The Cosmic Story: Eclipse Season Autumn 2023

 

The Cosmic Story: Autumn Eclipse Season 2023

Unstuck and Ready to Rock

 

Have you ever felt stuck in a recurring nightmare, or a recurring issue/habit/behavior that never gets resolved, no matter how many times you work on it? I have.

Do you perhaps find yourself dealing with a health, relationship or work issue that suddenly makes you confront yourself?

If so, you’ve entered the Eclipse Portal! And change is on the way.

 

 

Eclipse season comes twice a year, depending on the signs of the Lunar Nodes. Lunar nodes are points in space where the planes of the Sun, Moon and Earth intersect. These points travel backwards through our zodiac and change every 18+ months.

There is a North Node, ascending above the ecliptic (the Sun’s path), and a South Node, descending below it. Astrologers see the South Node as the place we’ve come from and the North Node is designated as the place we need to grow into.

Right now, the nodes are traveling through the Spring and Fall signs of Taurus/Scorpio and Aries/Libra. This was the transition year for the nodes, moving out of Taurus/Scorpio and into Aries/Libra on July 17^th.

The Moon’s nodes travel backwards in terms of signs, moving from 30* - 0*. However, whenever the nodes shift, we have a set of hybrid eclipses – eclipses that occur in both the old and the new nodal signs. That happened last April and May with the second Aries New Moon solar eclipse and the following Scorpio/Taurus Full Moon lunar eclipse.

We have the last hybrid eclipses in this cycle coming up in October, with an annular solar eclipse in Libra on October 14^th and a partial lunar eclipse in Taurus/Scorpio on October 28^th. We are shifting our attention from the need to release past emotional traumas and embrace our true values and self-worth, to finding our courage to stand up for those values and for ourselves when we relate to others. 

 

3 Fates 

Eclipses always herald a time of change. We can see the whole 6-week eclipse season (two weeks before and after the two eclipses) as a portal, which opens to our past, so we can work with it in the now to create a more conscious future.

This is where astrology and the imagination are helpful in decoding and releasing the old story and birthing a new one. Astrology gives you the archetypal structure being resonated and the Imagination fills in the blanks with your personal story.

Give your pain meaning and you heal.

Before I talk about the eclipses, I want to mention a few of the important planetary energies occurring in the beginning of October.

An ongoing aspect has been Pluto in Capricorn squaring the Aries/Libra nodes. This aspect has been part of this summer’s New and Full Moon charts. The state of our world (Capricorn) is challenging us(Aries NN) to do something about it (Libra SN)!

October 4^th – Mars conjuncts the South Node in Libra (opposing the North Node in Aries), bringing up old relationship patterns and testing our will power to take a stand for ourselves and make a change. South Nodes symbolize the old behavior patterns that need transforming by the energy of the North Nodes. Libra is the sign where we take other’s needs into consideration. Because of patriarchy’s expectations, we (especially women) have all learned to go overboard and so lose our own standpoint. 

 

 

Mars, which rules the Aries North Node, is bringing his standpoint to the Libra table and negotiating a change in consciousness. Since the Aries North Node is conjunct Eris, the Warrioress of the Heart, Mars can channel that energy into the negotiations. More open-heartedness, more truth can change everything. This is the New Masculine.   Ultimately, Libra longs for balance. Which means putting yourself on the scale!

October 4^th – Mercury enters Libra. Mercury has been in Virgo since July 28^th, retrograding from August 23^rd until September 15^th. It finally leaves Virgo, hopefully with a clear head and some plans, for Libra where we get to see how we interact with others with our newfound perspective. Can we make our communications charming and witty rather than condemning and nasty.

Aphrodite/Venus (ruler of Libra) says that we can use our charm and wit to  communicate and connect to the Other. Once that happens, things change. 

 

Aphrodite & the 9 Muses 

October 8^th – Venus finally leaves Leo after a 4-month stay while she retrograded and started a new Morning Star phase. Venus and her Greek predecessor Aphrodite ask us to learn how to stay in that state of ‘love’ consciousness where we feel connected to ourselves, to nature and to others.

Venus heads into Virgo, where she can ground in what she learned about herself in Leo, the sign of individuation (aligning with your true Self). Virgo is symbolized by the Virgin Mother – the Woman and Child/sheaf of wheat – and when Venus is in Virgo, she takes up her virginity again and checks in with herself to see what she learned and created during her stay in Leo – her child, her harvest.  

Dance, sing, play music, paint, write, study, recite, cook, create!

October 10^th – Pluto turns to direct motion after being retrograde since May 1^st. In May, Pluto was dipping its toes into Aquarius but re-entered Capricorn on June 11^th to revisit the state of our collective culture. It’s obviously a mess: politically here in the United States, in the Middle East, in Ukraine, as well as everywhere in terms of climate change. Transition to a more conscious approach to Nature on a global scale is speeding up and in many cases, winning against corporate/state institutions. 

 

 

As Pluto moves forward again, will the citizens of the world hold our leaders accountable? Pluto backed up to within 20’ of the US Pluto return, so this is the last wakeup call we Americans get to ‘turn this ship around’. The question we have to ask is Can we make a democracy work? The answer is yes, if we the people do our job as citizens and participate.

October 14^th – Annular Solar Eclipse – New Moon in Libra/below

October 23^rd – Sun enters Scorpio

October 28^th – Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon partial Lunar Eclipse/below

October 31^st – All Hallows Eve/ Samhain

April’s First Eclipse in the Aries/Libra Axis

The first eclipse in the new Nodal axis of Aries and Libra occurred last April 20^th as a second New Moon solar eclipse at 30* Aries. That eclipse was conjunct Jupiter and Chiron, urging us to explore our self-identity, to dig deeply into our inner world with courage. Uranus and Mercury were conjunct in Taurus, asking us to consider Earth’s creative genius and think outside-the-box for answers to our pressing climate issues. Pluto was just a month into Aquarius and slowing down to turn retrograde, so it empowered the Taurus/Scorpio nodes to finish up business and transform. A sextile/trine from Saturn in Pisces to the nodes helped us access spirit – the end of the transformation process. Ceres in Virgo opposed Neptune in Pisces, energizing the imagination to help in the integration process. For more, see the Beltane Newsletter.

Annular Solar New Moon Eclipse: Saros Series 134

 

 

On October 14, the second eclipse in the new Nodal axis will also be a New Moon solar eclipse, this time in Libra. It is a South Node eclipse, which means it will concentrate on releasing the shadow qualities of Libra. South Node qualities are easy and comfortable to get lost in and so this eclipse can be a release of old karma, the old story around relationships, negotiations, beauty, justice (Libra), and the birth of a new story. This is especially true for people with planets or nodes from 18* - 26* of cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn).

This will be an annular solar eclipse, which happens when the Moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth as it passes between the Sun and Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun, leaving a ring of fire around the Moon.

Saros Series 134

This eclipse is part of Saros Series 134, which started in 1248, repeating every 18+ years, and which ends in 2510 – as you can see, these eclipse series work through about 1300 years. The theme of the first eclipse is worked out during the whole cycle. This year’s eclipse is the 44^th of 71 eclipses in this series, more than halfway through, so it’s a good time to work out the issues.

In the first eclipse of this series on June 29, 1248, the New Moon eclipse occurred at 8+* Cancer conjunct Neptune. On the positive side, there was a nebulous, imaginative, spiritual aspect to this originating eclipse, aided by trines to both Saturn and Pluto in Scorpio. This Scorpio conjunction adds strong self-control, ambitions, endurance and a profound desire for change and transformation leading to the development of a secure personality.

Pluto (planet of transformation) and Saturn (planet of Karma) together often indicate having to overcome intense issues and hard circumstances to grow the soul. In Scorpio, this might indicate a deep dive into the unconscious to discover what was needed for nurturing the soul (Solar eclipse in Cancer).

But Mars in Leo (EGO) was exactly square Pluto and Saturn, causing these intense emotions to flood into the Cancer New Moon. Looks like power plays and frustrations, a push and shove kind of energy that keeps things stuck and not moving forward. Add in lots of protection from the Cancer eclipse. This would easily result in intense anger, power tripping and force that probably needs to be transformed and used in overcoming those obstancles. This eclipse series is all about overcoming obstacles to self-awareness and self-nurturing.

And this solar eclipse is all about getting unstuck. Changes might seem to unroll rapidly. Hang on and stay focused.

Eclipses are times of intensity. We can feel things are changing. They can bring in new energy or cause some issues if we haven’t done our work. This eclipse will travel up the western half of the United States from South America, but will be felt by everyone.

If this Saros series began with the energy of stuckness, this Solar Eclipse will move us forward. We are being given the energy to get unstuck! Unstuck from old unconscious habits, unstuck from old relationship patterns, unstuck from over-compensating for everything and everyone. To get unstuck we need to believe in ourselves and want to change how we live with others and in the world (the eclipse squares Pluto).

The question asked is: How do you overcome the fear of being stuck so you can move forward in life?

***************

Libra Solar New Moon Eclipse 2023

The Libra Solar Eclipse occurs on Saturday October 14, 2023 at 9:55 am AK, 10:55 am PDT, 11:55 am MT, 12:55pm CDT, 1:55 pm EDT and 5:55 pm GMT.

Libra is a cardinal AIR sign, initiating changes in the season (Autumn) as well as changes in how we interact with the world around us and between us. We come out of our Virgo self-examination and integration to bring ourselves and our gifts, hopes and will into the larger world. When you ‘know yourself’ (the gift of Virgo), then you have no trouble bringing that self into play with others.

Libra’s gifts concern our social interactions. Our marriages and partnerships, our alliances, peace and diplomacy, legal matters and the court. Libra is also concerned with the Arts, with fashion and beauty, with social status as well as equality. All these are gifts of Aphrodite/Venus, the ruler of Libra.

Venus is the ruler of this eclipse. She has just been through her retrograde in Leo, and she is now in Virgo opposite Saturn in Pisces at the eclipse. She understands the collective longing for peace, for love, for security (Saturn in Pisces). In Virgo, Venus’ virginity wants to be of service to Libra relationships. Venus wants us to bring more courtesy, more kindness, more balance, more love into our relationships. This is not a sign of weakness; it takes strength to stay loving in our chaotic world.

If we did our work this summer while Venus was in Leo for 4 months, our self-worth is strong and centered in our own creative vision. As Venus passed through the last degrees of Leo and the first degree of Virgo, she connected with the ancient Royal star of Regulus, the heart of the Lion. 

 

 

In her present Leo Morning Star phase, Venus is a warrioress – but one who defends the heart of life. This connection to Regulus is her call to leadership, a call to conscious women to speak up about our culture, our communities and our values.

Women have always defended the family, the community, the land. Women need to step away from patriarchy’s demand for alligance to consumer capitalism and reclaim our real power – the power to connect with each other and with nature. If we can look at things from this perspective, we can find new solutions to our problems. (Instead of banning books, perhaps we need to ask people who want to ban books to not come to our libraries.)

Mercury is close to the Sun and will conjunct it on October 20^th on the degree of the South Node, so our Minds are awake and aware of this new energy.

Mars in Scorpio trines Saturn retrograde in Pisces and sextiles Venus in Virgo, giving us the emotional strength to open ourselves to change. Mars has already gone past its square to Pluto, so we won’t have to deal with power plays that can delay our journey to transformation. Cosmic time says it’s time to get unstuck!

Autumn is the time to let things go. The truth is, it’s time to let our old stories go. A new story wants to be born.

Taurus/Scorpio partial Lunar Eclipse: October 28^th

Because we are in a hybrid lunar cycle, the New Moon in one sign is followed by the Full Moon in the next signs.

 

 

The Taurus/Scorpio Full Moon Lunar Eclipse occurs on October 28, 2023 at 12:24pm AK, 1:24pm PDT, 2:24pm MT, 3:24pm CDT, 4:24pm EDT and 9:24pm GMT. 

The Libra New Moon solar eclipse gives birth to the Taurus/Scorpio partial Lunar Eclipse. Venus is the ruler of both Taurus and Libra, so the initiator of soul is our guide here. Her one unbreakable rule is to always honor Love. As we break free from our stuck habits, we will have to face the emotional pain that got us stuck in the first place, give it the love it deserves, then lay it to rest and let new, more authentic habits and behaviors create our new story.

Pluto is now slowly moving forward again on it’s way back to Aquarius, and it is still squaring the lunar nodes in Aries and Libra. What are our social and personal moral obligations to our country and culture? What is our place and purpose in the NOW?

At the solar eclipse, Venus in Virgo was opposite Saturn retrograde in Pisces, helping us embrace and embody a spiritual discipline. Now, Venus is opposite Neptune for this Taurus Full Moon eclipse. Venus is channeling our collective longings (Neptune) for a better world into these eclipses through her spiritual practices and rituals, first for ourselves (become it yourself) and then for everyone.

Mars and Mercury are conjunct at 11-12* Scorpio opposite Jupiter retrograde in Taurus. This is a great time to speak your truth, to live your truth and to stay open to other people’s truth. Otherwise, you could use this aspect to tear down others with your sharp tongue and bullying attitude.

The Taurus Full Moon is conjunct Jupiter retrograde, expanding our need to find our own inner security and self-worth. This Jupiter enhanced Full Moon is an open channel for the deep information that Mars and Mercury turn up in Scorpio.

When the Nodes are in Aries and Libra, it is a call to renew our self-identity, to embrace our inner spirit and explore our life and live it. Look for new connections, new ideas, new relationships, new work. As we let go of our old co-dependent habits in all our relationships, we can create a more truthful, heartfelt world where courtesy, honesty, kindness, graciousness, and pleasure are the norm.

So please. Get Unstuck. Then be ready to Rock!

May we all stay balanced as we welcome the Winds of Change,

Cathy

The Cosmic Story: Beltane and the Taurus/Scorpio Lunar Eclipse 2023

 

The Wheel of the Year: Beltane

The Spring winds are still blowing swift and cool, but the Sun is warming the air, rain is falling, coaxing the forsythia, daffodils, tulips and azaleas to blossom. The trees are already unfurling their green leaves or opening up their blossoms.

The Wheel of the Year has moved six-weeks further into the New Year, grounding in the season of Spring. The Spring Equinox winds have given way to Beltane’s beauty.

Beltane arrives in the middle of Taurus, officially on May1^st but astrologically when the Sun hits 15* Taurus, which is on May 5^th this year. May 5^th is also the Scorpio Full Moon lunar eclipse, which occurs a few minutes before the Sun hits 15*. So like the first Aries New Moon which occurred the day after Spring Equinox, we have a major alignment of the new season with the lunar cycle, and an eclipsed lunar cycle at that.

This all points to major shifts and changes during this flowering Beltane season. Since Beltane ushers in a season of growing warmth, color, light, fragrance, beauty and sensual energy, don’t fight it! Let your body feel the energies rising, and listen to what it tells you about life. That’s what Beltane’s gift to us is. To experience the pure beauty of life, whether in a flower or a child, in a beloved animal companion or a friend or lover.

It’s time to experience the enchantment of life as Nature comes awake again, because this is the energy that will fuel us through the rest of the year. Aphrodite, who is the goddess to call on this Beltane season (May 5 – June 21), is the enchantment that radiates from things and beings and enraptures the senses with its smile. This is the way to experience the beauty and charm of this season of Beltane: a time of flowering and extraordinary growth as Nature slowly unfurls herself, trailing beauty wherever she goes.

 

 

Beltane is a magical time, when the veils between the worlds are thin (as they are at the opposite gateway of Samhain), and the powers of life return to us (for more on Beltane). The more open you are, in your body, your mind, your heart and your imagination, the more you will gain from this bountiful season. When we align ourselves to Earth’s biosphere, we align with her energy and her purpose. Right now, as Spring is grounded in, her energies of life and growth and passion are strong and growing. And they are available to us – if we attune to them.

Beltane occurs while the Sun rises through the signs of Taurus and Gemini. Fixed sign Taurus is the time of embodiment. Mother Earth takes the fiery life energy of Aries’ Sun and uses it to create Nature’s bounty. In a slow, sensuous dance, Sun in Taurus adorns Mother Earth in beauty, warmth and fragrance, grounding in life. When the light grows as the Sun rises even higher North in the sign of Gemini, the rhythm of life quickens and life spreads out and thickens. Vines grow longer, fruits start to emerge, flowers blossom in profusion. People and animals go out into the light and mingle. The light urges us to connect and communicate, to explore and to be curious.

Gemini is a mutable sign, a liminal time of transition between the season of Spring Equinox and the season of Summer Solstice. By the end of this Beltane season, we will have come halfway around the Wheel of the Year, from the birth of the Light at Winter Solstice, to the full Moon fullness of that Light at Summer Solstice.

While our world seems to be in crisis, (out of chaos a new form arises) the best thing each of us can do is learn to take care of ourselves, so we can help others in the future. A good way to do this is to learn to ‘know yourself’ (journaling, therapy, astrology, meditating) and then to attune to Mother Earth and her seasons. When we ground into the cycles of nature, we learn to understand how to live in balance with nature and ourselves.

So stay true to the season (although down in the southern hemisphere, you’re celebrating the Dark and Samhain), and celebrate life. Life returning in beauty and freshness.

Aphrodite, Goddess of Beltane

Aphrodite the earth-born Kore is also sea born, as becomes an island Queen, but more than any other goddess she becomes Ourania, the Heavenly One. . . She is the only goddess who in passing to the upper air yet kept life and reality. . . .As man advanced in knowledge and in control over nature, the mystery and the godhead of things natural faded into science. Only the mystery of life, and love that begets life, remained, intimately realized and utterly unexplained; hence Aphrodite keeps her godhead to the end.

I’ve been working on my book on Aphrodite, the Solar Feminine goddess who initiates our souls to help us discover what we love and are here to create. So I’m excited to share some of what I’ve learned about this ancient and powerful Goddess. And why Aphrodite is the Goddess to call on to guide us through this beautiful season of embodiment and growth.

In earlier Athenian myths, Aphrodite was called Aphrodite Urania, the eldest of the Fates. This is the heavenly Aphrodite, the one who speaks to us about the Cosmos, daughter of Uranus, the god of Cosmic Laws. In most ancient cultures, there is a trinity of goddesses who control our individual fate – the Spinner, the Alloter and the Unturnable/Death. Our modern culture tries to forget that we all have a Fate, but we’re beginning to remember that we all have something unique to add to life, perhaps laid out in our natal birth charts.

 

 

If Aphrodite is an older version of this archetype of Fate, then love must be an intrical part of working out our fates here on Earth. For Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love, of Connection and of our body’s Wisdom. These are the tools of Fate - that we find ourselves through love, through our connections to people and animals, and most especially through our inner Wisdom. If Free Will also asks us to accept our Fate – to meet what comes to us in the best possible way, rather than rejecting what comes-- then honoring Aphrodite and her gifts might make that acceptance sweeter and easier to deal with. Love and beauty, truth and great sex can do that!

Aphrodite of the Greeks, Venus of the Romans, is one of the most vibrant archetypal images of the Goddess that has come down to us from antiquity; the aspect of the ancient Goddess that was never totally forgotten, the form of the Goddess written about and romanticized down through the ages until She truly embodied 'the mystery of life, and love that ‘begets life'.

Aphrodite is the Goddess who combines the spiritual and natural worlds, spirit and body. She does this through Her essence. She embodies the energy of connection, for She brings everything into relationship, from electrons to people. As Goddess of Beauty, she connects us to Truth, which is the ultimate reality because Beauty is the true reality of a person or thing. She is the Goddess of Love, love that is rooted in the body and which is playful, sensual, and erotic. As Goddess of Sexuality, she engenders all physically passionate love: non-marital and marital, heterosexual and homosexual. As Goddess of Wholeness, she drives our individuation and awakens Psyche within us.

She is Aphrodite Ourania, Queen of Heaven, who was in the Beginning and who created all the worlds. She is that spiritual Love we call compassion, the love which unites us in our humanity and makes us all One. She is the Wisdom that teaches us greater consciousness, in her role as Soul/Psyche’s initiator. Her energies fill us with longing to connect with ourselves, with others, and to create Life!

What makes Aphrodite fascinating is that she is liminal. Liminal means pertaining to a threshold, a boundary. What this means is that Aphrodite bridges physical reality and metaphysical belief. She opens us to our imaginations and our inner visions and then generates the passion to manifest our intentions.

Aphrodite is also the flower maiden, for her sacred space is a garden, where we work with nature to create beauty, pleasure and peace. Aphrodite brings together the wild and the tame to open us to the wonders of life, just as she unites people and animals in the pleasures of sexual union.

Starhawk wrote that Beltane is a time when ‘sweet desire weds wild delight’. This is Aphrodite’s gift to us as Spring deepens and blossoms. While Spring is a time of youth and innocence, each year we can become young again if we let ourselves merge with these energies. We just have to take Aphrodite’s bath and renew our virginity, our wholeness and our bliss. So let Aphrodite guide you for the next six weeks. Take delight in the sights, sounds and smells of Mother Earth renewing life and let your own body be renewed.

Friday is Aphrodite/Venus’ day. Take time to delight in life each week!

Natalie Merchant has just written a song about Aphrodite where she calls on her for help.  This is another aspect of Aphrodite -- she helps those of us who ask!

The Astrology of Beltane’s Season: May-June 2023

Taurus is the fixed Earth sign of the zodiac. It roots in the new energies of the year. It is the sign of embodiment and when the Sun moves through Taurus (here in the northern hemisphere) our senses wake up after a long winter’s sleep. This is the time to give form to, nurture and develop the vision that has been percolating within us since Imbolc (February 2).

As our senses awaken, we look at the pleasures that life affords us. Massages, delicious foods, fragrances, beautiful fabrics and art fill us with possibilities of enjoyment. Think of the Tarot card of The Empress – she who fills the land with abundance and beauty. This is the power of Taurus – to build, to shape, to make the Garden. This leads to Taurus also ruling over material resources, wealth, security and contentment. 

 

We just had a solar eclipse on April 20^th at 29* Aries, a critical degree of completion, linked to the Taurus North Node. This second Aries New Moon shifted the lunar cycle so that for the next 18 months or so, the Full Moon in a sign will come before the New Moon. This shift gives us a different perspective on our lives, crossing from one sign to the next within a cycle.

That solar eclipse was squared by Pluto at 1* Aquarius, pushing us to evolve our relationship to Earth and each other. Here in the US, if corporations can be protected under the law as ‘individuals’, Mother Earth should also get that right as She already has in other countries.

We’ll be feeling this solar eclipse energy for the next year as Pluto moves back and forth between Capricorn and Aquarius, hitting 29* Capricorn squaring the 29* Aries Solar Eclipse. What new energies do you want to cultivate since Aries is the sign of new beginnings. If you have planets at the end of a cardinal sign or the beginning of a fixed sign, you’ll be dealing with power – either your own or others.

Speaking of Pluto. Pluto turns retrograde on May 1^st our official Beltane, and will back up into Capricorn again on June 11^th to continue to deconstruct the old framework of our world’s governing structures since Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008. We now have a bookend for its time in Capricorn – another bank failure. Let’s see if it’s dealt with differently. Hopefully, things are changing. Look at old patterns that you take for granted and know that by 2024, things will probably look different. Change is evolution, and that’s what Pluto brings us.

2023-2024 are transition years as Pluto returns to Aquarius on January 24, 2024 until September 2, 2024, when it will return for its last look at Capricorn (during the U.S. presidential election) before heading into Aquarius for good on November 20, 2024 until January 20, 2044. Hopefully, Pluto in Aquarius will unite us as we deal with the most important issues our world faces – climate change, freedom and equality and peace.

Taurus-Scorpio Lunar Eclipse, May 5, 2023

 

 

This Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio/Taurus is a South Node Eclipse, so watch for things in your life to come to a completion. All Full Moons are about a culmination, but with the South Node in Scorpio, this is about shedding old skins, letting go of a past cycle and moving on from past traumas. Understand what the trauma was about, and work to heal it now. Look for old secrets, deep wounds, compulsive patterns. What habits and patterns do you need to move away from? 

 

 

This Lunar Eclipse is especially potent as it occurs on the power gate of 15* Taurus, Solar Beltane, with the Sun conjunct Uranus, the planet of change and awakening. When we let go of something, we need to fill that empty space with something new or else the old patterns creep back in. To help you fill in the blanks, go out into Nature and feel your body. Work to release any toxins your body is dealing with. Clean out and give your body a break. Awaken to your senses and connect to Mother Earth’s energies. Uranus in Taurus opens us to revelations about our embodiment, so let this energy help create new patterns and behaviors. Also, expect the unexpected, especially if this Lunar Eclipse aspects any of your natal planets. It’s hitting my Sun/Venus conjunction in Taurus, and I’m paying attention!

This is also the Buddha Full Moon, Vesak, when the Buddha was born, achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree and later died. The fact that this Full Moon engages the energies of both groundedness and transformation tells us a lot about how we can be spiritual beings having a human experience. What the Buddha taught us is that our culture and all its trappings are just that. Traps that do not nourish our soul’s essence. Once we can step away from all those made-up desires that our culture offers us, we can find our own wholeness. 

 

Mercury went retrograde on April 21 at this same 15* Taurus and will conjunct the Sun on May 1^st, so our mind knows that it’s time to listen to our body as well as listen to the Earth. Taurus is the sign of our foundation, our grounding. As the old world collapses, it’s a great time to take back our authority. At the Lunar Eclipse, Mercury conjuncts the asteroid Vesta, our inner priestess who guards our fire, our energy and our creativity. Taurus rules money and resources, so think about money and finances and how these issues might change for you. Put some cash aside. Find new ways to deal with the details of life before we head into the summer. This Mercury retrograde has been all about the details. Mercury turns direct on May 14^th at 6* Taurus.

Jupiter at 25* Aries just conjuncted Eris on April 23^rd, the dwarf planet who is the warrior of the heart. It’s time to fight injustice and not be afraid to follow your heart. Jupiter will be finishing up its time in Aries and will go into Taurus on May 16 for a year – going retrograde at this same 15* Taurus of solar Beltane and the Scorpio Lunar Eclipse on September 4^th. So Taurus will be highlighted for the year, and since Jupiter expands whatever it touches, we’ll be dealing with issues of beauty, nature, money and resources.

Jupiter in Aries squares Mars in Cancer at this lunar eclipse. Mars is the ruling planet of this Scorpio Lunar Eclipse (along with Pluto) as well as Aries, so where have you neglected to take care of your body, your family, your sources of nourishment for body, mind and Spirit? Jupiter expands things, so watch out for Mars anger, especially around family and self-care issues. Cancer is the sign of our soul, what makes us uniquely ourselves. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself now.

Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is in the last few degrees of Gemini, opposite the Galactic Center. It also squares Neptune in Pisces, opening us to other dimensions of reality. What do you need to communicate and to whom? What are you listening to? What is your truth? What do you really love? Venus, like her sister Aphrodite, rules beauty, love, money, the Arts and our inner Wisdom. In Gemini, she likes to talk and explore and satisfy her curiosity. See who and what you link up with in the next week.

Venus leaves Gemini for Cancer on May 7^th, where she’ll stay until June 5^th, when she enters Leo. She is an Evening Star now, but once she enters Leo, she will quickly descend in the evening sky and disappear for 15-23 days in the glare of the Sun before she re-emerges as a Morning Star. Venus goes retrograde on July 22, 2023 at 28* Leo and will turn direct at 13* Leo on September 3^rd and will finally leave Leo on October 8^th. As you can see, Venus retrograde lets Venus linger in Leo for four months, where she’ll spark your creativity and sense of play.

Venus in Leo is warmhearted, generous and playful and just wants to express herself in many ways. Girls just want to have fun! She is the Queen and enjoys her pleasures and her power. This is the time to honor our solar Feminine nature. More on this in my Summer Solstice newsletter.

There’s a Taurus New Moon on May 19^th at 28*25’ just a few days before the Sun enters Gemini on May 21^st. Gemini is a mutable sign, a transitional time between late Spring and early Summer. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which will move out of Taurus and into Gemini on June 11^th, just an hour after Pluto moves back into Capricorn, forming a trine with the planet of evolution. Can you see a pattern here? It’s time to change how we think about our lives and our world. As the early feminists found out, the personal is political. If we want a better world, we have to step up, speak out and do something about it. Once you know what is important to you, you will want to make sure that those governing us don’t take away our rights.

Saturn turns retrograde at 8* Pisces on June 17^th until November 4^th. It’s a great time to ground in your spiritual practices this summer.

This is a time to relax and enjoy life. Even in the midst of chaos. Ground into yourself with breath-work, meditation, some form of qi gong or yoga. Relax and enjoy the Garden!

Blessed Be!

Cathy

In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again

Navajo Blessing Way