The Cosmic Story: Virgo Solar Eclipse New Moon, September 1, 2016

The Cosmic Story: Virgo Solar Eclipse New Moon, September 1, 2016

Are you The Captain of Yourself?

As we begin September, we once again enter eclipse season. This is the time of year when the Sun, Moon and Earth all dance on the same plane and so align with each other. The partial lunar eclipse on August 18^th just skimmed the Earth's shadow, but this solar eclipse is very close to the lunar nodes and so there will be an annular eclipse of the Sun, meaning there will be a ring of fire around the Moon. It will be visble mostly in the southern hemisphere, but as always, all of us will be affected by the disruption of energy flow from the Sun to Earth. This gives us another chance to re-align ourselves with new intentions and new energy.

NASA

The lunar nodes move through the signs every year and a half or so. The South Node shows us what we have to leave behind. With the South Node in Pisces, we have to leave behind our addictions, our feelings of victimization and martyrdom, our illusions and delusions. With the SN conjunct Neptune, it's time to release old wounds and old fantasies that no longer serve our collective evolution. It is both a personal and collective call for releasing the soul toxins that keep us stuck in a morass of 'could have beens' and 'should have dones', of guilt and shame. Pisces symbolizes Jung's Collective Unconscious, the brooding sea of our collective soul, which has been traumatized by millenia of war, domination and brutality. It is also the place of our redemption, allowing us to feel each other's pain and understand each other's needs. 

Virgo

The North Node is the place we have to develop, an energy that can heal the South Node's wounds and pain. The NN in Virgo calls us to develop a few things. First, it calls us to integrate our body, soul and spirit, becoming virginal or as my youngest, Virgo son once told me, “I am the captain of myself, mommy!” To be a virgin means to belong to yourself, to acknowledge and live out your own original being. Second, the Virgo NN calls us to service. That means that our gifts, our talents and our purpose here on Earth are meant to be shared with the world. While our SN addictions can make us selfish, our NN integrity can make us self-less, meaning we no longer have to live in the singular universe of 'I am' but can allow ourselves to gather in a universe of 'we are'. We are in this together. The Virgo NN takes the Pisces SN sufferings seriously. It's time to do something!

The Piscean pain and suffering we see in the world isn't just a matter of human suffering, but of Mother Earth's suffering, of the animal kindom's suffering. The Virgo call to service is alive and well in many places right now, as African refugees in Italy work to help earthquake victims, as firefighters battle raging wildfires in the American west and as our Native brothers and sisters work to protect Mother Earth's sacred waters and land in North Dakota. These spiritual warriors are taking a stand for Mother Earth, against the greed and insanity of the corporate machinary. We need to listen to our Native people, who still acknowledge their connection to Mother Earth. They know this is a time of choice, a time when we have to stand up for Mother Earth and each other. The keeper of the sacred White Buffalo Calf pipe, calls on each of us to realize that we are on the brink of destroying Mother Earth's capacity to heal herself. The healing has to begin within each of us so that we can work together to heal the Earth for our children.

Ancient astrologers called Virgo a 'barren' sign, meaning nothing can grow. But this is So Wrong! Virgo is the sign of the Virgin, a being who 'belongs to herself'. Virgin forests are full of Life, just as being virginal means we're full of potential. Virgo is the sign of the Mother goddess who gives life to the world, symbolized in many statues of Isis and Horus, Mary and Jesus. The fruitful womb which gives birth to new ways of doing things, to new forms. Virgo is the sign where we realize that potential in the world. This is the harvest of being Virginal. The alchemical vessel which transmutes unconsciousness into spiritual awareness, where we manifest the truth of our being.

Isis—ancient Goddess of the magic of the Word and so very dishonored by us calling those Islamic terrorists by Her name—brought knowledge and wisdom to humankind through her humility, perseverence and healing abilities. This is Virgo's true purpose. How can we all serve the greater good and help heal our world? Look at your chart to see where this Virgo New Moon solar eclipse occurs. It will give you a clue to where this new life wants to take hold.

Once again, please remember that we are still holding space for the powerful Uranus/Pluto square of 2012-15, which challenges us to find our unique role and do our part in transforming a deadly version of society that is poisoning the Earth, killing animals and people, and is only concerned with domination and power. This is the end of patriarchy—the rule of the Fathers and the white race—and it isn't going down easily. All myths about patriarchal fathers show us that they'd rather eat their own children than die themselves. This vision of life is so afraid of dying that it would rather kill off the world than die itself. And so, it is up to us to kill it by taking away its power.

Virgo Solar Eclipse 2016

The Virgo Solar Eclipse occures on Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 2:03am PDT/ 5:03am EDT/ 9:03am GMT. 

 

The Sabian symbol for the Sun and Moon at 10* Virgo is: Two heads looking out and beyond the shadows. This interesting image seems to indicate that if we use both our heads/brains we can see beyond the shadows and find a unity within ourselves. This represents our two brains—head and heart, right and left sides of the brain, our intuitive, feeling wisdom along with our rational, intellectual knowledge. The need to see beyond the shadows of our culture and our personal lives into the real issues that face us.

Besides the Sun and Moon, we have the North Node, Jupiter and Mercury retrograde in Virgo. So we know this is part of our collective destiny now to become a disciple—a learner, a discerner, an analyzer. Mercury turned retrograde on Tuesday, August 30^th at 9:04am EDT/6:04am PDT until September 22^nd. So Mercury will be in Virgo from July 30 to October 7, energizing our analytical mind and helping us discern what we need to do. The Sabian symbol for Mercury retrograde at 30* Virgo is: Totally intent upon completing an immediate task, a man is deaf to any allurement. This image shows us the total concentration needed to achieve a spiritual goal. So Mercury will be working for us these next few months. If you meditate, you will find what you seek.

With Virgo's traditional ruler, Mercury retrograde, joining Jupiter again in the evening sky (along with Venus), we get to see the beauty and power of the cosmos speaking to us of what we need to do now. Can we let go of a false sense of separation from Mother Earth, the cosmos and each other? Can we change our materialistic view of the world and instead engage in the wonder, beauty and mystery of the life we've been given? When our hearts overflow with wonder at the beauty all around us, how can we not acknowledge a deeper, more spiritual vision of life?

A New Moon is a time when the Sun and Moon join together; a solar eclipse is a special New Moon when we get to release old habits, emotions and beliefs so something new can be planted within our psyches. This solar eclipse becomes part of the ongoing Saturn in Sagittarius waning square to Neptune in Pisces, which challenges us to leave behind old beliefs, addictions and illusions of separation and find a way to incorporate the needs of the many with the needs of the individual. Mr. Spock knew it was only through that selfless sacrifice of our petty needs that we can be rebirthed into a larger vision of life.

With this New Moon's inclusion in the Saturn/Neptune square, we now have what's called a T-Square: the New Moon is opposite Neptune and square Saturn. This aspect creates more tension than the square, putting Saturn at the point of greatest tension. Saturn in Sagittarius, along with Mars, generates the energy we need to stand up for Truth—or if unconscious, the mistaken beliefs that drive us to act aggressively and with 'righteous anger'.

When the Sun squares Saturn, we are challenged to become our own authority, otherwise someone or something else will BE that authority over us. We can fall into doubt and insecurity about what we want and what we believe. It's a question of believing we are worthy of the life we want. When the Moon squares Saturn, we can fall into fear and denial, since the Moon is about our unconscious belief in ourself and what's possible. Or Saturn can give structure to our dreams and hopes, and give us the focus we need to accomplish things.

When the Sun opposes Neptune we often have an unrealistic and confused sense of who we really are and what we want. Or we can be infused with Spirit and know that there is magic in the Unknown that supports us. When the Moon is opposite Neptune we receive information unconsciously that either supports our spiritual growth or increases our delusions. We are extra sensitive to everything and everyone around us, and might want to escape into fantasies. Or it can open up our imagination so we can visualize a bigger life and purpose.

This ongoing Saturn in Sagittarius square to Neptune in Pisces is approaching its third and final square on September 10^th (here's a shout out to my grandson Raiden on his 1^st birthday—don't let anyone tell you you can't do something today! Believe in your Self.). The T-Square insures that we integrate the Truth of our beliefs into our everyday life. It helps us shed our fear-based beliefs that our society, our family, our religions and our educational system have controlled us with.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 11* Sagittarius is: In the left section of an archaic temple, a lamp burns in a container shaped like a human body. I'll bet that human shape is female. The left side is the feminine side and containers symbolize the feminine. Once again, we are urged to open to our intuitive, feminine light.

The Sabian symbol for Neptune at 11* Pisces is: Men travelling a narrow path, seeking illumination. The quest for enlightenment is often a masculine task, so for men and our rational, left brain. The enlightenment really comes from the flame in that feminine container. That's why the quest for the Holy Grail is a masculine task. It is the search for the feminine source of Life.

These two symbols find their resolution in the symbol for the Solar Eclipse degree. We have to balance head and heart, letting the heart lead the way. This will lead us to great spritual awareness and the world to a more compassionate vision. We have to develop a more wholistic vision of the world, which includes embracing the magical and mystical aspects of life.

Jupiter ends his journey through Virgo on September 9^th, entering Libra at 7:18am EDT until October 10, 2017. He will bring his expansive, curious, spiritual energy to our relationships, engendering a truly fair and balanced awareness about how we relate to each other and the world.

Enjoy the energies of the Eclipse.

Walk in the Light,

Cathy

My mind was a mirror -- Ernest Hyde

My mind was a mirror:
It saw what it saw, it knew what it knew.
In youth my mind was just a mirror
In a rapidly flying car,
Which catches and loses bits of the landscape.
Then in time
Great scratches were made on the mirror,
Letting the outside world come in,
And letting my inner self look out.
For this is the birth of the soul in sorrow,
A birth with gains and losses.
The mind sees the world as a thing apart,
And the soul makes the world at one with itself.
A mirror scratched reflects no image —
And this is the silence of wisdom.

~ Ernest Hyde ~

(Spoon River Anthology)

The Cosmic Story: Aquarius Full Moon (Eclipse), August 18, 2016

The Cosmic Story: Aquarius/Leo Full Moon 2016

This late summer Full Moon featuring Leo and Aquarius reminds us to go have fun with like-hearted individuals. Find your group and celebrate! Leo is all about the Heart, and when Sister Moon comes around to face this Leo Sun, she has to shine back at him the bigger reality of Aquarius—that we cannot thrive unless we share our heart's love and creativity with others, for others.

A beautiful representative of the Leo Sun is the Egyptian Goddess, Sekhmet: Lioness, Goddess, Heart of the Sun. This ancient goddess comes down to us from the Age of Leo, when the lioness Sphinx watched over humankind. Below are only a few of Sekhmet's names that we still know of from this earlier Age. 

Goddess Temple: Women of Sekhmet Festival

 

Names of Sekhmet

Sekhmet, Great One of Magic
Mother of the Gods
Lady of the House of Books
She Who Walks On Forests of Rose Petals
One Who Was Before The Gods Were
Lady of the Place of the Beginning of Time
Lady of Radiance
Revealer of the Ancient Paths

Flaming One
Finder of Ways
Protectress of the gods
Lady of the Scarlet-Colored Garment
Pure One
She of Great Beauty and Hope
Keeper of the Light
Lady of Strong Love

Self Contained
Only One
Awakener
Lady of Enchantments
Opener of Ways
Lady of Transformations
Lady of the Many Faces 

 

(See The Temple of Goddess Spirituality, Dedicated to Sekhmet for more names)

Sekhmet, Leo and the Sun are all associated with the Heart. And like Sekhmet's names, the truth of the human heart is that we are full of possibilities; we are made up of many talents. This divine goddess shows us the abundant gifts that are possible if we trust our hearts to show us the way. This Path of the Heart is the road to Wisdom—to living a fulfilled, whole, self-aware life.

In Gregg Braden's video series Living From the Heart, he talks about the most important question we can ask ourselves: “Who Am I?” A very Leo/Aries sort of question. He then goes on explain how our left brain logic is not the only way to think about life and find direction. He talks about the new scientific discoveries that show us that our hearts actually have more neural networks than our brains. It is this Heart knowledge that gives us connection, compassion and insight into life—our feminine right-brain, the brain of the imagination. It is in uniting our head and our heart that we create a balanced life. “Fusing these two powerful neural networks, the brain and the heart, allows us to open the door to super-learning, deep intuitive wisdom and self-healing.” (Gregg Braden)

Too often, our heart wants something and our ration brain tells us why we can't have it instead of figuring out how to get it! Patriarchy has tried to cut us off from this source of deep wisdom by telling us that our hearts can't be trusted with important issues! Really????

Our feeling nature, our imagination, our wisdom. The Heart can show us how we can best express who we are. Like Sekhmet, we have many names and many abilities and many ways to express those abilities. Healer, Lover, Creator of Beauty. Transformer, Awakened, Keeper of the Light. The Heart is like Sekhmet, Great One of Magic. For our hearts are the wellsprings of magic.

We are living at one of the most important turning points in our civilization—as well as bringing in the Age of Aquarius. And one of the ways to deal with the changes and transformations coming is to understand that life does not emerge from competition and conflict as Darwin theorized, but from cooperation and connectedness. We have to understand this cosmic law if we want to create a healthy and creative future. We do better working together then alone, competing with the world. When our hearts are engaged, we know this truth.

That's the message of this Aquarius Full Moon. To shine brightly, Leo's fire has to be shared with the group. Just as within ourselves we have to unite our left-brain knowledge with our right-brain wisdom, so we have to unite our heads and our hearts. Leo rules the Heart Chakra, the energy center that unites our lower and upper chakras, our gut and our brain. It is the heart that brings it all together. Our Aquarius intelligence is as vast as the cosmos, and yet our Leo Hearts are made to open to that intelligence and transform it into LIFE.

What a blessing to us that we've been given these Hearts! Leo is generous and wants to share her bonfire. So open your heart and share in the blessings.

Aquarius Full Moon, August 18, 2016

This Aquarius Full Moon occurs on August 18, 2016 at 2:26am PDT/ 5:26am EDT/ 9:26am GMT. Although billed as a lunar eclipse, this Full Moon barely touches the edge of Earth's shadow.  It lasts around 30 minutes.  So there's not the disruption of energies usual for an eclipse. You decide—if you have planets at these degrees, you might feel it more than others.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 26* Leo is: After the heavy storm, a rainbow. This is a beautiful, ancient symbol uniting Heaven and the Earth. All things are in balance when these two powers are in harmony. This is the harmony of Head and Heart. The beauty of a rainbow is especially poignant after the violence of a heavy rainstorm. First we have to face our Shadows, especially the Leo shadows of pride and self-centeredness and the Aquarius shadows of judgement and rigid thinking. Then we'll be ready to fulfill the promise of the rainbow—to express our beauty, our worth, our creativity for all to see.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 26* Aquarius is: A mechanic testing a car's battery with a hydrometer. This image suggests the practical application of known universal laws. The battery gives the car electricity—the spark of life. We have to keep that in tune if we want to make our way into the future. Use your energy well. Ask for help when you need it. Your heart will know who to trust.

Uranus retrograding at 25* Aries trines this Full Moon and sextiles the Leo Sun, energizing this heart opening with the need to be yourself in the midst of your group. Like Aquarius, which it rules, we have to understand that we all have an equal part to play in the world. My image of Aquarius is of King Arthur's Round Table—a place where equals meet to join together to make the world a better place.

Saturn just turned back to direct motion on Saturday, August 13^th.. What have you learned about yourself and your beliefs since it went retrograde on March 25^th, a few days after the Libra Lunar eclipse? Saturn in Sagittarius focuses our attention on our beliefs, so we discover our Truth and have the maturity to stand up for ourselves. Now that Saturn is going forward again, keep focused on your truth so you stand up for what you really believe in as you engage with the world. Saturn is still squaring Neptune in Pisces, which can either throw us into confusion about what we believe in, or it can inspire us with bigger and greater beliefs.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn direct at 10* Sagittarius is: A theatrical representation of the golden-haired goddess of opportunity. Sometimes these symbols reflect the world-view of the psychic who spoke them. I can imagine Isadora Duncan as this golden-haired goddess! Anyway, on a deep symbolic level, this image speaks to the call of opportunities in the world around us. What is calling us? What can we do to make the world a better place? There's plenty of opportunities—just follow your heart and hear the call!

Mars is moving forward in Sagittarius and will once again join up with Saturn at 10* Sagittarius on August 24^th and squares Neptune in Pices on August 25^th. You might want to wait til then to jump into the opportunities presented to you, since the inner planets, especially Mars, triggers the effects of these outer planet squares in our lives. Stay open, listen to your heart and see what comes your way.

Mercury is moving through his own sign of Virgo now, slowing down as it gets ready to turn retrograde on August 30^th at 30* Virgo. Before his retrograde, Mercury opposes Chiron in Pisces on August 19^th and joins Jupiter in Virgo on August 22, opening the mind to the needs of the many and how we might help heal some collective wounds. It's another example of uniting the head and the heart, our logical mind and our intuitive, feeling heart.

The Sabian symbol for Mercury retrograde at 30* Virgo is: Totally intent upon completing an immediate task, a man is deaf to any allurement. 30* of an sign is important—it's the culmination of that sign's energy. Can we stay focused on our work like this man? Can we complete the task of this year—to find our unique Self and Truth as we shed the lies of patriarchy?

Venus is also in Virgo and having connected to the Neptune/Saturn square earlier in the monthn now joins Jupiter and then Mercury at the end of the month, once again aligning our heart and head as we head into the fall and our harvest time here in the North. Our friend down South will be looking forward to Spring right about now!

The Aquarius Moon and Aries Uranus form the base of a mystical YOD to Mercury & Jupiter in Virgo, challenging us to take up this sword of Light and use our analytical brains to listen to the power of the heart. The healing comes from listening to those things and people who have been made irrelevant under patriarchy. So listen to your heart, your gut, your feelings, your imagination, your wisdom and get your analytical, logical brain to figure out what you need to do.

Look around you. The world is a beautiful and fragile gift we've been given. Look at your family and friends and be grateful for the love you have. Appreciation, cooperation and creativity are all worthy gifts of Leo and Aquarius. What abundance we have to celebrate!

Walk in the Light,

Cathy

Being a Person

Be a person here. Stand by the river, invoke
the owls. Invoke winter, then spring.
Let any season that wants to come here make its own
call. After that sound goes away, wait.

A slow bubble rises through the earth
and begins to include sky, stars, all space,
even the outracing, expanding thought.
Come back and hear the little sound again.

Suddenly this dream you are having matches
everyone's dream, and the result is the world.
If a different call came there wouldn't be any
world, or you, or the river, or the owls calling.

How you stand here is important. How you
listen for the next things to happen. How you breathe.

~ William Stafford ~

(Quiet Places: Poems)

The Cosmic Story: Leo New Moon, August 2, 2016

The Cosmic Story: Leo New Moon, August 2, 2016

Personal Ego or Higher Self

 

Lammas and the Leo New Moon 2016

This year's New Moon in Leo falls on the Wheel of the Year's power gate of Lammas, an ancient festival of the First Harvest, when the bread baked with the first grain harvest was blessed and offered to the gods. Ancient peoples knew how to live in harmony with all of Nature. Even if you don't believe in God or Goddess, the goal of a life lived in balance and harmony always includes gratefulness to something larger than our personal ego. That's when we find ourselves centered in what Carl Jung calls the Self, the animating Spirit within each of us, the Spirit that is our truest connection with each other. And the New Moon in Leo wants to celebrate that Self.

We are living in the hottest time of summer, the gardens are full and the grain is high, and it's time to give thanks for the bounty of the Earth. We'll notice that now the daylight really begins to decline as our Sun heads south toward the Equator, and we'll see the days growing shorter as we head into the autumn. Where did the summer go? The first harvest of the year is upon us. 

In Celtic countries, this festival was dedicated to the god Lugh of the Long Hand, a multi-talented god who combined all the skills the Celts valued. In Ireland, Lammas is called Lughnasadh. This summer festival was a time for warriors to display their skill in games and competitions, for marriages to be brokered between tribes and for artisans to show their wares.

Spiritually, it's a time to look at what we've accomplished this year and celebrate those achievements. Did you get involved in the political races? Did some project you worked on accomplish what you hoped for? Did you take the time to help family or friends in need? Did you finally settled down? Did you dance your dance? Name and honor what you've been working toward. It's your creation! Leo knows how to value his creations.

To show reverence to our Mother Earth and Father Sky, we might find that this first harvest is something we offer back to Spirit. This offering can be gratitude for another year of health and love. It can be gratitude for learning a new skill. Or it could be something more inner, such as a new sense of possibility and hope. This is a good time to honor what we value, honor it by naming it and celebrating it. Then give it where it is most needed, sharing it with people. What do you have to offer those you interact with on a daily basis?

One of the major lessons for Leo's time of year is to practice open-heartedness and generosity, just as Mother Earth shows to us abundance of life . As we give of ourselves freely, we also receive what we need. If we make generosity and open-heartedness virtues we live by, they help us create a full and happy life; they become a blessing all around, and definitely something worth celebrating.

Leo New Moon

A New Moon is a time when both the Sun and Moon occupy the same space in the heavens, a sort of cosmic get together, what was once celebrated as a 'sacred marriage' of our two luminaries. Sun consciousness, which is rooted in our collective and personal ego-identity and which helps us navigate our daily common lives (our left brain rationality); and Moon consciousness (which until recently our culture rejected as 'irrational') our unconscious knowledge coming to us through feelings and images and instincts (our right brain wisdom).

When Sun and Moon come together in the same sign, both our consciousness and our unconscious are on the same page. They both want the same things. They're in synch. So at New Moon, together they can plant a seed that our lives need to continue to grow. 

 

This Leo New Moon comes after a tumultuous year of political and social unrest around the world. And I bet each of us has experience some kind of personal upheaval. Change is in the air whether we want it or not. While many of us Bernie people hoped for radical change to happen instantaneously, that's not how real and abiding change happens. Our Taurus-self knows that the foundation has to be strong for the building to last. We in America are in the last years of America's Pluto cycle. We are reaping what we've sown for the past 230 years. But we're also getting a chance to really live out America's ideals of freedom, creativity and unity. We are living under corporate oppression and we're going to have a revolution. It's our choice if we create a peaceful revolution, which takes time to make the necessary changes, step by step or a violent one.

Leo is the sign of royalty—although Regulus, the royal star of Leo, is just now moving into Virgo, the sign of Service. In ancient times, royalty meant being a mediator between the Heavens and Earth. Standing before the gods representing the people and before the people as representatives of the gods. But in our ideal America, there are no royals; each of us is our own king or queen. That gives us a responsibility—we have to do what is best for all of us, not just ourselves. We have to bring our creative expression—our unique talents—to our collective culture. We have to use our Leo gifts of Individuation, generosity and open-heartedness to make the world a better place.

How does our Leo nature engage in service? Perhaps by creating a new, more fair and equal society? A healthy environment? A peaceful co-existence with other nations and religions? To get to our vision of ONE WORLD we need to weave together a tapestry of all nations, just as the ideal of America is to make us all ONE people. First we have to unite behind our common causes and work together to create the world that we now have the imagination and ability to create. If we just have the WILL.

Perhaps Hillary Clinton needs to become America's first female president, so that the Divine Feminine has a better chance of coming into the world. Since our world operates from a materialistic view of life, looking to the outer before we turn to the within, maybe we need to experience the strength and dignity of a woman of power so the girls and women (as well as the men) of the world have an outer image of power and strength, inspiring them to turn within to find their own powers. Did you see at the DNC how they sang “What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love'? There was quite a bit of feminine energy dancing around up there on stage as opposed to the very rigid masculine energy of the RNC.

'Sekhmet' by Katlyn Breene

Our Leo Queen has returned within each of us. She holds the feeling tone of what our culture is going to be like. Without her feelings of connectedness and care, the kindom (thanks, Caroline Casey for that metaphor!) is dry, hot and edgy. Kind of self-centered and arrogant. Afraid and small-hearted. Like the Grinch before his revelation.

Psychologically and symbolically, the Sun in astrology represents our ego-identity, our individual destiny, our sense of meaning and self-confidence, our power of creative expression. The Sun represents the energy that animates us, that makes us feel like unique individuals. When we repressed our feminine nature during the 'Enlightenment'--I think therefore I am—we did become separate human beings, free from our tribal and familial identities. Without the feminine voice of Wisdom showing us a more inclusive perspective, our masculine ego-consciousness became self-centered and insecure (since we are cut off from the whole), domineering and greedy. So our EGO, which is supposed to be the mouthpiece of our true Self, became the Center, the only focal point. The needy, greedy EGO.

The SELF, which is the true goal of Leo's energy, is our unique connection with the creative spirit of life. Jung called this reconnection the process of Individuation. The Self is supposed to be our guiding light, helping us combine our individuality with our commonality. The Self knows our destiny and our purpose, but we have to take the time to connect to this inner fount of Wisdom. We often do it through creative expression—the arts, play, generosity. And we get to it through our feminine nature, the Soul.  And of course, through our dreams.

So, the cosmos is offering us a chance to see the difference between the ego needs of an individual and the real desires of the Self. At this New Moon, offer up your gratitude for the gifts you've been given. Share those gifts with generosity and an open-heart. And ask for the things you desire most.

This New Moon is also shaped by Saturn in Sagittarius. Saturn gives us the form and focus for Leo's creativity to manifest through. Are we standing up for our truth? If so, let your Leo Self use that strength, discipline and will to stand up to create something magnificent. If your Saturn is creating fear and anxiety in you, you haven't connected to your true Self, but are letting your ego lead you around by the nose. Fear and hatred come from insecurity and self-centeredness. Take responsibility for your beliefs and fears and don't project them onto others.

The Leo New Moon occurs on Tuesday August 2 at 1:44pm PDT/ 4:44pm EDT/ 8:44pm GMT. 

We have lots of fire energy in this chart—imagine all the wildfires alight in the American West. Perhaps if we deal with our inner fires in a responsible way, we can shut down on our outer fires.

Aries, our first Fire Sign, is hosting Uranus and the asteroid Eris, the goddess of discord. So our fire/passion/desire/Spirit is ignited by our Uranian Awakened identity and the need for revolution and by the Eris, chaotic energies of the times. The Sun, Moon and Venus are in Leo, gathering in the fire power, creating a collective bonfire where collaboration and sharing are going on. Then Mars returns to Sagittarius hours before this New Moon, bringing his dynamic energy into the mix as Saturn in Sagittarius slows down to turn direct on August 13^th. Mars gives us the courage to stand up for our truth. Saturn gives us the stamina, discipline and focus to ground in our beliefs so we can keep developing our new life into the future.

As you can see, this New Moon can be very creative or if caught up in ego-battles, very destructive, as fires can be. As we watch the power and intensity of those raging wildfires in the West, perhaps we can meditate on the symbolic need for more water, more feelings, more feminine energy in the world and in ourselves. Fire is considered a 'masculine' dynamic energy, just as air is. Water and Earth are considered feminine, receptive energies. There is a strong dynamic energy in the world right now. You might be feeling tired if you're fighting it. When you feel tire, exercise can give you energy. Perhaps we need to get doing (fire, Mars, Uranus) in a focused way (Leo planets/Saturn in Sag). Too much chaotic fire leads to destruction. 

  

Plant a seed this New Moon that is blessed by both fire and water, air and earth. One of my favorite Rumi quotes is “Love is the Water of Life. And a Lover is a Soul of Fire. The Universe turns differently when Fire Loves Water.” Creativity blossoms best with care and patience (that's the water).The water comes from our Pisces planets (Pallas, Neputne, SN, Chiron) and Juno in Scorpio. Neptune's imagination can enhance or put out the fires. The Earth holds Ceres in Taurus, Mercury, the NN and Jupiter in Virgo and Pluto in Capricorn. Creativity in the service of Earth (Taurus) through our service (Virgo) to the collective (Capricorn).

How can you best serve our world? Feel the world's pain! It will help us discover how we can comfort and heal the ancient wounds of the Piscean Age.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun and Moon at 11* Leo is: Children play on a swing hanging from the branches of a hugh oak tree. There's nothing more freeing than to swing high – all kids know it's next to flying. There's a freedom in getting that high off the ground. And for that swing to be secured on a branch of a hugh oak tree is much more magical than a metal swing in a park. Especially since the oak is the tree of Wisdom according to the ancient Celts. To play in the arms of ancient wisdom and fly free is a beautiful image.

The Sabian symbol for Saturn as it slows down to turn direct at 10* Sagittarius is: A theatrical representation of a golden-haired goddess of opportunity. We have a story in our American culture about how everyone here has the opportunity for advancement if we just give it all our effort. What it takes is Saturn's discipline and belief and this energy is fertilizing this New Moon with determination and focus.

Uranus has just turned retrograde on last Friday July 29^th at 25* Aries. The Sabian symbol is: The possibility for humans to gain experience on two levels of being. This image, which speaks to us of possibilities, needs to be meditated on during Uranus' retrograde.

Walk in the Light!

Cathy

Because it felt like that this morning as I watched the Sun rise.

Just Now -- W.S. Merwin

In the morning as the storm begins to blow away
the clear sky appears for a moment and it seems to me
that there has been something simpler than I could ever
believe
simpler than I could have begun to find words for
not patient not even waiting no more hidden
than the air itself that became part of me for a while
with every breath and remained with me unnoticed
something that was here unnamed unknown in the days
and the nights not separate from them
not separate from them as they came and were gone
it must have been here neither early nor late then
by what name can I address it now holding out my thanks

~ W.S. Merwin ~

(The Pupil)

The Cosmic Story: Capricorn Full Moon 2016

Long ago...the world's circle danced. The people danced with the trees, the trees danced with the land. The land danced with the sea, the sea with the moons and the moons with the stars. So went the music and the dance, without beginning, without end.

The Tenth Power, Kate Constable, p. 181.

The astrological sign of Cancer is 'ruled' by the Moon, meaning that these two energies work in the same way. The Moon pulls the tides of Cancer's waters.

The Moon's cycle includes us in the dance of the cosmos. We live to Her rhythms, our bodies pulse to her ebb and flow. The Moon brings us visions of those past times when people danced with all of nature. And in the union, we are blessed.

But we were exiled from our home within the Moon by patriarchy. And it wasn't Eve and her snake that exiled us—it was the development of our power-driven Ego, the Yahweh (I AM THAT I AM) who demands our singular worship. Our civilization developed from the belief that humans are separate from the Earth and Her other children. And in our unconsciousness, we raped and pillaged not only our Mother, the Earth, but our own psyches/souls. And so we live in a society that is soul-sick.

But we can reclaim our connection to the web of Life when we spiritually connect to the Moon and Her rhythms again. We do this by listening to the silence. If we listen to our instincts and imagination, to the Moon, we will know the wise thing to do. This is Cancer's gift.

The image of the Goddess I believe will lead us to Wisdom is: A Woman clothed with the Sun, standing on the Moon, crowned with Stars, in labor, giving birth to the [New Age].

To stand on the Moon means to take our standpoint from the intuitions and feelings of our emotional body. To listen with our right brain imagination before we do things by using our left brain rationality (clothed with the Sun).

The Woman herself is not a goddess as much as she is the divine feminine within each of us. I do believe that women have a special purpose this lifetime—to leave behind our patriarchal chains and find our own true nature and way of doing things.¹ For too long, we have been made to support the masculine way of seeing and doing in the world and forced to leave our own wisdom behind. Now, at this moment of evolution, the way forward is for all of us, but most especially women, to embrace our unique powers and birth a new civilization.

Capricorn Full Moon 2016

The Capricorn Full Moon occurs on July 19, 2016 at 3:56pm PDT/ 6:56pm EDT/ 10:56pm GMT.

Capricorn is the sign of our collective institutions—our governments, our financial systems and all our cultural institutions. As Pluto has traveled through Capricorn since 2008, we've seen the corruption in these systems and pushed by Uranus in Aries, people are clearly seeing the need to reform them. The power of the corporate world-view, that has even gotten the world to think of them as 'people' in their own right, is geared toward one thing—the worship of MONEY and POWER. Not for the many but for the welfare of the few. The evil empire is alive and well in America and around the world.

Capricorn is also the sign of our dharma, our true work in the world. Not our 'jobs' but our purpose. This lifetime, we have to make the necessary changes to these systems before they collapse and cause destructive chaos. Before the Earth's ecosystem is so damaged, that our children's children will be left with the destruction that our petty, selfish, consumer society has wrought. It's going to take a sacrifice, a sacrifice of our wasteful life-stype for the good of the world.

We have to align ourselves with a vision and purpose that will bring us 'back to the garden' where we can once again dance with the trees, the seas, the Moon and Stars. That is what our Cancer emotional body wants more than money and power. Like a good Mother, Her power within each of us calls us to make Love and Connection our goal.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 28* Cancer is: A Native Anerican girl introduces her white lover to her assembled tribe. This symbolizes the need to unite our instincts and intutions that are grounded in community to a new way of doing things. How can we belong to a 'tribe' while at the same time retaining our individuality (the white man)? How can our connection to Nature open our intellect to a bigger vision of life?

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 28* Capricorn is: A large aviary. This place where birds are kept is a symbol of our ability to hear inner guidance. Birds have always been a symbol of spiritual messengers, and the container of these messengers is our own soul. We have to learn to listen to the voices within us, while also discerning which are true and which are false.

This Capricorn Full Moon is challenged by Uranus in Aries, as it slows down to turn retrograde on July 29^th. So Uranus is very powerful right now. Uranus in Aries is a clarion call to awaken to our destiny. This energy radicalizes our emotional body (Sun in Cancer) and disrupts 'business as usual' (Moon in Capricorn).

The Sabian symbol for Uranus stationing at 25* Aries is: The possibilithy for humans to gain experience at two levels of being. Let the inner match the outer.

All three symbols speak to uniting what has been separated. As the Beatles said: "I know you, you know me. One thing I can tell you is you got to be free. Come together right now over me.” (Come Together)

This Full Moon also forms a grand trine—a talent and gift—in water between Sun in Cancer, Mars in Scorpio and Chiron in Pisces. It's a gift of emotional intelligence where we see deeply and act on what we see (Mars in Scorpio) to heal the wounds (Chiron in Pisces) to our collective soul.

Which means, it's time to envision how we want our world to change. What will a 'new world order' that the people create look like? For me, it's about smaller is better. Local regions need to manufacture there own needs—food, clothing, cars etc. Wouldn't that be better than having these goods come from all over the world? And people would actually have jobs where their families live, so we aren't separated anymore. Also work less, enjoy life more. What's your vision?

Venus and Mercury are in Leo, forming a nice trine to Saturn, the ruler of our Capricorn Moon. Our creativity comes from our belief that we each have wisdom to share. Don't worry about what others think. Just come from your heart and show us what's there.

Yes, I know this is shorter than usual. I'm away helping my 91 year old mother move. So enjoy July and see you in August.

Walk in the Light,

Cathy