.   Pluto in Capricorn went retrograde on Friday April 12th.   Mercury shifted from watery, dreamy Pisces to fired-up Aries on the 13th.  If you're a bit confused, you're probably not alone.  Give it a few days to let the energy settle.



And early Monday morning, Venus leaves fiery Aries and moves into her garden home in Taurus.  The sacred marriage between Venus/Aphrodite and Mars/Eros last week in the solar bridal chamber united their energies.  A new union of love and desire.  We can all benefit from this new relationship energy.  Work with it consciously because now the energy of our love and our desire is one!  Be your heart-self and do what you love and be with those you love.

Venus in Taurus says, 'If you build it, they will come!'  Our Taurean Venus wants to build something: She wants to plant a garden, build a home, create something lasting, love someone deeply.  Venus in Taurus offers us fertility if we align ourselves with the green, growing powers of nature: our body, our senses and our desire show us the way to what we love.

Venus leads the way into Taurus, the sign of ancient Wisdom--the Wisdom of the Earth.   The Sun follows her on April 19th, and Mars follows quickly behind on April 20th.

Get ready to lay the foundations of your future life.  Taurus energy is made for it!

Cathy

Monday, April 8, 2013

The Aries New Moon 2013: A New Birth.

These are some old and new thoughts about the New Moon and what kind of seeds we could plant.  Take advantage of the Earth's energies and use them to shape your coming year.

The Goddess always works in threes.

                                         Susan Seddon-Boulet, Triple Goddess

 
Astrologers hold that the new year starts not only at Spring Equinox each year when the Sun moves over the equator from Pisces into Aries, but also at the first full Moon in Libra/Aries, which marks religious celebrations around the world; and most especially it begins at the Aries New Moon, since the new Moon initiates timing rhythms for earthly cycles.  This Aries New Moon 2013 is special though, because it is the doorway to the future.  So mark it well.

Just as with the Goddess in her triune form of Maiden, Mother & Crone, there are three steps to this dance:  Spring Equinox marks the physical experience of taking in equal amounts of light and dark, offering us a new balance, a new potential to work with on an instinctual level.  The Full Moon marks a shedding of skin and a new birth, a sacrifice and a resurrection, because now the new Aries energy of Self encounters its need for the Other, a Partner, a bonding with the world.  At this first New Moon of the year, choose to plant the seeds of the wisdom of your heart, which knows what needs to be created this year.  And so on this New Moon, we plant the seeds of the future.  Our future.

The New Moon's energy is seeded with the results of the recent Venus and Mars conjunction, the sacred marriage in the sky that heralds a new cycle of love and desire.  This year, the lovers join with the Aries Sun to imprint their union on our consciousness.   When Venus and Mars unite in the fiery rays of the Sun, you know that this new energy must be brought to consciousness. That's how Love and desire stay true to each other.  The sacred lovers declare, “Be who you are, love who you are, act out of who you are.” 

While common knowledge would hold that Mars is more powerful then Venus here in his own sign of Aries, our Mars is 'clothed in the Sun’  and is consciously uniting with his Lady Wisdom, his inner guidance and spiritual yearnings. One vision of this union is the re-birth of the divine Masculine in the arms of our Lady Wisdom.  That partnering would give rise to real change in our world.

This Aries New Moon draws us down into the depths of creative fire. What kind of life does your Spirit long for?  What do you really desire?  Do you love it or just need it?  Both are acceptable as long as you understand the difference.

One thing's for sure.  This new Aries energy can bring us to a whole new frontier.  Let it!

Until Next Time,
Sweet Dreams! 

Saturday, April 6, 2013

The Sacred Marriage of Venus and Mars: A New Chance at Sacred Partnership




On Saturday, April 6th, we get the chance to unite our heart’s desire with the power to manifest it.  Venus and Mars, those two archetypal lovers, are engaging in the sacred marriage this night.  Once every two years, Venus and Mars join together in the sky in Libra to unite their energies of love and desire. Their objective was to ‘make nice’ with each other.  This year, their bridal chamber is within the bright blaze of the Sun, which only happens every 32 years.  It all happens when the Sun’s primal fires of life return to shine upon the land.   The fact that Venus and Mars begin their new cycle of relationship in the Aries Sun’s glow is another cosmic promise of a new beginning. 
Venus is the power of attraction, connection, bonding, cohesion.  Like attracts like!  It is a blessed gift that here on Earth, we have transformed this primal root energy of creation/destruction into the beauty, power and comfort of Love.  Venus leads us to what we naturally connect to: beauty, art, sex, love, wisdom, Life.  And because Venus/Aphrodite is a goddess, she embodies Feminine Spirit and symbolizes women!  Aphrodite is the goddess of Spirit incarnated in the Body, making the body holy.   



Our bodies tell the tale of who we are this incarnation.  When we reject our differences, we stay stuck in patriarchal thinking.  The old system has taken over.  Our bodies are different: they look different, they function differently.  Instead of ignoring the differences, perhaps we need to explore the knowledge and wisdom they might contain.  It doesn’t mean that there is only one way for a woman or a man to live.  It does mean that women and men have different gifts to contribute to our world.  As Venus/Aphrodite is a female goddess, her blessed gift to women is Wisdom.
Mars is the power of desire, of striving, of attaining, of action and results.  We have been blessed with the power to grow, change, to achieve and to sacrifice.  Mars is the warrior, the protector, the individuality of the ego.  Just what kind of warrior are you?  What is your Mars up to?  What do you desire? 



 I discovered as I got older that the baby boomers—yes my generation—want to stay young forever and they think to do it by holding on to the desires of their youth.  This is not the way to go, people.  As we get older, there are different joys and desires that are much more satisfying.  Each age of life has different personal priorities and goals, as well as larger, social concerns.  Mars is the masculine power to achieve those priorities and goals.  Since Mars is a masculine god, his great gift to men is Integrity.  “Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles and outcomes.” (Wikipedia)   When men are empowered, they stand in their integrity, their honesty, their Truth, their honor, their reliability.   
When Venus and Mars unite in the fiery rays of the Sun, you know that this new energy is important to bring into consciousness.  The lovers declare, “Be who you are, love who you are, act out of who you are.”  While common knowledge would say that Mars is more powerful then Venus here in his own sign of Aries, our Mars is ‘clothed in the Sun’  and is consciously uniting with his Lady Wisdom, his inner guidance and spiritual yearnings. 
Remember, Venus and Mars know how to make love!  Under the light of the Pisces Balsamic Moon, their lovemaking will be filled with great imagination and great compassion for each other.  Their sacred sexuality grounds in these new energies, nurtured by the Piscean moonlight.  Both these planetary energies have just been renewed through the Piscean waters of loss and healing, the fiery transmutation of joining the Aries Sun, and the cultural jolting and re-visioning of the Uranus/Pluto square.   Their lovemaking tonight could remake the world!  Let them renew your hope and love, so that at the Aries New Moon, you’ll plant the heritage seeds of your own future, rather than the GMO seeds of patriarchal compliance.
The Sabian symbol for the union of Venus and Mars at 20* Aries is: Two beautiful white swans feeding in a shimmering lake.  The archetypal image of romantic love and companionship, swans have ever been symbols of sublime beauty, poetic inspiration and devoted love.  An ancient totem of beauty, the Swan awakens the power and beauty of the Self, our spiritual essence.  A herald of new realms and new powers, Swan teaches us how to see our own and others’ inner beauty.  Swans are sacred to Aphrodite/Venus and have ever been the totem of the poet, mystic and dreamer.  Swans mate for life, and so they symbolize the power to see with the eyes of Love.  First see and love yourself so you can see and love another.  And then dream big!