The Cosmic Story: Cancer New Moon, Venus Retrograde, Lammas

 

The Cosmic Story: Venus retrograde in Leo: 

Time to upgrade our Hearts.

Transformative Cancer New Moon

 

The rest of this summer, including the August 1^st cross-quarter holiday of Lammas, the first harvest, is under the influence of Venus’ retrograde in Leo. Venus is sinking lower in the evening sky as she finishes up her 9 ½ month journey as an Evening Star and will turn retrograde on July 22^nd at 29* Leo. Because of her retrograde, Venus will stay in Leo for 4 months, from June 6^th to October 8^th. Venus will join the Sun at 20+* Leo, when it starts a new Venus Star Point to begin its Morning Star journey.

Every 8 years, Venus’ orbit creates a 5-point star, a pentagram. For the coming years, the 5 points of this star will occur in Gemini, Capricorn, Leo, Aries and Scorpio (soon to move back into Libra). So Venus is tying together the energies of learning and communicating, of responsibility to the community, of our creative express, of our courage to be ourselves and of our psychological transformation. All qualities we need to upgrade for the personal and collective issues we face.

When a planet extends its stay in a sign due to its retrograde, we are energized to deal with the issues it raises. Venus helps us focus on our values, our relationships and listening to our body’s wisdom. On a more mundane level, our money issues want to be resolved. Our financial system is broken – Wall Street is basically gambling. Corporations are recording unprecedented profits and still getting government handouts. The wealthy pay less taxes than regular workers. Not the best security for anyone except the power brokers.

If you’re interested in learning more about Venus’ gifts to us, my book Aphrodite, Our Inner Venus will be out this August. It explores Aphrodite/Venus’ myths and dives deeply into the psychological aspects of her gifts of Beauty, Love, Sexuality, Relationships and Wholeness. This most important energy is the Initiator of Soul. 

 

 

 

This week the Lunar Nodes (signs where eclipses occur which point to our collective destiny) are changing from Taurus/Scorpio to Aries/Libra. For the past 19 months, we have moved from Scorpio South Node, letting go of our emotional trauma to North Node Taurus’ wealth of body wisdom, as well as listening to Earth’s evolutionary genius. Now we’re moving into 19 months of becoming more self-reliant (Aries North Node) and away from relationship co-dependency (Libra South Node).

That means that while Venus has been the ruling planet of the Taurus North Node for the past 19 months, Mars, the ruler of Scorpio, took a back seat. Now those roles will be reversed. The Mars-ruled Aries North Node will be taking the lead now, while Libra’s South Node ruler, Venus, steps back. During this retrograde, Venus does step back and reviews and revises her Leo attitude. What does that mean for us?

Venus retrograde is a time to re-evaluate how we’re living up to our values and our partnerships. Since Venus/Aphrodite deals with beauty, we’re being asked to consider if we need to meet some collective standard or if we’ll learn to see our own unique beauty. Since she deals with sexuality, we are asked if our sexual relationships are about power and manipulation or about the sacred quality of this most intimate experience. We’ll be asked to examine how we express our love to self and others. Love is not for the weak-heated. Love takes work! 

 

 

Leo is a fixed fire sign, giving us a big bonfire of warmth, generosity and fun. But it can also make us proud, overbearing and self-centered. Leo is the sign of the Sun, of the Heart and of the Child. With all that concentrated fire, we need to express ourselves in some creative way. How will Venus retrograde in Leo spark your creativity? Look to your Leo house to see where you’re being asked to re-wire your connections.

There’s some entitlement that goes along with Leo’s energies. It is, after all, the sign of the King and the Queen. Americans, especially some of the younger generations, have an entitlement issue. Our expectations often go beyond our means. But it’s also the baby boomers, with Pluto in Leo (1938 - 1958), who have raised those expectations. Nobody seems willing to sacrifice (to make sacred) for the greater good anymore.

With Venus retrograde in Leo, Venus will be transiting the baby boomers’ Pluto. Where do we need to evolve our creative expression for the good of all? It’s time for we baby boomers to grow up and become Elders. Where do we need to sacrifice for our children and our children’s children for the next 7 generations? The Uranus in Leo generation (1955 – 1962) will hopefully come up with some out-of-the-box ideas about how we can change things. Hopefully, our artists/musicians/storytellers will remember their archetypal purpose and take the lead to help that change come about.

Venus turns retrograde on the feast day of Mary Magdalene, the Sophia to Jesus’ Christ. Will we listen to our Sophia Wisdom? Will we remember that we are the Christ Spirit having a human experience? 

 

 

Venus turns retrograde conjunct the fixed royal star Regulus, in the heart of the Lion. This is a call for feminine leadership as the Goddess returns to birth a new Age. The Sabian symbol for Venus retrograde at 29* Leo is: A mermaid emerges from the ocean waves ready for rebirth in human form. The mermaid is one of Venus/Aphrodite’s manifestation. The mermaid symbolizes an intense feeling intuition that is still partially unconscious – it has no legs to stand on yet. This symbol indicates that those intuitions need to take form in 3D reality. Artists recognize this state of being, when their creative ideas need to take a form or else they disappear back into the collective unconscious to be picked up by someone else. What is the new feeling/intuition that wants to be birthed by you?

The Sun and Venus meet up on August 13^th at 20*Leo. The Sabian symbol is: American Indians perform a majestic ritual to the Sun. Like the Native Sun Dance, it is time for us to call on sustainable life-energies, sacrificing our ego desires for the greater good. This is the energy that will arise during Venus’ Morning Star phase. Will we create and sacrifice and help our tribe prosper?

Venus turns to direct motion on September 3^rd at 13* Leo. The Sabian symbol is: Old Sea-Captain rests in a neat little cottage by the sea. This is a reward for learning to move from outer experiences to inner soul realms. Venus is directing us inward, to grow our souls. That’s the only way we will truly learn to love ourselves so we can love our neighbors.

With the Lunar Nodes shifting signs in mid-July before Venus turns retrograde, we need to ask if we’ve learned our lessons. As we exit Venus-ruled North Node Taurus, have we done all we can to honor the Earth and our physical well-being? With record breaking temperatures recorded these past few weeks, will we step up and demand climate action from our leaders? Mother Earth is weeping rivers of tears, enduring hot-flashes and burning with rage at what we’ve done to her beautiful gift of life.

With our new Mars ruled North Node destiny, will we have the courage to stand up for our values and for our children? If not now, when? North Node Aries can help us find our sense of identity and sense of purpose. Look for where Aries lies in your chart. This is the original spark of creation that wants to take form in your life. Now is the time to embrace who you are, warts and all. With the South Node in Libra, we have to stop being wishy-washy, stop giving our power away to others, and stop wanting to keep things on the surface. These next 19 months will help us define ourselves and our relationships. If we can’t be truthful to those people we are closest to, what does that say about us? Aries NN will give you the courage to face the truth and stand up for it.

In this time of intensifying climate change and war-mongering, we all feel the underlying collective fear and anxiety. This is the challenge of the end of an Age. Can we let go of our consumerism and learn to live with less, sacrificing what’s unnecessary so we all create a better world? We can if we concentrate on who and what we love.

Cancer New Moon

The Cancer New Moon occurs on Monday July 17 at 11:31am PDT/ 2:31pm EDT/ 7:31pm GMT.

 

 

This intense New Moon only connects to all the outer planets, which means that it brings up more than personal issues. The outer planets – Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Eris – are transpersonal, meaning they effect all of us as a collective. The Sun and Moon in easy aspects to Uranus and Neptune indicate that we need to wake up to our dreams.

Monday’s Cancer New Moon is opposed by Pluto retrograde in Capricorn squaring the Aries/Libra nodes, with Eris, the warrior goddess, conjunct the North Node. Can we turn our collective attention to our home world and its healing, or will we continue to allow the elite their ‘winner take all’ attitude? The lines are very clear now in America – the wealthy and corporate interests own our leaders and are stopping the changes we need to make. They are using inconsequential ‘moral’ issues to keep people divided when we all agree that climate change and equality and freedom must be addressed. This opposition is squared by the nodes, indicating we have to re-examine how we see ourselves as part of a partnership with the rest of society. Are we a separate unit or are we all are connected?

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” as Spock said.

Interestingly, the personal planets are all aspected by the social planets, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as Uranus. Mercury in Leo squares Jupiter in Taurus, opening our minds to new solutions to Earth’s problems. Mars in Virgo is opposed to Saturn retrograde in Pisces, asking us to be of service to humanity and to Earth. Focus on the important stuff and don’t get distracted. Venus slowing down in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus, waking up our feminine leadership qualities that will be under consideration during Venus’ retrograde period.

Venus in Leo wants us look at ‘what we value’. Her wisdom says that Love is the important thing. Love for our family, for the Earth, for each other.

All we need is Love.

Blessing of the Lammas harvest for us all,

Cathy

The Cosmic Story: Aquarius-Leo Full Moon, 2022: Make Heart Choices for the Future

 

The Cosmic Story: Aquarius/Leo Full Moon 2022

Make Heart Choices For the Future

The Goddess and the Zodiac

After moving into my new home between the River and the Ocean – a great Cancer experience – the fierce heat and overwhelming humidity of Leo in late July and early August immediately makes me think of the goddess Sekhmet. While her heat is often the dry heat of a desert, her Lioness aspect certainly resonates with the sign of Leo, the Lion/ess and the fierce Sun of August. 

 

 

With the Aquarius/Leo Full Moon coming up on August 11^th, I’ve been thinking about the goddesses who might represent these energies. With Sekhmet empowering Leo, I think we can look to the Egyptian sky-goddess Nut to stand in for Aquarius, whose ruler Uranus/Ouranos is a sky god.  

Sekhmet is one of the oldest goddess in the Egyptian pantheon and was revered as The Great Mother, Sekhmet-Bast, the Protectress of the divine order, and therefore of the other gods. She fiercely protects those she loves and her destructive aspect is dedicated to morally righteous ends, much like the Greek Eris. She embodies both creation and necessary destruction. She is also the goddess of Kundalini energy, both its sexual aspect as well as its spiritual aspects. As an all-encompassing Goddess, her attributes involve most aspects of collective life.

As an initiated priestess of Sekhmet, I experienced the power of Sekhmet’s desert energy in both its healing and destructive aspects. She is not an easy goddess to work with, because she demands truth and accountability. We have to respect her fierceness as well as her healing. More than anything else, I experience her as the Divine Mother who wants to show me my strength.

Sekhmet was the Lady of 4000 names, although 3000 were known only to initiates and the priesthood. All of those names have been lost, except for a hundred that survived in ancient manuscripts. 

 

 

These are a few of her Names:

Sekhmet, Great One of Magic

Mother of the Gods

One who was before the Gods were

Lady of the Place of the Beginning of Time

Flaming One

Protectress of the Gods

Lady of the House of Books

Awakener

Lady of Enchantments

Opener of Ways

Lady of Transformations

Great One of Healing

Beloved Sekhmet¹

Sekhmet could well be one of the goddesses from the Age of Leo (10,800 – 8,400 BC) who was remembered and embraced by the ancient Egyptians, along with her Sphinx (perhaps it once had a lioness’ head – thank you Divine Harmony for that information). The Sphinx is certainly older that we once believed – it seems to have survived one of the many great floods which occurred between 20,000 - 7,000 years ago.

 

Nut
 

The Egyptian goddess who represents Aquarius is the sky goddess Nut. The Celestial Mother, “the beautiful turquoise day-lit sky and the mysterious lapis lazuli of night. The stars were all the souls that dwelt within her, those waiting to be born and also the souls of the dead taken back into her body. The night sky was all the possibilities of earthly manifestation, all that was seen and all that remains to be seen.”² Nut’s sky body gives birth to the Sun/Ra in the East and consumes him in the West, where he journey’s through the dark night sky of the body of the goddess to be reborn again each day.

Like the sign of Aquarius, Nut symbolizes all the cosmic possibilities of life, the potentials that the creative imagination can work with and ultimately manifest in union with her divine partner Geb, the Earth. Aquarius symbolizes that larger vision, a vision that can see both past, present and future.

 

 

These two goddesses face each other at the Aquarius/Leo Full Moon. Both are eternal, although one symbolizes the vast eternity of space while the other symbolizes the fiery passion of life which incarnates the cosmos. This is the creative call of the universe to all of us. What is our unique self-expression? What creative act are we born to accomplish? How can we add our creative vision to the collective Mind?

If you would like to work with the Goddess and the Zodiac, let me know. I’m planning a series for the New and Full Moons starting with Libra’s New Moon on September 25^th.

Aquarius-Leo Full Moon

The Aquarius Full Moon occurs on Thursday August 11, 2022 at 6:36pm PDT/ 9:36pm EDT and on Friday August 12 at 2:36am GMT.

 

 

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 20* Leo is: Zuni Indians perform a ritual to the Sun. Ritual brings us into alignment with the natural world and its sacred energies. This image reminds us to give thanks to the life-giving and death-dealing power of the Sun, the source of light and life.³

The Gene Key for 20* Leo is the 4^th – A Universal Panacea. It speaks to the Shadow of distorted logic, which can lead to intolerance. The gift of this degree is understanding, a process that includes all of our being, not just our left-brain logic. When we experience true understanding, we can play with the patterns of existence and create new ideas or systems. The blessing of this degree is forgiveness, which moves us beyond understanding to see the Truth.⁴

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 20* Aquarius is: A large, white dove bearing a message. This is Aphrodite/Venus' dove of love and peace.  This image is also a ‘mission accomplished’ symbol. We’ve been through a real initiation these past few years, and now we can reap the rewards of our spiritual awakenings.³  

The Gene Key for 20* Aquarius is the 49^th – Changing the World from the Inside. Its Shadow is reaction, when our emotions control our behaviors. The gift is revolution, when we suddenly become aware of these stagnant emotional energies and step away from them. We change our behaviors and experience the blessing of this Key – Rebirth!⁴

This Aquarius Supermoon (the Moon is close to the Earth) connects us to the sacred powers of the Earth and Sky and reminds us that our Leo ‘royal’ nature is here to contribute to the well-being of the community of Mother Earth’s children. Just as the King and Queen mediated between Heaven and Earth, so are each of us called to do that. In Leo, we can own our royal nature and be a bridge to larger consciousness. 

 

 

This Full Moon is conjunct Saturn retrograde in Aquarius, hitting us with the reality of climate change, rising authoritarianism, as well as broken systems of government, work, finances and corporate power. We finally see the underlying patriarchal need for domination and control of our world. What will be our response as free citizens? Because we are all free to make choices that can change our world. Please vote – communities are shaped by the people who participate.

Saturn is the Lord of Time, and so he symbolizes our present reality. While his energy is limiting and can often be frustrating, in reality, we all need limits. Just as young children need limits in which to grow into themselves, we adults need to recognize our limits and deepen into them. This Full Moon aligns with Saturn, so our emotional, reflective, Moon-nature has to look reality in the face. The shadow qualities of Saturn are repression and criticism – we see this shadow playing out in our political system here in the United States. The positive side of Saturn is taking responsibility for our thoughts, words and deeds. We each generate an energy field, and it is up to us to maintain ours at its most harmonious level. 

This Full Moon is being challenged by the lunar nodes in Taurus and Scorpio, with Uranus and Mars conjunct the North Node in Taurus. It re-constellates the 2021 Saturn-Uranus square, which is still affecting us through this year. This waning square between the two ‘rulers’ of Aquarius calls us to see what is still valuable in our society at the same time as it releases what is no longer viable for our collective growth. This square energizes the struggle between the old vs the new we see taking place in the US and around the world. Will we be pulled back into old patriarchal beliefs of power-over, male domination and white supremacy or will we start to become a world of equality, truth and freedom?

We are at a cross-roads. With 5 planets and the lunar nodes involved in a grand fixed cross, we are challenged to heal old ancestral wounds and to clean up our mess. The choice is ours.

With Uranus, the planet of wide vision, individual awakening and true humanitarianism aligned with the Taurus North Node, freedom and new vision will win out in the end – as the future always does. But what future will we align ourselves with? Will we meet the challenges that face us?  Taurus is all about embodiment.   Will we create a society where women’s bodies are no longer controlled by male/religious domination so women have self-ownership over our bodies. Where government serves the will of the people, instead of the people serving the will of the wealthy. Where all people are equal and expected to actively participate in creating our society. Where courtesy and kindness are expected behaviors, and creativity and vision are embraced. Where we finally put a stop to needless wars and continuing antagonism between different cultures. Where money and greed are a thing of the past.

The Sabian symbol for the degree of the Uranus/Mars/NN conjunction at 19* Taurus is: A new continent rising out of the ocean. Since my Venus is on this degree, I’ve been watching for this new potential to arise not only in my own life, but in our collective lives. My new home is my personal new continent, which I will be exploring. I believe that the new US law regarding climate change (Taurus is the most earthy of Earth signs) will rise this continent up for the collective. 

 

 

The Gene Key for this degree is number 2 – Returning to the One. In the I Ching, this the called The Receptive – the Divine Feminine. It is another call to return to the Divine Feminine, the foundation of life and consciousness. The Shadow of this Key is called dislocation, the feeling of being lost or cut off from life. Without a firm rooting in the Feminine, we are cut off from both Mother Nature and our own natures. The gift of this Key is orientation, which speaks of feeling connected with our own truth. The blessing of this Key is unity, which is basically enlightenment or awakening. It is being in touch with your soul as well as the World Soul – the Goddess.   

 

We need to reclaim our place in Mother Earth's biosphere.  We need to assume our responsibility as Stewards of the Earth.

  

With Venus just arrived into Leo trining Jupiter retrograde in Aries, we have plenty of fire and passion to create a better reality, a better world for ourselves, our community and our children’s future. Don’t be afraid to roar if the situation calls for it. But use discernment please!

Pluto retrograde in Capricorn forms a positive trine to Mars in Taurus and a helpful sextile to Neptune retrograde in Pisces, awakening the positive, protective Masculine as the Green Man, consort of the Goddess.

Mercury in Virgo forms a wide square with Pallas Athena, helping us formulate strategies for moving forward with our new vision.

 

 Lammas Mask

This week we celebrated the cross-quarter day of Lammas (15* Leo on 8/8), the first harvest, and the Lion’s Gate of 8/8 (Divine Harmony did an interesting talk on this Lion’s Gate – it’s related to the heliacal rising of the star Sirius over Giza in Egypt which used to announce the flooding of the Nile River before they damned it.) These days are ways we align with not only our earthly home but also our cosmic home. A fitting celebration for Leo!

May you be blessed with a fruitful harvest, and be grateful for it.

Cathy

Let’s Remake the World

Let's remake the world with words.
Not frivolously, nor
To hide from what we fear,
But with a purpose.

Let's,
As Wordsworth said, remove
"The dust of custom" so things
Shine again, each object arrayed
In its robe of original light.

And then we'll see the world
As if for the first time.
As once we gazed at the beloved
Who was gazing at us.

~ Gregory Orr ~

(Concerning The Book That Is the Body Of The Beloved)

^1. The Goddess Sekhmet: The Way of the 5 Bodies by Robert Masters

^2. Imagining the World into Existence by Normandi Ellis

^3. An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar

⁴ The Gene Keys by Richard Rudd

The Cosmic Story: The Leo Gateway of Lammas: Leo New Moon & 2nd Aquarius Blue Full Moon 2021

We’ve just arrived at the cross-quarter day of Lammas here in the north, a time of harvest and fulfillment. With the receding light and warmth, we are now definitely heading toward Autumn.

Welcome to Lammas season, the Harvest Season.

 

 

Regardless of what’s happening in our world regarding COVID and politics, Mother Earth still holds us in her yearly cycle of life and death and renewal. When we orient ourselves with these cycles, we can ground and connect to Earth’s biosphere, giving us the energy to align with our life’s evolution in a natural way.

Here in the North, we’re at the beginning of harvest time and the second half of summer. We’ll begin to notice the days growing shorter more quickly now as the Sun continues on its journey south as we head into Autumn. Down in the southern hemisphere, you are experiencing the light returning, heading out of late winter and into spring.

For us in the northern hemisphere, we can celebrate our personal harvest through ritual and meditation, gratefully acknowledging the new harvest this year. Is it a new job, a new book you’re writing, a new relationship with yourself or another, a new attitude or perspective on your life? Have you let go of fear and opened to your heart’s desires? Have you faces your shadow and freed up new energy? Whatever you’ve created this year, it’s now time to name and acknowledge it with gratitude.

Change is here, whether we like it or not. The question is, who is going to be making those changes? This summer’s astrological energies are intense, urging us to release what no longer serves us so we can start following our heart’s wisdom and start living our soul’s story.

The power of Leo’s energy is to help us discover and attend to the Heart and what really matters in life, giving full expression to our creativity. This year, while the Sun is in the sign of Leo, we will experience two Aquarian Full Moons (the first was on July 23^rd at 2* Leo and the second is on August 22^nd at 30* Leo and is the Blue Moon) with the upcoming Leo New Moon on August 8^th near the Leo power gate of 15* Leo.

Uranus, about to turn retrograde on August 19^th, is stopping at the Taurus power gate at 15* Taurus, squaring this week’s New Moon. It is a reminder to us that what we create must be sustainable and must benefit the whole group in some way. It can no longer be ‘art for art’s sake’ but ‘art as a healing modality for the collective psyche’.

It is only through the heart’s wisdom that we’ll get through these global health and environmental crises.

These power gates occur at 15* of the fixed signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius – and are represented by the cross-quarter holidays of Beltane, Lammas, Samhain (Halloween) and Imbolc that mark the halfway point between the solstices and equinoxes. They are the energetic center of these ‘fixed’ sign, generating portals to other dimensions. If you have planets at any of these gateways, their energies will give you a persistence and determination to get through any troubles in life.

 

 

So as people continue to get in touch with their heart needs, they are quitting jobs that no longer satisfy them or leaving relationships that no longer give them the freedom to be themselves. We see this struggle between the old, repressive behaviors of patriarchy and the new freedom we each want to express in light of the Saturn/Uranus square – pitting the old (Saturn) against the new (Uranus). It’s up to each of us to break the chains of old patriarchal rules and beliefs within ourselves so that this societal paradigm dies out in the collective consciousness, leaving room for something new to arise – something better to arise.

For these past few years, we’ve talked about discovering our new story, which implies changing our beliefs and behaviors. Well, the need for change is upon us now! Yes things are getting chaotic, but the truth is out of chaos emerges the new forms we need to recreate our global society. And while there are a lot of powers in our world that want to take us back to the past, there is no way the past will win out. We are set to move into the future – the Age of Aquarius is calling to us. We just has to deal with the shadow karma of the Piscean Age – the old Them vs. Us beliefs that hinder the truth of Pisces – that we are all one.

When we re-emerge into a post-covid world, we have an opportunity to change our society and culture. Many of us want to change. How that’s going to happen will become apparent when we begin to let go of our fears and worries about the future. We are heading into that future and the one thing you need for the trip is a sure sense of yourself, a grounded presence that is willing to go with the flow and change when it’s appropriate, yet is strong enough to support and protect you.

We each have to find our wholeness so we can become holograms for collective wholeness.

 

 

Astrological influences through Leo and Virgo

There are a lot of planetary changes going on this season, especially between the two Aquarian Full Moons on July 23^rd and August 22^nd.

The themes coming up now in your life are important to the future, so pay attention. We’ll be making decisions about how we want to live our lives as we go forward. It’s time to take some action on our personal changes.

If you’ve been frustrated lately, blame it on Saturn in Aquarius opposite the Leo Sun on August 2^nd, with both squaring Uranus in Taurus. Once again, the theme is out with the old, in with the new.

 

 Sekhmet: the Heart of the Sun

Leo is all about heart energy. Leo is the fire that is passionate, creative and utterly unique. Leo is a shining Light that warms everything it touches. So this month, burn brightly and let your light shine out.

Mercury met the Sun at 9* Leo on August 1^st and rushes through the rest of Leo, moving into Virgo on August 11^th. Our creative vision gets down to earth and practical.

 

 

The Leo New Moon occurs on Sunday, August 9^th near the Lion’s Gate at 15* Leo. With the square to Uranus in Taurus and opposite Saturn in Aquarius, it’s time to actively work on changing our ways, discarding what no longer serves our future Self. With Venus in Virgo channeling Neptune in Pisces, we can begin to make our dreams a reality. Don’t forget that beauty and embodiment go together. It’s time to let go of the ugliness we’ve created in our world and remember how beauty makes us feel.

It’s always good to let go of expectations and just accept the reality of the Now. Yes, old patterns need to be broken, but everyone is doing it in their own time and way. The frustration comes from how slow vast changes take.

So it’s up to us to make the small changes in ourselves that can make change happen in the world.

Uranus turns retrograde on August 19^th at 15* Taurus. It’s time to turn all that revolutionary, transformative energy inward. Awaken your soul body. 

 

 

The 2^nd Aquarius Blue Full Moon on August 22^nd occurs at 30* Leo. Blue Moons occur when there are two Full Moon in an astrological sign – NOT when they occur in a calendar month. This is because they switch the lunar cycle back to its original rhythm of New Moon followed by a Full Moon in the same sign. For the past two years, the cycle flipped and so we’ve had the Full Moon come before the New Moon in a sign. This part of the lunar cycle splits us open to encompass different energies. Now we can get back in rhythm and feel more whole.

For this second Aquarius Full Moon, Jupiter is conjunct the Moon, opening up our perspective to what is possible. Jupiter can make magic happen, so stay open to the synchronicity in your life that can show you the path forward.

While Uranus is now retrograde, it is still squaring Saturn retrograde in Aquarius, so the tension between old habits and new turn inward. Uranian awakenings are strengthened by a nice earth trine to both Mars and Mercury in Virgo, who can help plan out the small changes we need to make to shift our energies. Venus is in Libra opposite Chiron in Aries, asking us to love and respect ourselves as much as the Other. Because we have to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves’, we need to do the work of loving ourselves and facing our inner critics, those voices of old patriarchal beliefs that we need to shed now.

 

                                             Virgo with her Wheat Shaft

 

The Sun enters Virgo late in the day August 22^nd . I’ll leave you to find out about the Virgo New Moon on September 6^th and the Pisces-Virgo Full Moon on September 20^th, two days before Fall Equinox arrives on September 22^nd.

Virgo is the sign of the Great Mother and Child, the womb and the fruit together. What have we woven into being this year? How do we integrate that into our ongoing evolution? Virgo’s great gift of service comes from being aware of what’s really needed in any situation.

Exploring the Myth of Psyche & Eros: Part 2

Psyche & Eros

 

Venus stays in Virgo until August 15^{th –} 16^th, when she enters one of her home signs, Libra. But while she’s still with Mars in Virgo, this pair wants to work out the details of their union at 20* Leo on July 13^th.

I wrote about their union in relationship to the ancient myth of Psyche & Eros.

If you remember their story of an initiation into the mysteries of Love and Desire:

Psyche (our word for Soul) is married to Eros in a secret marriage. She can only make love to her new husband in the dark of night, without seeing who he is. When she finally lights a lamp to consciously see who her secret lover is, she discovers that it is the god of Desire himself who is her mate. But he flies off, leaving her to search the world for him.

She finally presents herself to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty and Love, who is the mother of Eros and who initiates Psyche into the wonder and magic of this divine love. Aphrodite sets Psyche four tasks to complete before she can be reunited with Eros.

1) The first task is to sort and separate out a big pile of different seeds. When Psyche despairs of the job, friendly ants come to help her sort things out. Ant is a symbol of discipline, hard work, strength, unity, determination, teamwork, and patience. Sometimes, if we stick to the work of Love, we have to trust our instinctual nature to sort things out when relationship issues arise. A sorting of seeds lets us understand where things began. This is also the type of sorting that Virgo is good at, because it asks us to use this initiation’s gift of discernment in this sorting.

2) The second task is to harvest the golden wool from the sun rams. She gets advice from a friendly river reed to wait until the Sun is descending and losing power so the rams can settle down. Then she’ll be able to gather the wool that got stuck to the brambles. This initiation makes us face our fierce aggressive need to compete with the Other – to make our point and take our stand. It asks us to use our golden intellect in a different way. Can we stand in our own power without having to destroy the Other? How do we relate to power in relationships?

The ram symbolizes boldness, new beginnings, new paths and power. Like the reed who gives Psyche this advice, we need to understand the flow of life and not go head to head with our loved ones in the midst of powerful emotions and power plays. Instead, we need to let things calm down and then find out what really is going on. The gifts Psyche receives from this initiation are a sense of her own courage, strength and spirit.

3) The third initiation demands that Psyche find the source of the River Styx, or the river of life, and draw up a crystal cupful to take back to Aphrodite. There are dangers surrounding this river. But Zeus’ eagle comes to help, taking the goblet and filling it.

This is a test of our faith, our belief in love and our ability to fly high and see with the eyes of Spirit. It is also a challenge to take a larger perspective on the issues. And the paradox is that to do this, we have to stay in the NOW and deal with the present moment. There are so many possibilities in life to drink from, but we need the wisdom to know which possibility is the best to foster and deepen love. I would say that the gift of this initiation is that higher, spiritual perspective.

4) The fourth and last test is the most important. Aphrodite wants Psyche to travel to the underworld and obtain from Persephone, the Queen of the underworld, a little cask of her own beauty ointment.

 

 Psyche's last task

This initiation involves staying on track and not getting thrown off track by other people’s needs. This is a journey into our own inner world to discover our own unique Beauty and Truth. On this journey, we have to curb our instilled sense of generosity and kindness and own our dark side. Persephone, Hecate, Kali all represent the dark energies that influence our decisions, those shadow aspects of our personality that used to keep us safe but now just keep us stuck in old patterns of low self-worth and self-criticisms. The gift of this initiation is a grounded “NO” in response to outer demands on our freedom of choice. Love must be freely given, never demanded.

This initiation asks us to die to the innocence of our youthful imagination and expectations of what love is and means. Then we can be reborn without fear, allowing a transformation of our consciousness to ripen and mature our understanding of the Other and ourselves. This is the path of individuation, where we can embrace all our ourselves so we can see and embrace the wholeness of the Other.

As the story ends, Psyche and Eros are reunited and Psyche gives birth to a daughter, who is Pleasure.

A life lived in and with love blesses us with all sorts of pleasure, especially joy and wonder.

 

Our task at the end of the Age of Pisces is to learn Love in all its forms.  Love is never easy.  It takes work.  So work on loving yourself and then you'll know how to love others.

May the many blessings of Lammas flow through your life,

Cathy

 

Now is the Time

 

Now is the time to know
That all that you do is sacred.

Now, why not consider 

A lasting truce with yourself and God.

Now is the time to understand
That all your ideas of right and wrong
Were just a child's training wheels
To be laid aside
When you finally live
With veracity
And love.

Hafiz is a divine envoy
Whom the Beloved
Has written a holy message upon.

My dear, please tell me,
Why do you still
Throw sticks at your heart
And God?

What is it in that sweet voice inside
That incites you to fear?

Now is the time for the world to know
That every thought and action is sacred.

This is the time
For you to compute the impossibility
That there is anything
But Grace.

Now is the season to know.

That everything you do

Is sacred.

~ Hafiz ~

(The Gift - versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)