The Cosmic Story: Late April Astrology, Earth Day, Taurus Solar Eclipse

The Cosmic Story --

Pink Full Moon 2022

Before we turn to the energies of May and Taurus, I want to recap what’s happening at the end of April. And of course, Earth Day on April 22^nd.

The April 16^th Libra/Aries (Pink) Full Moon was squared by Pluto in Capricorn, which is slowing down to turn retrograde on April 29^th which makes its energy of death and rebirth/evolution even more powerful. This Full Moon was all about POWER and who welds it. In a perfect world, this would be about how we each use power to work with others, and includes self-empowerment (Aries Sun conjunct Eris, the warrior of the heart) as well as empowering others (Libra Moon). 

 

OR, as we’ve seen on the world stage in Ukraine, it is about how the old order uses power to dominate, kill and control others. It’s important to understand that this is the year when the OLD will try to take over and smash all that is new and free. In Russia, instead of excommunicating Putin for pursuing an unjust war, his Russian Orthodox patriarch, along with Putin’s buddies, condone this war: “in reality, we embody the forces of good in the modern world because this clash is metaphysical…. We are on the side of good against the forces of absolute evil…. This is truly a holy war that we’re waging, and we have to win it and of course we will because our cause is just. We have no other choice. Our cause is not only just, our cause is righteous and victory will certainly be ours.”

This ‘battle between good and evil’ is also being played out by the American religious right wing. They are working to take over our government on local, state and national levels, to bring us back to a ‘moral, Christian country’ where we’re not allowed to use contraception or have abortions and where we’re not allowed to talk about our individual rights. While my fellow astrologers have talked about last week’s Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in Pisces as a time a great spiritual awakenings and visions, they didn’t concentrate on the religious fanaticism that could – and did – arise with it. The Religions of the Book – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – all think that their God backs war and murder if it’s in their cause. Shame on them! This is the default setting for all of the wars fought in the last 2,000 years. These religions have become death religions instead of the life-giving ones they were meant to be.

These are the people who believe we’re living in the End Times (which in some ways we are, except not as they see it – we’re at the end of the Piscean Age and at the beginning of the Age of Aquarius). For them, the End Times is a time of being Chosen and of judgment and punishment – of the battle between Good and Evil. That’s also why they aren’t bothering with climate change because they actually believe that Jesus is going to rapture them away to heaven, so why take care of the Earth! (Also check out The Doomsday Clock – how scientists see nuclear and environmental threats in the world.)

 

 Lancelot crossing the sword bridge

We each are being called upon to walk the ‘sword bridge’ – that narrow blade that symbolizes the Mind and how we use it. Can we balance what is going on in the world with our own values and beliefs? Can we look at what is going on without falling into fear and despair? Can we think for ourselves and stand up for our values, even when it gets painful? (it’s the sword’s sharp edge Arthur’s knights had to walk on.)

I was listening to a climate podcast called Climate of Change with Cate Blanchette and Danny Kennedy where they quote Mary Robinson (who has her own podcast on climate change called Mothers of Invention) who quotes Desmond Tutu saying “We are prisoners of hope!”

Can we be prisoners of hope – staying positive in the face of seemingly hopeless circumstances.

While our individual work is to shine our light into this dark work, we are also called to action. What can you do to stand up for the Light? Start in your local communities and your state. Go to school committee or town council meetings and see who is running your town and what they want to do with your tax money. The only way we’re going to change our world for the better is to collaborate with like-minded people. Find your people and work together to bring about change from the ground up!

 

April 22, 2022 is Earth Day. With climate scientists chaining themselves to government buildings to protest the fact that governments are not taking climate change seriously, we the people need to step up the pressure. If governments can shift their economies to wartime needs as they did during WWII, why aren’t we being asked to sacrifice some of our personal habits for the good of the world? Why aren’t we transitioning to sustainable models of life that no longer include conspicuous consumption? Hint: Because our corporate overlords don’t want us to – they already own land that will keep them safe while the rest of us suffer the hardships of climate change.

I can’t get to Washington, D.C. for the climate protest on Saturday April 23^rd, but I can gather my sisters to dance for Mother Earth – to dance in our hopes and blessings. Please take time on Friday to acknowledge and bless our beautiful, wounded planet and its people.

Now back to Pluto turning retrograde. 

 

On Friday, April 29^th Pluto turns retrograde at 29* Capricorn and will back track to 26* Capricorn on October 8^th. The Sabian symbol for 29* Capricorn is: A Woman reading tea leaves. This is a call for each of us to sharpen our intuition and vision. To see the archetypal energies at play in the world. Can we envision a better world?

This retrograde also means the U.S. Pluto return will be revisited. It was just after our first Pluto return hit on February 22, 2022 that Putin invaded Ukraine. While horrific, this invasion showed the world that America’s experiment with democracy did work. That the people of the world will fight for their freedom when under attack by the old order.

So with Pluto retrograde, each of us is asked to take a stand for our freedom. What are we willing to do to create a better world? A free world where each of us is valued? A world where we no longer seek to dominate and control others, but where each of us takes responsibility for ourselves as a member of a free community.

It might seem as if we are far from the horrific war in Ukraine, but here in America, as well as all over the world, the autocrats and corporations want to dominate us. As the old order dies, it is fighting back. So we have to start taking a stand for our values – that’s what this Taurus season with the lunar nodes in Taurus is all about.

Taurus Solar Eclipse April 30^th

Partial Solar Eclipse

The Sun enters the sign of Taurus on the evening of April 19^th here in the U.S. and on April 20^th in the rest of the world.

As Aries is the Fire of Life, so Taurus takes that fire and makes something of it. Taurus is the builder of the zodiac, the energy that takes the fire of life and grounds it and grows it.

Taurus is the sign of embodied spirit.

Taurus is the Garden, the world of Nature that is beginning to blossom now in the northern hemisphere. The green force of Life here on Earth is awake and wants to grow into something of value and worth. Like its ruling planet Venus, Taurus wants to awaken our senses to the beauty and goodness of life.

Venus bestows beauty and truth on new life and asks us to value it. So during this season of Taurus, we’re asked to examine our values. Are we living by them or are they just ideas that we forget to manifest in our lives?

Venus is the Goddess of Love – and love takes work. As the poet Rilke says: There is scarcely anything more difficult than to love one another. That it is work, day labor, day labor, God knows there is no other word for it. … So whoever loves must try to act if he had a great work: he must be much alone and go into himself and collect himself and hold fast to himself; he must work; he must become something! (Rilke On Love and Other Difficulties)

If we love our world, our children and our people, then it is time to take up the work of Love. If we value love and connection, compassion and peace, we have to do the work. No matter how difficult. The future is counting on us!

The lunar nodes, which create eclipses, are moving through the signs of Taurus and Scorpio. With the south node in Scorpio, we have to leave the trauma, betrayals and emotional wounds behind us. They’re to teach us about life, but we tend to hold onto them rather than learn the lesson and let them go. Scorpio is the sign of shared values and I see it as the sign of psychological growth, because it’s the sign where other people impact our souls. So for the next year, our assignment is to let go of these old traumas and accept, as Caroline Casey says, our beautiful, dangerous assignments.

The north node in Taurus asks us to re-discover our own values, to honor Earth’s creative genius (lots of new technology for healing climate devastation is based on Earth’s natural systems), and to remember that we are temples of spirit. So we have to learn, once again, to honor our body, to own our instincts and intuitions, and to follow our heart’s desire, since Venus rules here. For too long, our patriarchal culture has either degraded love into pornography or elevated it to ridiculous romantic proportions.

Work on Love and see what you find.

The Taurus solar eclipse occurs on Saturday, April 30^th (the beginning of Beltane) at 1:28 pm PDT/ 4:28 pm EDT/ 9:28pm GMT. This is a partial solar eclipse.

 

The Sabian symbol for this solar eclipse at 11* Taurus is: A woman watering flowers in her garden. This is a symbol of cultivation, the need to attend to what we want to manifest. And of course, it needs to be beautiful in all ways – sight, smell, touch, taste and sound. We need to pour our love into the life we want. But we have to pay attention!

 

Solar eclipses are extra powerful New Moons. The Moon and Sun come together in a sacred marriage, uniting our conscious self with our unconscious Self. What do we want to plant for this year? What will we take the time to water and cultivate? With the tumultuous energies of change this year, start with grounding into your home, your group, your family – this is not about your work in the world, but your work as a soul.

This solar eclipse New Moon is conjunct the North Node and Uranus in Taurus – opening us to new experiences of life. Uranus in Taurus aligns us with Earth’s creative genius, so expect the unexpected, allow yourself to be surprised by joy. And perhaps if your computer (Uranus) suddenly acts up, leave it inside and go out into Nature. That’s where all the juicy new ideas will come from.

Saturn and Vesta in Aquarius are squaring the nodes at this eclipse, so look at what goals are out of line with the needs of the present state of the world. Saturn transits test our maturity and our staying power, even as they slow things down and limit us in some way. Vesta says, let collective needs inspire your choices. (She the goddess of the village hearthfire.) What do we need to feel stable and secure in these turbulent times? Saturn in Aquarius says find your team, your tribe, your community and they will help you stay safe and secure, as well as work with you to bring in a better world. Aquarius is a group enterprise.

Since the Aries New Moon, we’ve switched from fire and air to earth and water energies. We have our Taurus lineup in earth, and we also have 4 planets in watery Pisces – Mars, Neptune, Venus and Jupiter. This energy in the collective unconscious can help us open our hearts to the real suffering in the world – perhaps suffering we ourselves aren’t experiencing.

With Venus and Jupiter exactly conjunct less than an hour after this eclipse, expect some blessings and spiritual insight into your life. Get out your paints and pencils, move your body and create ART to help you grow your Taurus seeds of life.

The Sabian symbol for Venus and Jupiter at 28* Pisces is: A fertile garden under the Full Moon reveals a variety of full grown vegetables. Here’s another image of gardening and harvest. This conjunction can bring us a big harvest and abundance. So watch for it.

At this New Moon, Mercury in Gemini is squaring the asteroid Juno, the goddess of relationships. What do we need to do about our relationships? Make them stronger? Let them go? Come clear on who you are (Chiron in Aries) and who they are and see how you can change the dynamics by talking to each other. Telling your truth is a necessity in a good relationship. Even better, write a letter – not an email – so partners can re-read what their ears couldn’t hear. We enter the Mercury retrograde shadow on April 24-25^th getting ready for the Mercury retrograde starting on May 10^th. More about that in the May newsletter.

As this Solar Eclipse occurs on the evening before Beltane, this is your chance to ground in the powerful energies of Spring with self-awareness, cooperation and joy. 

 

See you in May! 

The Cosmic Story: Mercury in Aquarius Retrograde, 2022 and Cancer/Capricorn Full Moon 2022

 

Mercury retrograde

Friday January 14^th, Mercury in Aquarius goes retrograde for the first time in 2022, retracing his steps as he moves from the evening sky to the morning sky until he moves forward again on February 3^rd.

As we know, when Mercury goes retrograde, it’s time to re-think, re-consider, re-organize, re-do and re-orient ourselves. Since Mercury is between Earth and the Sun, it doesn’t get very far away from the Sun – hence all the retrogrades we experience during the year.

Because Mercury moves back and forth more than any other planet in our solar system, the ancient Greeks named this planet after their god, Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods. (Our planets use the Roman name for these gods, hence Mercury.) Hermes was the only god who had this power to move through the 3 realms of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld. During this Mercury retrograde, he will touch on all three realms. 

 

When Mercury in Aquarius goes retrograde, he squares Uranus in Taurus, which is about to turn direct on January 18^th. When planets station (change direction) they are more powerful. Mercury is also just a few degrees from Saturn in Aquarius, so he picks up the whole Saturn/Uranus vibe from 2021. The question still remains: Are we going to revert back to ‘the old’ or move ahead with ‘the new’ vision?

With Mercury’s quick-wittedness and Uranus’ ability to break down the old and help us think outside the box of 3D reality, we can handle the unexpected change of plans or sudden exciting possibility that comes our way. We’ll have a wild, free mind to find new innovations and ideas. We also have to be aware that when Uranus changes direction, especially in the earth sign of Taurus, it can bring earth changes such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes.

Mercury in Aquarius gives you an independent, progressive mind. It wants to see the truth in things, and can be stubborn about what it believes because Aquarius is a fixed air sign. While brilliant, it can get stuck in its thinking, so we’re lucky that Mercury is retrograding so we can open up those beliefs and take another look.

Personally, think about what you want to say before you say it, because you might be feeling rebellious and your words could cause damage. Don’t forget, words have power. In the Christian Bible, Christ himself is The Word and the Word creates the world.

This is a great aspect for a wake-up call (have you seen Don’t Look Up?) – our minds need to encompass the tremendous change that has to take place in the social order. Capitalism, at least the way we’ve let it develop, is harmful to our health and the well-being of Earth. It’s time to simplify our lives, because we can no longer live in a ‘throw-away’ society. Even without the dangers of climate change, our garbage is burying us in waste on the land and on the sea.

So Mercury starts his retrograde with this dilemma on his mind. Then he backtracks into earthy Capricorn and meets up with Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld, before he turns back to direct motion. Pluto certainly symbolizes power and in Capricorn, he asks us where we locate that power – in outer authority or inside ourselves? It feels like Mercury is checking to see if we own our authority – do we have sovereignty over ourselves? Sovereignty doesn’t mean doing anything we want to the detriment of others. It means can we live by our values and take responsibility for our choices.

And since Pluto and Mercury meet up at the degree of America’s Pluto return (the first Pluto return found in America’s 4^th of July, 1776 chart), we Americans need to consider if we are being good citizens and taking responsibility for the kind of country and world we want to live in. Are we going to descend into an aristocracy of the wealthy and technological control or are we going to finally create a ‘more perfect union’ that elevates all of us together? The Pluto return asks us to transform our vision of freedom and incarnate it in our lives. It’s time for America to GROW UP!

It reminds me of President Kennedy’s advice: Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. [John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address] It is time for all of us to contribute to a new vision for our troubled world.

If we claim our sovereignty, will we reclaim our place in Mother Earth’s biosphere and finally serve our function – to be good stewards of the Earth? Instead of getting caught up in the media and political craziness, perhaps we could spend more time out in nature, praising the Spirit who created us and our beautiful world? If we can let gratitude and joy replace our fear of Covid and the unknown future, anything is possible.

 

Alchemical Hermes

When Mercury is retrograde, he becomes Hermes Psychopompous, the Guide who can illuminate the dark underworld of our unconscious. One of the ways we use this energy is to bring our night dreams into the light of day and engage with them. It’s time to look at our personal shadows as well as our collective ones. But don’t forget, the Shadow is 99% gold! The twisted part of the shadow can be released and its energy made available for life.

So for the next three weeks, Mercury will be our Psychopomp, our Guide to the Underworld. As such, he is also the magical healer who welds the Caduceus, the staff of healing.

With this Mercury retrograde delivering messages between the Lord of the Heavens and the Lord of the Underworld, stay tuned for important messages!

So Who is Hermes/Mercury?

While astrology understands that Mercury symbolizes the Mind, the myths associated with this messenger god also regarded him as a Trickster – he was called Hermes the Thief! The god of travelers and merchants and thieves! These are also attributes of our mind, especially the left-brain logical mind, which can rationalize any behavior. Carl Jung saw the planet Mercury as symbolizing the mind as dual and amoral, leading to either a positive or negative attitude. Our minds can trick us into believing lots of outrageous stuff if we don’t also use Hermes’ other gift – discernment.

Clever Mercury helps us stay young by sparking our curiosity and having a flexible attitude towards life, helping us meet life’s challenges by analyzing where we’re stuck and adapting our behavior to new circumstances. He also bestows on us a good sense of humor, which we all need in these tumultuous times. 

 

 

Mercury as the Messenger of the Gods could travel through all three realms – the Heavens, Earth and the Underworld. As I’ve said, this is especially true during this Mercury retrograde, where Mercury moves from the heavenly realm of Aquarius back into the earthy sign of Capricorn, until he meets up with Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld.

While there are many stories of Hermes bearing messages to gods and mortals alike, there is one story that exemplifies this crafty character. It is the story of his birth – how he steals his older brother’s cows, tricks him and then creates the most beautiful gift for him. There’s certainly indications of Mercury retrograde in this story as well.

 

I hope you’ll tune into my YouTube channel, The Cosmic Storyteller for my new series: Grandma Cat’s Bedtime Stories for the Soul. I’ll be posting this story of the mischievous god-ling on Friday. So tune in for some mythic storytelling.

The Cancer/Capricorn Full Moon January 17, 2022

 

Cancer Full Moon

A quick look at the Cancer Full Moon coming up next Monday shows us that the Cancer Moon faces the Capricorn Sun conjunct Pluto! This Full Moon is about power. Once again, consider where you give over your power to the state or to another person. This Full Moon is on that Pluto degree I was talking about earlier. It’s a lead up to when the Pluto return is exact on February 20, 2022.

This Cancer Full Moon shows us that we need to nurture ourselves, our family and friends, our community and our world. Cancer is the sign of the Mother, who will protect and defend her children with her life. Since Cancer is a water sign and deeply emotional and creative, emotions might run high. 

 

 Cancer Full Moon 2022

Neptune in Pisces supports this Full Moon, helping us connect to our higher wisdom and to the sure knowledge that Love is the answer to all our questions. This year, with Jupiter joining Neptune in Pisces (they join up in April), if we open our hearts and our imaginations to the spiritual light within us, we’ll always find the answers we need.

With Mars in Sagittarius on the Galactic Center (of our Milky Way), we need to stand for the Truth – not our petty, personal truths but the Cosmic Truth. Which says, Prepare yourself for big change! We incarnated for this, so I know we can do it.

Along with Uranus turning direct on January 18^th, the Lunar Nodes move from the signs of Gemini/Sagittarius to Taurus/Scorpio. The next 18 months will see big changes in how we deal with the Earth and climate change as well as finances as the Taurus North Node connects with Uranus. It’s time to release the secrets and pain of the past so we can create a better future.

May Hermes the Psychopomp guide our steps for the next three weeks and help us discover our heart’s desire.

May the Love of the Goddess and the God be ever in your hearts. Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet again!

Cathy