Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Aquarius/Leo Lunar Full Moon Eclipse, August 7. 2017

The Cosmic Story: Aquarius/Leo Lunar Full Moon Eclipse, August 7, 2017
Lammas & The Power Gate of Leo



With this Monday’s Aquarius Full Moon, which is a partial lunar eclipse, we are half-way through the Sun’s journey in Leo. A lunar eclipse is a potent Full Moon which offers us a chance to release old emotional patterns we’re still holding onto. On the Aquarius/Leo axis, those patterns relate to how we hold ourselves back to ‘fit in’, how we hold onto ideals and judgments that no longer serve us, and most especially, how we let our heads overrule our hearts. How we dim our light.
All eclipses help us shift our reality. The light and energy of the Sun is blocked out from the Moon by the Earth, disrupting and then re-aligning energies. This eclipse asks, how can we let our Leo leadership abilities, our creativity and our bravery shine out to add to, not take away from, the Aquarius group Mind? I like to think of Aquarius as The Round Table where we all sit as equals, and this eclipse tells us to stop being afraid to let ourselves shine out, especially when we’re with our group. So let your Lioness roar and call out to your group. The roars from your pride will come back to you. And then let your group—your pride—support you.

  
In Leo, we look to the characteristics of the lion to understand why Leo is associated with the Sun as well as the Heart. While male lions are often solitary, groups of lionesses live together with their cubs and a few lions, forming a pride. Male lions protect the pride, and it is in this role of defender that we see Leo’s leadership ability. Both male and females hunt for the entire pride and perhaps that’s where Leo’s well-known generosity is rooted. Lions are also playful – one of the ways lionesses teach their young. Just as humans play with their kittens! Don’t forget, fun is definitely a Leo word! And passion! Another good Leo word, for passion ignites consciousness!
We are most creative and ourselves when we’re having fun!
Lions and lionesses are featured in most ancient mythologies and depicted in cave paintings and temple carvings from over 40,000 years ago. From Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia to the Americas, lions have been connected with royalty. Lions came to represent kingship and bravery, while lionesses were seen as fierce hunters and warriors. Many ancient goddesses have lionesses supporting and upholding them. The fierceness of a mama Lioness protecting her cubs is well known and these ancient lioness goddesses were invoked to protect their people. 

 
Sekhmet ~ Katlyn Breene
 
Perhaps that’s what we are being called upon to do now as the Sun and Mars dance in Leo. The divine Feminine warrior has been resurrected (have you seen Wonder Woman?—definitely in tune with the new Venus in Aries cycle) so we look to Sekhmet, the Lion-headed Goddess of Egypt to show us what a feminine solar warrior does. She shows us how to protect our people, our world, our Mother Earth from the savagery of patriarchal beliefs, especially from the cancerous religion of capitalism. She fights and will destroy, she heals and protects, she loves and rejoices. She has 10,000 names.
Did you know that we have fossil remains of lions from over 500,000 years ago? 10,000 years ago, during the Age of Leo, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. No wonder the ancient Egyptians honored the mysterious Sphinx, which might have come down to us from that long-ago age, along with Sekhmet, whom you met in my 1st Leo New Moon newsletter. (if you didn’t already know her!) The strength, power and beauty of these lady warriors is returning to our collective consciousness; not as pale imitations of male heroes but as uniquely powerful women warriors who also know the power of love.
The Queen has returned!

The Lionsgate

This year, the opening of the Lionsgate is especially potent, since astrologically, the Leo Power Gate is at 15* Leo (just as there is a powergate at 15* Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius). With the Full Moon occurring at 15*25’ Aquarius/Leo, we are truly in this energetic vortex. This is the degree in these four power signs that is a doorway to the riches of each of these archetypal journeys. In Leo, the riches we discover are self-confidence, power, leadership, pride, creativity, self-awareness and light, our light. In Aquarius, we discover our visions for the future, our connection with society and our archetypal Mind. This Aquarius Moon will shape and embody these Leo gifts, will take Leo’s offerings and shift out what is useful for our collective well-being.

1st Harvest

This is the season of Lammas, the Celtic festival of first harvest, when the King sacrifices himself for the good of the land. It is the festival of first fruits, which are always offered to the gods. For each of us, it is a time to celebrate the beauty and wonder of life as well as to release/sacrifice those aspects of our character—you can call it the Shadow—that interfere with us shining our light into the world. You can read my Lammas story at The Bard’s Grove. It’s also interesting that after Lammas, the light begins to decrease rapidly as the Sun descends toward the equator at Autumn Equinox (for the Northern Hemisphere—Down South, Happy Imbolc!).
So in this time of great Light, we are called to shine out at the approaching darkness. This is our time to do it, if there ever was a time in history. Chaos is breaking through, as the grip of patriarchy loses its strength. An old order is dying and if we want to create the ‘paradise’ that we actually have the potential to create, we have to step up. We have to stop wars, stop the degradation of our environment, have to stop poisoning our food, our people and our minds. Those in power won’t stop—these poisons give them power. We the people—especially Americans who will be singularly affected by the August 21st total solar eclipse—are responsible for our future. That’s the whole promise of America, isn’t it? Self-determination. So as light-bringers, our work is to be creative and find ways to heal the minds and hearts of our fearful neighbors.

LOVE TRUMPS FEAR.

The Aquarius-Leo Full Moon partial Lunar Eclipses

The eclipse occurs on Monday, August 7, 2017 at 11:10am PDT/ 2:10pm EDT/ 6:10pm GMT. This lunar eclipse will be seen all around the world except for the Americas. Since we’re the only ones getting hit by the solar eclipse in two weeks, we can’t complain!


The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 16* Aquarius is: A big businessman at his desk. Oh, this symbol can be taken quite literally about you know who! Or we can see someone who understands how to organize large groups of people and things. As a sign of collective consciousness, Aquarius can be future-oriented (Uranus as ruler) or stuck in conventionality (Saturn as ruler). Let’s vote for an organizer who understands what people need and want. So use your imagination to figure out how to release the control and greed factors of being a ‘big businessman’ within your own psyche – that’s the Shadow to be released. Let life flow a bit and let it reorganize itself. The true patterns of life will emerge. Then you’ll know what to do.
The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 16* Leo is: The storm ended, all nature rejoices in brilliant sunshine. The potential of this degree is a release from ‘the dark night of the soul’, a rebirth of the light and a new beginning. Here comes the Sun! And life rises up in response.
As this new life arises, let it self-organize. Don’t be afraid to be weird or original if that’s what life demands. Who knows what we’re really here for?
Reading the story of the chart is interesting. All 4 elements are involved and therefore we have lots of trines, which create blessings for us. Creativity, opportunity, an open Mind and Heart are the gifts attending this eclipse. Earth—Pallas in Taurus, Mercury and Vesta in Virgo, Juno and Pluto in Capricorn; Water—Venus and Ceres in Cancer, Neptune and Chiron in Pisces; Fire—Eris and Uranus in Aries, Mars, Sun, Moon and North Node in Leo, Saturn in Sagittarius; Air—Jupiter in Libra, Moon and South Node in Aquarius.
As you can see, fire is definitely strong with air fanning the flames. This is a lot of masculine energy. We have lots of inspiration, passion, vitality. It wants to go into something or it will burn through your life. The feminine energies of earth and water use their magic to tame and channel those energies though. Understand that your emotions, when named, become feelings which can tell you what you value. Earth is your grounding, so you don’t fly away into the vortex. Remember, the feminine warrior! We have the ability to ground and nurture all that creativity, especially with the Moon tempering the wild winds of Jupiter into the solid, contained Leo bonfire.


The Leo Sun is once again aligned with Mars in Leo, just like at the 1st Leo New Moon. The Aquarius Moon will be blocked from making her usual judgments by the eclipse, so see where your Martian energy wants to take you. Let it play—Mars is just an aspect of Eros—the god of desire! Listen to your heart—your head is anchored in the past (South Node in Aquarius conjunct Moon). Old friends, groups, communities, goals, ideals will tug at you. Stand your ground; let Pallas Athena help, because the wise strategist squares this Full Moon from Taurus. Let that peaceful energy shift through all the things we think we ‘need to do’ and find what we ‘want to do’.
The fire of Eris in Aries will block any effort to go ‘against the heart’ by creating discord in your life—so listen for the signs. But if you resonant with the cosmic laws of life, Saturn will hone your desires and help build trust in the outcome. Both Uranus, which just turned retrograde on August 2nd and the Leo North Node add a bit of color and celestial magic to the fires burning within and without. (2017 is the worst year for fires on record.) We need to contain our inner fires—as within so without! Let’s work some Earth magic and help stop those fires as we stop burning. What’s happening in the world is intense, but don’t get caught up in it. Be in the world but not of it. Listen to your own rhythm—your heart’s rhythm.
Jupiter in the air sign of Libra expands and accelerates our quest for wholeness and balance, and adds this beneficent energy to the Full Moon. If we want to heal the divide between us, we have to heal the divide within us. Balance your feminine imagination with your masculine rationality, your receptive side with your assertive side, your love with your will.
Know your desires, check in to see if your heart agrees and let Pallas in Taurus find ways to build it into your life. The universe will provide us with opportunities and choices. Pallas can help with the choices. She’s connected with the power and riches of Pluto in Capricorn and has the analytical awareness of both Mercury and Vesta in Virgo to shape it into a masterful form. Trust Pallas’ groundedness—she knows how to deal with things. Just don’t repress your Sun/Mars energy! You’ll probably end up hurting yourself.
Go outside and be in nature so you can hear Mother Earth’s wisdom.
Venus and Ceres, the nurturing Mother, swim together in Cancer. Our hearts need are our hearts need. Love what really nurtures your growth, not what nurtures your fears. This aspect is like the Tarot card, the Empress. She is life’s fertility, beauty, peace and abundance. Let her swim and imagine, because Neptune in Pisces will support her imaginings with the power of the Collective Unconscious. The World Soul needs us to acknowledge what we’ve rejected and vilified. Instead of power, ask for love. Instead of work, ask for creative expression. Instead of money, ask for vitality and fun. Instead of fear, ask for hope!

Uranus begins its yearly retrograde on August 2-3 at 29* Aries: The music of the spheres. It’s time to turn within and listen to the voice of your soul. The wisdom is there. Pay attention to your dreams – the best source of news about YOU!
Jupiter in Libra has its 3rd and final square with Pluto in Capricorn on August 4th. Jupiter expands and accelerates, while Pluto takes us deep into our evolutionary path. Watch for the signs – it’s time to deepen! The movie Detroit comes out today. It’s about social justice or injustice. Will we heed the message? Jupiter/Pluto evolution.
Mercury goes retrograde on August 12th at 12* Virgo. The Sabian symbol for 12* Virgo is: After the wedding the groom lifts the veil from his bride. The feminine is the dream of love and connection, of safety and home. The masculine must unveil that dream and act on it.
The most fun part of this retrograde is that Mercury stops and turns direct on September 5th at the degree of the Total Solar Eclipse at 29* Leo: A mermaid emerges from the ocean waves, ready for rebirth in human form. The longings of the heart cannot be ignored forever. Mercury wants us to name it, be it, and do it.
On August 15-16, Venus opposes Pluto and she squares Jupiter. When love comes up against power and expansion, it’s always wise to listen to your body, trust your intuition and know your values.
This lunar eclipse is speaking to us Baby Boomers born between 1946-1950, when Pluto traveled between 12*-16* Leo. Our evolutionary path is calling to us. Be The Fool and follow your dreams!

Until next time. See you at the Solar Eclipse!
Blessings,
Cathy

Red Bird Explains Himself

“Yes, I was the brilliance floating over the snow
and I was the song in the summer leaves, but this was
only the first trick
I had hold of among my other mythologies,
for I also knew obedience: bring sticks to the nest,
food to the young, kisses to my bride.

But don’t stop there, stay with me: listen.

If I was the song that entered your heart
then I was the music of your heart, that you wanted and needed,
and thus wilderness bloomed that, with all its
followers: gardeners, lovers, people who weep
for the death of rivers.

And this was my true task, to be the
music of the body. Do you understand? for truly the body needs
a song, a spirit, a soul. And no less, to make this work,
the soul has need of a body,
and I am both of the earth and I am of the inexplicable
beauty of heaven
where I fly so easily, so welcome, yes,
and this is why I have been sent, to teach this to your heart.”

~ Mary Oliver ~

(Red Bird)









Thursday, July 20, 2017

The Cosmic Story: 1st Leo New Moon, July 23, 2017

The Cosmic Story: 1st Leo New Moon, July 23, 2017
Sekhmet: The Sacred Power of the Sun

Constellation of Leo

This morning, just after Mars moved into Leo, I got a skype call from my grandson who’s just about to have his first Mars return. He roared like a Lion for me, showed off his stuffed animals and let me enjoy his playing. That’s Mars in Leo for you. With the Sun in the last few degrees of Cancer, family and fun, sons and grandsons can make your day!
We’re about to enter the twilight zone – a lunar month that begins with a Leo New Moon, which grows into a partial Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius/Leo and ends with another Leo New Moon that is also a powerful Solar Eclipse. This is the month when we reclaim our heart’s power to transform our life with love. This is a month to open to the power of creation and let it rip through our psyches until we are breathless with the fun and wonder of the Light. This is the month to step into our heart’s power.
Since Mars will be conjunct this 1st Leo New Moon, he’s in the spotlight. In the past 6 week as Mars journeyed through Cancer, he dove deep into our emotional depths to explore what our souls really desire. Just after he arrived home (Cancer) on June 9th, he made a delightful sextile to Venus in Taurus, who inspired him to envision a future full of environmental justice, love, peace and pleasure, perfecting just after the Sagittarius Full Moon and Jupiter ended his retrograde. Venus helped him get his head aligned with his heart regarding his deepest desires concerning partnership, family and our individual soul desires. What did you discover about your need for security, love, relationship and family?
Then a few weeks later on June 24-25, Mars was challenged by Jupiter to make good on his truth, instead of overreacting to his situation. Did you choose partnership over domination? Where you able to step into real partnership? On the 26th he connected with Neptune in Pisces, the World Soul, embracing the wisdom that to be really happy and at peace, everyone else has to feel that way too.
Mercury joined him on the 28th to make sure he was getting the message because on July 2nd, Mars opposed Pluto in Capricorn, giving him the opportunity to choose to go back to aggression and domination or to align his will with the higher Will of divine evolution. What did you choose? On July 17th, Mars squared Uranus in Aries, offering us the opportunity to shape and channel our own unique way of doing things – or letting things explode because the tension and frustration got too much for us. During those 6 weeks, Mars engaged the dynamic T-Square of revolution, evolution and equality on a feeling level. As he enters Leo, Mars has been reborn!
So now we find ourselves with Mars engaging this first Leo New Moon. There are two New Moons this astrological month, similar to when we have a Blue Full Moon. Every year and a half, the lunar cycle catches up with our solar calendar and the moon cycle flips. For the next year or so, after the 2nd Leo Solar Eclipse New Moon, we’ll find that the Full Moon will be in different signs than the New Moon. This split will make us work a bit harder to integrate our shadow side and stretch us to allow the seeds of these New Moons to blossom in new territory.
At this Leo New Moon, our inner warrior nature will be filled with Light. And because Regulus, the star at the ‘heart of the Lion’ has just precessed into tropical Virgo, the underlying energy of our warrior will be decidedly feminine. Yes, we can look to Wonder Woman as an example of this new feminine warrior, dedicated to ‘saving the world.’ But I’d like to bring in another feminine solar warrior energy for us to contemplate.
Over 10,000 years ago, the Age of Lion held sway. Many people believe the Sphinx was created to represent that age. We also know of an ancient Goddess who probably comes down to us from both Atlantis and Lemuria. The Goddess is Sekhmet, the Lioness Goddess of Egypt. She was the original power of the Sun, way before she became Ra’s Eye (after patriarchy demoted her)

Sekhmet
The Sekhmet Temple of Goddess Spirituality in Nevada
 
 
Sekhmet is called the powerful one, a warrior goddess who also heals. She was known by 1000 names, although only a few are known to us now. Here are a few of her Sacred Names.

Sekhmet,
Lady of Fragrance,
Source of the Words of Power,
At Whose Wish the Arts were Born.
Lady of Flame,
Whose Essence is Fire.
Eye of the Sun.
Powerful One who Empowers Us.
Lady of Enchantments
Who Controls the Waters of Life.
Lady of the Magic Lamp.
Mother of All the Gods,
Who Makest Sound Their Bones.
Mistress of Life.
Ancient One.
Goddess of the Galaxies.
Sparkling One.
Keeper of the Divine Order.
Light Beyond Darkness.
Great One of the Place of the Appearance of Silence.
Guide and Protectress from the Perils of the Underworld.
Guardian of the Gates of Life and Death.
Darkness Beyond Light.
Lady of the Place of the Beginning of Time.
One Who Was Before the Gods Were.
Encircling One.
Bringer of Wisdom.

Sekhmet’s’ prayer is: Sa Sekhem Sahu. Sa means the breath of life or life force. Sekhem means source, power or might. Sekhem is the power that animates the Sahu, the spiritual body. Sekhem is the power that leads one to spiritual consciousness. 

 Below is a video my fellow priestesses at the Sekhmet Temple in Nevada helped make with our beloved high priestess, Katlyn Breene.



1st Leo New Moon 2017

This Leo New Moon occurs on July 23 at 2:45am PDT/ 5:45am EDT/ 9:45 am GMT.



The Sabian symbol for the Sun and Moon at 1* Leo is: Blood rushes to a man’s head as his vital energies are mobilized under the spur of ambition.
Blood from the heart rushes to the head, giving us the energy to act on our desires. Leo is the sign that rules Individuation, Carl Jung’s term for the process of becoming conscious of the soul’s purpose. So this New Moon energy calls us, not to an exaggerated sense of our own ego power, but rather to be the agent of our soul’s purpose.
The Sabian symbol for Mars at 2* Leo is: An epidemic of mumps. (Yes, sometimes these symbols seem strange!) An epidemic is something that spreads throughout society. Mumps is a childhood disease which affects adult males’ testicles. Another sign to me that we need Sekhmet’s warrior power instead of the old Mars power, which tends to dominate and compete. If we’re going to spread anything, we must spread the warrior power of LIFE.

Mars conjuncts the Sun on July 26th at 4* Leo, initiating a new 2-year cycle of our masculine desire nature. Steve Eardley’s Sabian symbol for 4* Leo is: A pointy-eared man from the future flies through a time tunnel to find himself in a business man’s convention. This symbol seems to indicate that a Mr. Spock-like male energy is needed to bring about a change in our economic system. I can’t imagine Spock allowing the continued rape of Mother Earth or the repression of women and minorities to continue in business. It’s just not logical!
The rebirth of the masculine is once again offered to us as Mars meets up with the Sun. How will we use our energy, our vitality, our passion and our desires? Will the men of the world awaken to the path of Heart? Will we become vital, meaning essential to life, so that our light can shine out into the world? Call we all find the courage to discover and then follow our heart’s hope as we head into ‘the great American Eclipse’? This eclipse can be a bridge to a new life so dig deep this month into your heart’s most secret chamber so you know what lies there in preparation for the eclipse on August 21.
This New Moon makes what we call an ‘out of sign’ square to Uranus in Aries, challenging us to be our own unique selves, regardless of what others’ think. That’s a big lesson this month with the South Node in Aquarius. Now is not the time to try to ‘fit in’. Stay true to yourself and let the Sun’s power, and Sekhmet’s power, energize you for the big changes we’re all feeling. Find your community to support you on this much-needed journey.
These are some questions that my friend Divine Harmony asked us. They’re good questions for all of us to ponder.
What are you wanting to bring into manfestation in your life?
What is your greatest desire/inspiration/vision?
What is the obstacle to your desire manifesting or inspiration/vision materializing?
What are you willing to let go of to open up to your destiny more?

Watch what happens to you – and in the news – on July 24th. That’s the day Mercury hits the Eclipse degree of 29* Leo, which it will go back to during its next regrade, which starts on August 12th. It will prefigure what the Eclipse might hold in store for you and for our world.
Mercury slips into its home sign of Virgo on July 25th. Venus moves through Gemini and into Cancer on July 31st, so be prepared to put away your dancing shoes and stay closer to home.
On August 3rd, Uranus begin its yearly retrograde at 29* Aries, whose Sabian symbol is: The music of the Spheres. It’s time to listen within to your inner Wisdom!

That’s all for now until the upcoming Lunar Eclipse on August 7th.

Until then, Shine On!
Cathy














Thursday, July 6, 2017

The Cosmic Story: Capricorn Full Moon July 8-9, 2017

The Cosmic Story: Capricorn Full Moon 2017
Finding our Ancestral Roots/Healing Our World




This weekend’s Capricorn Full Moon illuminates what we need to do to realize the gifts of the Summer Solstice, when we celebrated the union of Heaven and Earth. It’s a powerful Full Moon which can give rise to intense, disruptive feelings of fear about our security or it can bring us the wisdom we need to heal our lives and our world. Our personal needs meet up with political realities and we might not be very happy about it. That’s why we have to take charge of our own freedom.
 
The Capricorn Full Moon occurs this weekend on July 8-9: at 9:06pm PDT on July 8th and on July 9th at 12:06am EDT and 4:06am GMT.



The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 18*Cancer is: A Hen scratching the ground to find nourishment for her progeny. Just as a mother hen works to feed her chicks, we too have to find our grounding so we can nourish future generations. We have to take responsibility for our world. 
 
The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 18* Capricorn is: The Union Jack flag flies from a British warship. This symbol speaks to imperialist political power. How can we break the mold of patriarchal warmongering and domination?

Taken together, the symbols of this Full Moon asks us, What do we need to do to secure our future in the face of a dominating political power or ideology which works against life itself? The answers lie in the revolutionary energy of the waning Pluto/Uranus square which is accelerated by Jupiter in Libra joining the fray. As well as a missing ingredient. The Mother Love of Cancer.

Cancer is the sign of the missing leg of this year’s potent Cardinal T-square between Uranus/Eris in Aries, Jupiter in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn. Something is terribly wrong with our society—we are killing ourselves and our world and Pluto in Capricorn is exposing just how rotten things are. The rich and powerful are in charge and no longer hiding behind their false patriotism.

Vice President Henry Wallace said in 1944:
'They [the super-wealthy] claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection.'
President Jimmy Carter said that America, in large part because of Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United, has become 'just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery.'
Jupiter in Libra desires justice for all as we see the corruption in the political and corporate state. And so Uranus and Eris are demanding that we couragously take action and follow the dictates of our hearts. But we first need to be grounded within ourselves, in our emotional bodies. 
 
That’s where the energy of Cancer comes into play. Cancer poses the questions: What really makes us feel safe and secure? What ancient knowledge does our family lineage and soul wisdom have to say about what’s happening in the world? How do we own both our inner freedom and our political freedom?

With this Full Moon’s connection to the Pluto opposition to Mars, we can engage in power struggles or we can use this energy to transform our own lives. Mars is conjunct the Cancer Sun, giving us courage to search our souls and find our truths. Pluto’s conjunction to the Capricorn Moon can break up patriarchy’s hold on us – all those rules we’re been trained to live by such as ‘a good wife must put her needs aside for her husband and family’ or ‘a man is the head of the family’ (in reality, Mom is!) or ‘you’re a sinner/loser if you don’t have money, but saved/good if you do’. 
 
Our society’s rules, our religions’ rules are buried deep within us to control our behavior. But since patriarchy refuses to give equal importance to the feminine gifts of life, these old rules are killing our joy in life, our reverence for life and our belief in life. This Full Moon gives us the opportunity to throw off the chains of patriarchal control so we can find our balance with others. The fire trine between Uranus & Eris in Aries, the North Node in Leo and Saturn in Sagittarius can give us the courage to follow our passion and creativity to the next part of our lives. It’s time for a new story.

So to help you find that courage, I’m going to tell you a story.  This is where the Neptune in Pisces trine to the Cancer Sun comes in.   It’s a story I didn’t know about until a week ago when my son from Dubai was visiting me and got me to watch it. This movie tells the story of this Cancer/Capricorn Full Moon. You might have already seen it. It’s called Moana.



Moana is a Polynesian girl who’s destined to become her island’s next chief (Capricorn). But she is also called and chosen by the Sea (Cancer) and longs to go beyond the barrier reef. Her father, Chief Tui, refuses to allow her those dreams because he is afraid of going beyond their island, Mata Nui. He struggles to get her to stay put and take care of her own people rather than dream of exploring the vast ocean of life. All the Cancer elements are here: the Ocean, family, security and nourishment, along with the struggle between doing what is expected (Capricorn) and wanting to follow her soul’s urges (Cancer).


Baby Moana at the Ocean

Little Moana, however, is enchanted by her grandmother Tala’s stories of an ancient demi-god, Maui, who stole the stone Heart from the goddess Te Fiti, wanting her life-giving power for himself (Capricorn!) But when he steals the stone, the islands begin to crumble and die, and death and destruction slowly seep across the ocean’s islands (a perfect example of Eris in Aries – discord: ‘going against the heart’ because of his own hubris). Maui is exiled and his magical hook is lost. But there is a legend that one day the Chosen One will find Maui and help him find his magical hook so he can restore the Heart to Te Fiti and heal the world. 
 
Gramma Tala, who is definitely an Ocean priestess and a self-proclaimed ‘crazy lady’ knows that Moana is the chosen one, but her son’s fear won’t allow the girl to go beyond ‘the field they know’. Moana learns how to be a leader to her people, but when crops and fisheries fail and the island begins to die, Moana determines to go find Maui and get him to restore the Heart. 
 
That’s when her grandmother shows her the secret cave where their ancestors hid the sailing ships they came in. For her ancestors were journeyers, traveling the ocean currents to discover new lands. Through the years, though, death crept over the ocean, and they hid the boats and forgot they were journeyers, settling into a life of ease and security on their island. (Just like we have lost our founders’ revolutionary courage.) When Moana discovers the boats, she reclaims her ancestral wisdom (Mars and Sun in Cancer) and taking one of the ships, leaves the island as her grandmother dies so she can send her manta ray spirit to guide Moana over the reef and into the unknown.

Tala and her Manta Rays


This Cancer Sun/Mars opposite the Capricorn Moon/Pluto story also includes the energies of the Aries Uranus/Eris opposition to our Libra Jupiter. Moana sails by herself (Uranus in Aries) until the ocean brings her to the island where Maui is exiled. Maui is such a stereotype of the masculine ego that he’s funny (Pluto in Capricorn bringing on the ridicule). He’s a shape-shifter, con-artist, macho-warrior who thinks he’s the hero of mankind. (Sound familiar? This movie came out in 2016—I love synchronicity.) It’s all about him and his exploits. All he can think about is himself and at every turn, he tries to leave Moana behind, but she is never stopped by his betrayals.  She couragously follows him to the underwater hideout of the giant crab Tomatoa, (another Cancer motif), whose shell is covered with gold and jewels and Maui’s magical hook – another aspect of the Cancer-Capricorn axis: hold onto what you’ve got to stay secure.

Moana keeps thinking that Maui is the one who has to restore the Heart to Te Fiti – that old patriarchal belief that man is the hero who will make all things right. But she is the couragous one, for while Maui deserts her, she believes in completing her mission – a very Jupiter kind of thing to do.  When it comes time for him to fight the lava demon and return the stone, Maui is afraid, afraid to face the Goddess. And in the end, it is Moana who recognizes the Goddess behind the evil lava demon Ti Ka, and restores the Heart to the Goddess and the healing of the world begins.

When Moana returns to Mata Nui, she helps her people reclaim their ancestors’ wisdom of the waters, and they set sail on those ancient ships to a new land.


Great Sailing Ships

This story touches the heart – everyone I’ve mentioned it to has the same reaction – they love it. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s available on Netflix and other outlets. Good stories feed the soul and that’s what Cancer is all about. When our souls are nurtured, we gain the emotional security we need to face anything our world can throw at us. 
 
It’s a beautiful story for this powerful Capricorn Full Moon. We need to find our courage (Aries) to leave behind the death and destruction that our governments and patriarchal rules glory in (Capricorn) so we can nurture ourselves and our people (Cancer) and bring about a new, more balanced world (Libra).

To swimming in the ocean of life!
Cathy

East Coker V (excerpt) -- T. S. Eliot

Home is where one starts from. As we grow older
The world becomes stranger, the pattern more complicated
Of dead and living. Not the intense moment
Isolated, with no before and after,
But a lifetime burning in every moment
And not the lifetime of one man only
But of old stones that cannot be deciphered.
There is a time for the evening under starlight,
A time for the evening under lamplight
(The evening with the photograph album).
Love is most nearly itself
When here and now cease to matter.
Old men ought to be explorers
Here or there does not matter
We must be still and still moving
Into another intensity
For a further union, a deeper communion
Through the dark cold and the empty desolation,
The wave cry, the wind cry, the vast waters
Of the petrel and the porpoise. In my end is my beginning.







Sunday, July 2, 2017

Mars in Cancer opposite Pluto in Capricorn: Reclaiming our Ancestral Memory



 “we are continually overflowing toward those who preceded us, toward our origin, and toward those who seemingly come after us. ... It is our task to imprint this temporary, perishable earth into ourselves so deeply, so painfully and passionately, that its essence can rise again “invisibly,” inside us. We are the bees of the invisible. We wildly collect the honey of the visible, to store it in the great golden hive of the invisible.” ―Rainer Maria Rilke"



The Moon moved into Scorpio just after Mars in Cancer opposed Pluto in Capricorn this morning.

We heard from the President of the United States how he dealt with it: He made a video of beating up CNN. That's one way to use this emotional energy. Probably not the best or most mature.

The Plutonium radioactivity of our culture is forcing us to dive deep into our ancestral memories (Mars in Cancer) to reclaim our instincts. His instinct is to lash out. Unfortunately, that's what children do, not a great leader. So America got the President that resonates with a big part of our American psyche -- our male adolescent attitudes of entitlement, competition and selfishness. How the West Was Won! We seem to be 'eating' ourselves -- creating our own genocide as American men with guns keep killing scores of people. Who needs Islamic terrorists when we have our own homegrown ones? 

We are living in the breakup of our civilization--we can misuse this energy to gain power or work consciously with it to get back in touch with what heals the soul -- ours, everyone's, the Earth's. My Mars-in-Cancer son works hard to support his family, his friends and the Earth. I'm so proud of him. If he can do it, so can you all.

We often pick on Mars in Cancer -- over-emotional, possessive, security-minded. Sensitive. Let's not forget he can also be a great father, a protector and provider, someone with emotional intelligence and gut instinct. So this is your chance to balance any of these qualities.

The Scorpio Moon will help you get to the bottom of it - Scorpio loves to solve mysteries. Explore the mystery that is you. A great way to spend the days we celebrate our FREEDOM.

Become your Self -- out of the tapestry of your ancestral line -- combining both your physical ancestors and your own incarnations.  The wealth of wisdom on how to live on our dear Mother Earth is priceless.
  

The Robe of Glory