The Cosmic Story: Spring Equinox 2020

The Cosmic Story: Spring Equinox 2020

It's time to choose the uncertain future over the unsustainable past.

The symbolic interpretation of the Pandemic

Well, we've all been sent to our rooms without any supper, haven't we?

No NBA or March Madness, no professional sports, no museums or large gatherings, no Broadway shows or Vegas conventions. We all have to go home and 'self-distance' from each other.

If we could only shut off the Internet and phone services as well, we might get to contemplate our 'sins' in the quiet. And believe it or not, they are many! Just ask Mother Earth.

Just like Max and the Wild Things, we are sent to our rooms for our inability to be responsible for our actions, perhaps feeling we're victims of an unjust fate.

But perhaps like Max, once we're alone in our room, our imaginations might open up to us and help us reflect on how we got here.

Since we're all in this together, we all helped create this mess together. It's a good time to look at all your own 'wild things' staring you down and decide how you want the rest of your life to play out. How do you want to meet this moment?

People are falling into fear and then panic due to the media hype. Fear wrecks havoc on our immune system. 

Greek God Pan 

The word panic is derived from the great god, Pan – the god of Nature. Panic occurs when our very nature rises up in protest to what we are doing. While it might seem like Nature herself has turned on us, the truth is Nature hasn't turned on us. She is just trying to heal her own human-made wounds.

As we all sit in our homes, afraid to go out or to run out of toilet paper, what better way to spend our alone time then to try to understand just what we're really feeling. Just what are we afraid of?

The obvious answer is that we're afraid of death.

So, we are facing our fear of death. I always think of Carlo Castaneda's don Juan saying,

“Death is the only wise adviser that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you're about to be annihilated, turn to your death and ask if that is so. Your death will tell you that you're wrong; that nothing really matters outside its touch.”

I am an advocate of taking death as my adviser. And this virus is giving us a chance to do just that.

If we widen the lens of our perspective, we can see that this pandemic might be connected to the ecological damage we have done to our planet. Mother Earth has sent us devastating hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes and floods to let us know that the environment is being destabilized. Since we're not taking climate change seriously, we will find ourselves more and more at the mercy of our environment.

So this is a great time-out for us, to consider what our life-style has done not only to Mother Earth, but to all her children. Our wars, our splintered beliefs, our greed, our narcissism are waiting for us to really see what modern life has become.

Mother Earth can self-regulate, but first she has to heal what is wounded. A Virus like this one is a way She self-corrects. No, it is not God's punishment for being gay or wanting an abortion. It is the Goddess' energetic re-balancing of what humans have done to the environment. This is brought on by our own inability to self-regulate – our actions, our desires, our intentions, our commerce.

The world has finally stopped spinning so fast and everything is on hold. This is a game changer. After this, we all have to decide what we want life to be like after COVID-19. Do we go back to the same-old, same-old or do we change the way we've been living and invest the Fed's $1.5 trillion dollars in renewables, infrastructure, the green new deal, new work accommodations, better education to the future.

If we can imagine it, we can change our world after this crisis passes.

This is definitely mirrored in the heavens. As above, so below. As within, so without. We are all one, held in Mother Earth's embrace. Hopefully, this crisis will help us remember that we are supposed to be the stewards of the Earth. That means creating a sustainable way of life. Which means we have to stop rampant consumerism, wars and corporate control of life.

Life isn't the economy. The economy is just one of many facets of life. We've let the economy consume all the other aspects of what it means to live a creative, caring life. The symbol of our economy is the stock market, which in reality is just gambling on which commodity will get you the most money. Perhaps it's a good thing that the market is crashing, because it no longer serves life.

Astrology of the Breakdown

Astrology can point out many factors that led to this crisis. The lineup of planets in Capricorn, the sign regulating our collective structures – government, finance, defense, healthcare, education – gives us insight into this collective breakdown.

Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008, during the last financial crisis. Pluto wants to purify the system, to bring up what's no longer viable so it can be composted into new soil. Instead of fixing our economy, we threw money at it. Just as the Fed is doing now.

So Pluto has kept up its relentless examination of all the things no longer working in our society, trying to purge everything that is toxic. Hopefully, this time-out will give Americans time to realize just how toxic our way of life is and how corporations have seduced us into thinking we need all the junk they manufacture. When in fact, we don't.

This is very much about corporate power. Please remember: America was pretty much founded by the East Indian Trading Company – a corporation. What do you think the Boston Tea Party was all about? 'Taxation without representation is tyranny!' They were paying taxes to the Company with England's blessing. Isn't that what the American people are doing – paying taxes while the wealthy and corporations don't? We've been a corporate state from the beginning, founded at the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. So we shouldn't be surprised that our corporations are running things. It's just time to put an end to it.

America is having her Pluto return in the next few years in the sign of Capricorn, another sign that we're a corporate state. We are experiencing the very end of a 246 year cycle which often heralds the 'end of empire'. So we are living in a similar energy to the time before the American Revolution. Perhaps we need to connect with those ancestors who rebelled against that tyranny and ask them for advice on how to meet this moment. We can do a shamanic journey, active imagination or meditation on it, since we'll all be home for the foreseeable future.

Saturn is the reality principle, the energy of structure and form, and of taking responsibility for our actions. Cause and effect. Saturn forces us to face our fear and frustration, fight or flight reactions and manage them. Saturn has been in Capricorn since 2018, trying to hold up a crumbling system until this January 12^th, and pushing us to grow up and take responsibility for our actions.

On January 12, 2020 these two planets met for the first time in Capricorn since 1517, the year Martin Luther changed the course of western Europe. It seems we are going through a similar and more important change. We are seeing the death and rebirth (Pluto) of our society with new structures (Saturn) emerging. This time, these two planets are signaling the end of patriarchy and hopefully, runaway capitalism.

Jupiter and Mars are both approaching Pluto over the next few weeks, so we're probably not out of the woods yet. Jupiter expands things and Mars gets the action moving. This is a good time to be energized by old myths and new stories, and new hope instead of the story of fear and panic that the media is dishing out. While you're home, read or watch movies like 'The Lord of the Rings' and be energized by the heroic efforts to bring down evil.

It was during the December-January eclipse season that we became aware of the coronavirus. The Lunar Nodes are in Cancer/Capricorn. The Capricorn South Node, which has connected with Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter and now Mars, has been forcing us to face our karmic debts to society, to remember them and release them. Many people have been clearing out ancestral wounds, working to step away from 'the father's house' and learning to live according to the dictates of our souls (the North Node in Cancer.)

We began to learn more about the virus as Mercury retrograded in Pisces, the sign of the collective unconscious. There are no borders there. Suddenly, our perceptions of things changed. We're finally seeing the big picture – Mercury turned direct in the last degrees of Aquarius, the collective consciousness. And last week's medical Virgo Full Moon rose opposite the Pisces Sun conjunct Neptune, the planet of infectious disease and pandemics, opening us up to the reality of the crisis.

Will we chose Love or Fear? The heavens are voting for Love and so are many of us.

The energy of Love will help us meet the crisis with strength and courage. We will go through hard times, but if we persevere, we can also change the dynamic of how the world operates.

What's important is how we each show up to help create a new story for ourselves and our world.

This virus is giving us an opportunity to master ourselves and our gifts and use them. It affects the lungs, where we take in the Breath of Life. Inspiration comes from the Latin inspirare "blow into, breathe upon," figuratively "inspire, excite, inflame," from in- "in" (from PIE root *en "in") + spirare "to breathe". Perhaps we need to look at what we really believe about life – do we believe that there is a spiritual power greater than our human ego? It might be a lack of resilience and spirit that makes the difference between life or death.

So breathe deeply, take air into your lungs and keep them flexible. As we work to fill ourselves with breath and the Light, we can be a Light to the world. It's our choice.

So we find ourselves a week away from Spring Equinox 2020, settling into our homes to live out the last week of winter in self-imposed isolation. I urge you to use your imaginations and open yourself to possibilities, rather than close yourself off through fear.

This is a Blessing from Mother Earth and Spirit.

Spring Equinox 2020

Our Brave New World is approaching.

This will be a very interesting Spring Equinox ingress chart, since we've never experienced such a breakdown in global society before. I especially love that the Italians are singing out their windows with their neighbors. Perhaps we need to follow their lead and connect with our neighbors in new and artful ways.

The Spring Equinox is considered the beginning of the astrological year. This year I'm going to use the Washington D.C. Chart rather than a generic 0* Aries rising chart so I can comment on how Americans can use this time to our advantage.

Spring Equinox occurs on March 19, 2020 at 8:50pm PDT/ 11:50pm EDT/ 3:50am GMT. 

 

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 1* Aries is: A woman just risen from the sea. A seal is embracing her. Something new is arising out of the sea of the collective unconscious. It is feminine because all new things arise out of the Divine Feminine. It is a new feeling, a new consciousness, a new instinct for life. The seal is a symbol of creativity, active imagination and lucid dreaming. This is because we need to engage our imagination when we are at the beginning of something new.

The Aries Sun is conjunct Chiron, the wise mentor and wounded healer, and it squares the Cancer/Capricorn Nodes, indicating that if we look to the future, this can be a time to heal old wounds and come into our power. If we continue to hold onto the old, we'll run into more wounding and trouble, fear and confusion.

The Aries Sun and Chiron land in the 6th house of everyday living, health and service. How can we heal our bodies from the toxins our industrial society has infected with air, the water and our food with? Can we learn to use our time during the day creatively? How can our talents serve our communities? These are questions Americans need to answer if we want to change our lives and our world.

With the Aries New Moon following on March 24 conjunct Chiron, the more you give into unconscious fears and panic, the more you'll restrict yourself and lose an opportunity for new growth. Chiron initiates us into our heroic self. This might be the time when we are called to help our family, our neighbors and the world.

Aries is all about new beginnings, just as Spring is the season of the rebirth of Nature. (Down in the southern hemisphere, you are arriving at Autumn Equinox, a time to look at your harvest.)

Aries are bold explores, looking for new frontiers to conquer. Ruled by Mars, it is very action oriented. For this Aries ingress, Mars is in Capricorn conjunct Jupiter, providing us with confidence and strength and the ability to deal with whatever comes our way if we use these energies correctly. Otherwise, it can make us more aggressive (Jupiter expands things).

When a planet(s) is squaring the Nodes, we have to work on the issue that planet brings up before we can get to the North Node destiny. With the Capricorn/Cancer axis, we can leave behind our patriarchal engendered fears (Capricorn) if we see ourselves as capable of staying centered in our soul-needs in the midst of chaos (Cancer).

So with this 'time-out', let go of the shoulds and oughts of patriarchy and listen to what you truly love and need. What will make you flourish now? And how can you help people around you flourish?

Go out into Nature. Mother Earth is our teacher – She can show us what we need to do. As we look for purpose, where better than in Nature. We are here to understand how to live differently, to live sustainably and in harmony with Nature and her needs. To return to our purpose of being Mother Earth's stewards. We need to reclaim our place in Nature's biosphere.

We can combine modern western consciousness with a simpler lifestyle, not centered around work and production (they have robots for this) but around creativity and imagination to make the world better and people more conscious. We can re-create a good healthy world.

With Sun in Aries, the impulse is to go out and explore. If you've been obsessing about what to do, go into Nature and ask her. See what She says to your life and condition. Believe it.

This Equinox chart has a balsamic phase Moon in Aquarius. That means this is karmic. We have to finish up old business.

The Moon symbolizes our Body Soul, our unconscious needs and desires. In this Equinox chart, it's in the 4^th house of home and family and soul. Since we're all exiled to our rooms/homes for now, we are being given an opportunity to tune into the larger picture. Where do we fit into the cosmic order?

Aquarius energy is about developing a more detached and cosmic view of life. There are higher truths to life than scrambling for a paycheck. We need to step away from the lower desires of our physical selves, which has been manipulated into consumerism, and turn towards a higher cosmic consciousness that endorses the belief that we are all free and equal and that we are in charge of our evolutionary paths. If this pandemic can teach us that we are one world, one people, perhaps we'll no longer allow our governments to spend our hard earned cash on war, greed, domination and authoritarianism. This is the sign of the Revolutionary, the Eccentric, the Genius. So this is a good year to discover those qualities within ourselves. 

 

Venus in Taurus squares this Moon, challenging us to use our senses, go out into Nature and ground in the cosmic truths the Moon is examining. We don't need more things. We need to awaken our bodies to the reality of the world; not only to the toxicity our society has poisoned it with but also to how beautiful and nurturing to our souls it is.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 14* Aquarius is: A train entering a tunnel. While there's the obvious sexual symbolism of penetration, it also suggests a secret passage to another realm. Or an underground bridge that will take us through something, like the tunnels underwater like in Boston or New York or through mountains like in Switzerland. This symbol implies the ability to short-cut the process of natural evolution by the exercise of will, mental skill and physical self-discipline. It shortens the length of time needed to progress by cutting through obstacles in our way.

That certainly feels like what this pandemic is doing. It is short circuiting our social structures so we might have the ability to move ahead into a different future.

Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn and the Guardian at the Gate who initiates us into our life lessons, is at the last degree of Capricorn. That means it's at a culmination point. Can we do the best job of what life is testing us with? Can we consciously evolve so we actually face the reality of Climate Change and change the way we live?

The Sabian symbol for Saturn at 30* Capricorn is: A secret meeting of the people responsible for executive decisions in world affairs. We can look at this and think that it refers to a wealthy 'cabal' who seem to be running the show. Or even the old occult idea of the 'White Lodge'. But in this time when we are called to step forward and be responsible for our lives, this is a call to each of us to step up!

With Mars and Jupiter meeting up hours after the Equinox, the energies will be bigger than usual, since Jupiter expands things it touches. In Capricorn, this energy is like the CEO who knows how it to use the tools are her disposal well. Mars grapples with life, not shying away from what needs to be done. Jupiter gives him the best tools to work with, whether the best sword or the best plans. (Where is Elizabeth Warren and her plans when we need her!)

The Sabian symbol for both Mars and Jupiter at 23* Capricorn is: A soldier receiving two awards for bravery in combat. This symbol implies that whatever we do for ourselves and society will have double the effect on our lives. So be brave and face this alone time with creativity and imagination, love and hope, kindness and compassion.

Since Mars is the co-ruler of this Scorpio Ascendant along with Pluto, and they are about to meet up on March 22-23, we can see that whatever is happening is going to get bigger before it gets better. 

The chart's Scorpio ascendant tells us that we have to explore the mysteries of life and death now. It's exactly what we need for our planet and our world.

Both Mercury and Neptune in Pisces occupy the 5^th house in the Equinox chart. So go play, with or without children, be imaginative, create something and go with the flow!

Check out the link of how Italians are singing in the streets!

Italians singing to each other

So here are some things to do while we stay home.

1. Stop being afraid or worried. They're wasted e-motions (energy in motion) – wasted energy. Focus on what you're discovering about yourself and the world and use your energy to explore new possibilities.
2. Stay in touch with family and friends, help out neighbors and see what your community needs in the way of volunteers.
3. Go out into Nature and ask Her how you're doing as well as what to do. And enjoy the beauty of Spring's awakening.
4. Listen to music that inspired you in your youth – Or whatever inspires you to be your truest self. I think the music from the 60s-70s talk to us about how we need to change. Like George Harrison's Give Me Love or Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth (there's something happening here. It just ain't exactly clear...I think it's time we stop Children, what's that sound? Everybody look - what's going down?) Or Cat Steven's Peace Train. Find your own playlist that inspires you to be your best self.
5. Watch movies and shows that inspire you like The Lord of the Rings or Avatar. I love 'This Is Us' – one of the most psychologically astute studies of parenting and children. And there's a great father figure in it – much better than 'Father Knows Best'!
6. Enjoy your solitude and learn something new – there are a lot of online classes, some for free!
7. Do some art. Dance. Learn to play an instrument. Sing!
8. Tell your self a new story.
9. Read the mythic stories of heroes and heroines.
10. Write what you're doing and share on social media. Pass around your ideas.

We can make something good of this 'self-distancing'. Let's come out of this 'crisis' better than we were.

Walk in the Light and Delight in the Springtime energy,

Cathy

A Swiss friend sent me this to share.

Lockdown

Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.

-from Richard Hendrick (Brother Richard) in Ireland
March 13th 2020

The Cosmic Story: Mercury retrograde in Pisces, 2020.

A Deep Dive Into Many Dimensions

This week's Mercury retrograde in Pisces deals with accessing and healing ancestral wounds and focusing our will to release old karma to free us up to live a new story for ourselves and the world. Although Mercury doesn't meet up with Neptune (April 3) until after the retrograde is over (March 9), Neptune's influence is strong, as strong as the wild currents that move and shift in the ocean. 

 Mercury in Pisces assumes his most sacred role of Psychopomp/ Guide to Souls and in Pisces, Neptune can open the portals between dimensions and times. 

 

Mercury is the Messenger God, the god of travelers, thieves, traders and communications. He's all about how we use our voice, how we express ourselves, how we think about things. As Hermes Trigmegistus, thrice-greatest Hermes, he rules the alchemical transformation process. And when it's important, Hermes/ Mercury is the Guide of Souls, the Psychopomp who leads us through many dimensions.

 

Hermes Supporting the Tree of Universal Life

When Mercury is retrograde, it gives us a chance to go back and recover things we missed in our rush forward in life. So slow down your mind and let it watch as the images of the collective unconscious arise within you. 

 

So use these three weeks of Mercury retrograde to do some inner traveling and find the truth of who you are and what you need to do in this most beautiful, dangerous time.

Pisces is the sign of the oceanic collective unconscious, the great repository of our collective memories, hopes and dreams. Our whole ancestral lineage as well as our soul lineage is contained there for us to access. It is the realm of the archetypes, especially the place we can access our Higher Self, since it is our unique connection to Source. 

 

We have the opportunity to use these three weeks to access our connection with Source, with our guides, with past lives as well as with our DNA ancestors. (I'll suggest a few ways to do this later on.)

Pisces rules the Arts, the creative imagination, agape love, compassion, sacrifice and mysticism, as well as addiction and delusion. If we use our Pisces energy well, instead of being upset over delusions running amok in the world, be creative and come up with some solutions to what is going on in the world! Don't be afraid of the word 'sacrifice' -- it means to 'make sacred'.  We have forgotten that sometimes we have to sacrifice something in our lives for the new life to appear.    Just be a light to the world.

 

During the next three weeks, be creative! Play with your imagination and see what you discover.  We need to be playful to discover new visions.

With the recent Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn, we are at the very beginning of a new form of society. I believe this conjunction signals the end of patriarchy and the beginning of a partnership society, where not only men and women are equal but also where the masculine and feminine qualities of life work together. That means listening to our intuition and feelings and using our logical minds to make decisions based on them. 

 

We are facing an unknown future. We can't go back to our old ways of living – it's not sustainable. And patriarchy so needs to die! We need a new imagination of what life can be like for all the peoples of the Earth connected with the Earth herself. We are the grandparents of the future. So, don't freak out because the future is in our hands.

The Eye of the Collective Unconscious

The next three weeks are a great time to meditate, dream and journey into this mystical dimension to access our connection to our Higher Self and face what needs to be healed and left behind.

 

With Mars just entering Capricorn, we'll have the executive energy to get things done. We'll get down to work as he joins the South Node (Feb. 25), Jupiter (March 20), Pluto (March 22) and Saturn (March 31 at 1* Aquarius) cleaning out the old so the new energies can blossom in the Spring. When Mercury turns retrograde, Mars in Capricorn and Uranus in Taurus help each other manifest a new Taurus reality, and they both sextile this Mercury retrograde, opening up our minds to new possibilities and therefore new connections in the outer world. 

Mercury turns retrograde on February 16, 2020 at 4:54pm PST/ 7:54pm EST/ and on February 17 at 12:54am GMT.

 Mercury retrograde chart

 

The Sabian Symbol for Mercury going retrograde at 13* Pisces is: An ancient sword, used in many battles, displayed in a museum. The sword of the King, the sword of truth, justice and mercy. A fitting symbol for Will Power. It is our will power that chooses and determines how we live our lives. It is the energy of Source working through each of us. It is how we develop character and live our values. It gives us the courage to stand up to oppression and lies, hypocrisy and cruelty. And it gives us the courage to face and embrace our own Shadows.

Anduril -- Sword of the West

Mercury retrograde squares the Moon at 12* Sagittarius: A flag turns into an eagle;the eagle into a chanticleer saluting the dawn. This symbol asks us to go beyond identifying ourselves with one nation. It is a call to a higher truth – that we are all in this together. The eagle is another symbol of the spiritual will and the power to rise our consciousness to its highest potential. And the chanticleer announces a new day, a new Dawn for us. We each have to bring about that new birth within ourselves so we can birth a new order in the outer world. (and here is the energy for our travels – Moon in Sagittarius wants to travel far and wide to learn the Truth.)

It's time to face the Truth. Don't let yourself be deluded by fake news, whether in the outer world or from within. Our ego can refuse to see the truth or twist the truth to suit its needs. We see this projection everyday in the news. This is the time to let your Soul guide you.

“True solutions . . . can only be found in the dimensions of timelessness where the core meanings of life originate. Accessing the timeless realm is a journey into the great mystery,where veiled Truths are revealed through surrender of our ego. The lesson is to transcend time and space and see beyond the various attachments of our egocentric identity.

… Truth appears when we are in a neutral state, when we see what is and relinquish our wishful thinking. Happiness lies in accepting life as it is, the parts we like and those we don't.

… The choice isn't whether to choose Truth or not, but whether to accept it when it reveals itself.” (Maurice Fernandez, Neptune, pp. 375-76)

We live in an immense universe which, while orderly and perfectly balanced, is mostly an unknown to us. Our ego just can't see beyond our human perspective. Unless we go within and use our native ability to connect with Mother Earth and her other children as well as spirits from other dimensions and realities. You could call these spirits ascended Masters or archetypes or Master Guides. 

 

If we call on the highest good, we can find our place in the Universe. We can live consciously in that immensity. If we can harmonize with what is, we can find the joy in Life that seems to be missing from our lives.

Back in the early 80s during my last year at the C. G. Jung Institut-Zurich, I had a series of tidal wave dreams. Tidal wave dreams have played out in the psyches of many people, from Tolkien to me. A lot of my clients have had tidal wave dreams. If the ocean symbolizes the matrix of life, the source of our collective being, than tidal waves symbolize a great up-swelling of the collective unconscious. Often these waves can sweep us away.

 My tidal wave dreams were a bit different than those I heard from my clients. In mine, I am often standing on a boardwalk or on the sandy beach and I see giant tidal waves rising up out in the ocean. People are swimming in them, and the waves just hang there. Nobody panics. Nobody gets swept away. There is curiosity but no fear. I had dreams like this often, changing a bit but never bringing devastation or destruction to me.

After I left the Jung Institut-Zurich and started studying astrology, I realized that while I was having those dreams, Neptune was on the Galactic Center and on my priestess, Vesta (24-26* Sagittarius). After three years of Jungian dream analysis, I was an open vessel for the life of my unconscious. Jupiter was in Scorpio opposite my Taurus planets, helping me dig deep into my unconscious in therapy, while Saturn and Pluto were conjoined in Libra, seeding my liberation from the old paradigm of patriarchal marriage and relationships. Uranus was in early Sagittarius opposite my Mercury, my chart ruler, opening me up to new ideas. And with all my personal planets in the 12^th house, I became a transmitter for the messages Neptune was transmitting from the Galactic Center. 

 

I dreamed of tidal waves. I dreamed of a great up-welling of all those things we have rejected and made outcast from collective consciousness. And our ego consciousness. The Divine Feminine, social equality, young children and elders, financial security, kindness, community, respect and responsibility, freedom and spiritual awareness. I came to understand that those tidal waves symbolize the great uprising of the collective unconscious – not to sweep us away but to carry us into the future. 

 

And the future is now!

Right now, people are feeling overwhelmed, as if a tidal wave has hit them. Health concerns, the death of loved ones, loss of a job, divorce, the state of the world. I just want to let you know that you can handle this. These tasks are your initiation, an experience that your soul has chosen to learn from. 

 

After the January 12, 2020 conjunction of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn, the collective energy is available to rebuild our lives and our society. We just have to take responsibility for it. What is our highest good and our highest desire? Magic happens – but it also takes a lot of hard work.

What kind of world do we want to live in? 

 

Everyone wants to know, “What's my purpose?” thinking that it must be some job and activity. But the secret is, our real purpose is to learn how to live Life in the best possible way that we can. To reconnect to Nature and to realize our connection with everyone in the world. To listen to our hearts and to do what is right, despite what the old dying patriarchy would have us do. To be happy with the life we have, with both the good times and the hard times. They are all our lessons and we can't escape them. Our purpose is to meet them as initiations into higher consciousness, to discover their meaning for us and to integrate that knowledge into wisdom.

Mercury is retrograde from February 16^th until March 9th-10^th, turning direct hours after the Virgo Full Moon. It travels back from 13* Pisces to 29* Aquarius. See where Mercury is traveling in your chart to understand the lessons it wants to teach.

Here are a few ideas for working with Mercury in Pisces.

1. Pay attention to your dreams for these three weeks. Keep a dream journal next to your bed and ask for information about what you need to access or release.
2. Do Shamanic journeys to work with an ancestor or spirit guide, by yourself or with a guide.
3. Meditate on what you've learned and see where it goes
4. Create some art to express what you're feeling.

All shamanic journeys are sourced in the imagination and in your intention.

Gratitude recognizes truth, transmits love and enhances energy. Seeing tells the truth, generates love and liberates energy. Blessing acknowledges the truth, radiates love and releases phenomenal energy.     (Hank Wesselman)

Journey back to the American Revolution

Here is a specific journey for those political activists who are working so hard not to freak out about what's going on. Just a reminder, astrologically, America is at the end of her empire. In just 2 years we're having our Pluto return, so of course we're seeing the bottom of the barrel of our democracy (for people living in other countries, America needs to re-do her revolution for everyone, since we have been the model for most modern democracies). 

 

Well, the first corporations helped settle and take over America. Our Pluto in Capricorn is all about the power of corporations, since it was a corporation – the East Indian Company – which was the cause of the Taxation of the colonies which sparked the American revolution. Remember – taxation without representation is tyranny! It's happening again today with the government tax giveaway to the wealthy and to corporations. 

 

If you feel it's time to take back the reins of democracy like our fore-bearers, take a journey to a colonial time just before the American revolution. Here are some pictures of my New England village that was founded in 1640 and was around during those turbulent times as well.  (I made some videos but I can't download them onto my computer.)

1755  A.D.

1768 A.D.

Imagine walking into one of the houses and find an ancestor who participated in the Revolution. See what you can learn and perhaps what you can do about our times.

 

Water Journey with Mercury

Imagine walking to a point of land overlooking the ocean and dive in. Let Mercury as psychopomp, in whatever guise he comes, lead you down into the depths of the ocean. See what he has to show you. He might lead you to an ancestor or to a past life. Or a portal to another dimension might open for you. Follow him and see what's there.

Journey for your soul's adventure.  

Walk in the Light!

Cathy

The Cosmic Story: Cancer Lunar Eclipse, Uranus direct and the Saturn/Pluto conjunction 2020

The Cosmic Story: January 10 - 12, 2020

And so it begins!

2020 preview

Kyhu

Like many Baby Boomers, I remember celebrating the Harmonic Convergence (the first global peace meditation) on August 16, 1987, the beginning of the 25 year countdown to the big 2012 alignment with the Galactic Center and the beginning of a new Mayan calendar. I had just gotten divorced and August 16^th was my first ex-anniversary. I looked forward to a new beginning for myself, my family and my world.

As events proved, 2012 was just the beginning of an intense seven years that brought back all the issues left unresolved from the 60s conjunction of Pluto and Uranus. With the 7 squares between these two change-makers between 2012-2015, we were energized to overcome the obstacles to our visions of a new, peaceful, cooperative, just world. 

 

Well, that didn't work out as easily as we'd hoped it would either. We're still in the midst of 'overcoming obstacles' that the square left us with. And the world is a much darker place than we ever imagined. While many of us have been concerned about climate change since the 70s, most of the world is finally, at the last minute, starting to acknowledge we have to become a more sustainable society. Unfettered capitalism brought us to the brink of global disaster. 

 

We need a new vision for the future.

The old worldview is not going down without a fight though, because people are afraid and don't have a sense of that new vision. What we have is a vision of Australia, the Amazon and California burning, of immigrants being caged, of wars and assassinations, of governments that no longer function. 

 

And so we must provide that vision. This is the challenge of our times.

And 2020 is the year we'll find that vision. (Yay! It's been a long time since 1987.) It's not going to be an easy year. But it will be a transformative one. It's a liminal year of transitions, of endings and new beginnings. And hopefully by 2021-23, we'll have set a new course. First for ourselves individually, and then for the world. 

 

There are three big planetary cycles ending and beginning this year between Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter. The biggest change comes on Winter Solstice, December 21, 2020 – that's when Saturn and Jupiter finally meet up to start a new cycle of collective growth in the air sign of Aquarius. These two planets meet every 20 years and for the past 200 years, they've met in earth signs (except for their 1^st airy Libra conjunction in the 80s). Now these planets will meet in air signs for the next 200 years or so, and things will be different. More on that at the end of the year.

There will be a series of six eclipses with a change of Lunar Nodes on May 5^th from Cancer-Capricorn to Gemini-Sagittarius. Of course, Mercury will again retrograde three times in water signs that deal with our emotional bodies. Both Venus and Mars will go retrograde this year, with Venus transiting Gemini for four months from April 3^rd to August 7^th, aligning with the North Node in Gemini. Mars, which usually spends about six weeks in a sign will retrograde and stay in Aries for six months, squaring Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter. So don't expect things to move ahead quickly, because they won't. Hopefully, this will slow down any march to war (Mars in Aries is the warrior).

So get ready, finally, to commit to making a transition to a new life, to open yourself to your new vision and to be prepared to work hard and to take responsibility for your life and the life of the world.

Cancer-Capricorn Full Moon lunar eclipse & Uranus direct on January 10^th

The Cancer-Capricorn Full Moon lunar eclipse occurs on Friday, January 10, 2020 at 11:21am PST/ 2:21pm EST/ 7:21pm GMT.

 As you can see by the visuals, there's a whole of lot energy in Capricorn, all being channeled through the Cancer Moon.  It will help to stay grounded and emotionally centered.  Neptune in Pisces trines the Cancer Moon, so let your imagination open you to new possibilities, no matter what happens.

The lunar nodes have been in Cancer-Capricorn since early November 2018. With the North Node in Cancer, we've been discovering what is truly important to us, what gives us emotional security. The Capricorn South Node confronts us with old unresolved karma, especially on a collective level. The deep flaws in our patriarchal society can no longer be hidden and are being confronted on all levels of society. It's time, especially for women, to 'leave the Father's house'. It's been a time to let go of old habits that were shaped by those patriarchal rules and discover via the North Node in Cancer what truly nurtures us. And it doesn't surprise me that what's important now is community, especially transformational communities. 

 

This is one of the last three eclipses in Cancer-Capricorn. This Full Moon lunar eclipse can help you release any lingering 'rules' and behaviors that no longer serve you. Looking at the eclipse chart, we can see Pluto and Saturn preparing to join up on Monday January 12, so we are at the very last stage of this important cycle. As you'll see below, we are at the end of patriarchy as we know it.

The Sun conjuncts Mercury, (which is out-of-bounds, meaning the Mind can step out of its usually paradigm and see new possibilities), a few hours before this eclipse. It's a great time to focus our mind's intentions on integrity, harmony, and peace. 

 

Meanwhile Jupiter just passed over the Capricorn South Node, bringing up unfinished business that needs handling. Like stopping another war.

This weekend is a great time to meditate, journey, dream and imagine a different future. The stronger our imagining, the stronger the possibility of it manifesting.

Uranus has been slowing down and will turn direct a few hours after this eclipse. Uranus rules genius, inventions, originality, experimentation. Uranus has been retrograde since August 11, 2019, turning its radical awakening energies within, working on us from the inside out. Now it's time to see how some of those internal changes have reshaped our lives. It's time to step forward and speak our truth, open our hearts and stay peaceful. It's time to take over the world with love – remember our hippie slogan: Make Love, Not War!

Uranus in Taurus forms an inconjunct with Mars in Sagittarius in this eclipse chart, so watch out for sudden accidents or surprises. Mars symbolizes our 'doing' nature and rules our desires as well as our will and focus. Mars energy can constellate anger and aggression or courage and determination. With Uranus in the mix, you're going to want to do things differently. Try new and unique approaches to things and go for it! But watch out for frustration, which can turn you aside from your intentions. Stick to them and ignore those who try to pull you back into old relationships or ways of doing things. Remember, it takes time to transform the material universe. Patience is the virtue we want to cultivate now.

Saturn conjunct Pluto at 23* Capricorn on January 12, 2020

With Saturn's 28-30 cycle and Pluto's slow progress, they meet up every 35-38 years or so. Last time they started a cycle was in 1981-82 in Libra. What makes this new cycle so important is that these two planets haven't come together to start a new cycle in Capricorn, the sign of our society and social structures, since 1518 – the year Martin Luther confronted the Catholic Church and started the Protestant Reformation. Which in turn, changed the world and led to our modern world. This conjunction re-configures power structures. It's up to us to make sure power goes to the people. 

As you can see, the Sun and Mercury bookend these two planets, so try to make conscious choices about what you want the future to look like.

 

Pluto has been in Capricorn since 2008, when the financial crisis struck. Pluto in Capricorn energizes evolution in our society and our social and economic structures, bringing up what is no longer viable and exposing it so we can let it go and make room for a new paradigm of society. 

 

Patriarchy has devolved into capitalism, making MONEY the bottom line. This is what has to change. With the North Node in Cancer, we need to make family and community the center of life again. We need to create more art and beauty, more positive visions. The economy is just one of many things that sustain us. We need to move the economy out of the center and put it in its place – as a tool of life. Not the source of life.

Pluto squared Uranus in Aries in a series of seven squares during 2012-2015, bringing up all the issues from their conjunction (beginning a new cycle) in the mid-60s. Women's issues, the environment, social justice, equality, immigration, health. This opening square is all about overcoming obstacles. And this is our work now to complete what we began in the 60s. We won't see the full results for another 40 years, but it's up to us to stand up and create the changes now so their full flowering can be achieved.

This conjunction between Saturn and Pluto is a game-changer. Saturn is all about structures and limits and responsibility while Pluto evokes death and rebirth – evolution. This conjunction wants to re-structure society. It's about going beyond patriarchy into partnership, beyond domination into equality, beyond materialism into spirituality.

This conjunction heralds the end of patriarchy and the beginning of a new world-view. One in which we each have to take responsibility for our lives and our world. And most importantly, we have to become Stewards of the Earth, which is humanity's purpose in Mother Earth's biosphere. 

 

Conjunctions are like New Moons. They are a time to plant seeds, set intentions, begin something new. That's why it's so important to take time between the lunar eclipse and this conjunction to go within and imagine the future. Things won't be changing dramatically on this day. New beginnings start in the dark, the quiet, the invisible. That's what we're called to do now.

It's time to live out our new story now --- time to shine out the light within us and bring healing to ourselves and the world. People are looking for answers to questions about life, about spirituality and the future. We are all looking for meaning. So if you're a healer, a coach, an astrologer, a therapist, people are going to need us as the old world falls apart. But everyone who stands for the Light, in whatever capacity, is called.

Become a spiritual warrior, balanced within between the return of the Divine Feminine and the rising New Masculine spirit that is her mate. My work on the return of the Goddess as Wisdom (Wisdom'sDaughters) taught me that our world needs Wisdom now if we're going to get through this transition out of patriarchy and into Aquarian openness and partnership. The Age of Aquarius begins in our Minds. Now is the time to go live there. Others will follow when they can.

Alice Bailey, the esoteric astrologer and theosophist, described 10 Seed Groups that would bring in the Age of Aquarius:



Telepathic Communicators

Trained Observers

Magnetic Healers

Educators of the New Age

Political Organizers

Workers in the Field of Religion

Scientific Servers

Psychologists

Financiers and Economists

Creative Workers

Adapted from Alice Bailey, in her book: Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. 1 (pages 35-42) "intensifying points of life embedded within the NEW Group of World Servers through which new types of energy enter into the human race. The function of these groups is to intuit and anchor new ideas and methods within the consciousness of humanity. They work on every level of human awareness and activity."

Which group(s) do you have an affinity for?

May the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine bless this new decade and new year,

Walk in the Light.

Cathy

The Cosmic Story: Gemini Full Moon 2019

The Cosmic Story: Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon 2019

Speak Your Truth With Kindness

Advent: Preparing for the Rebirth of the Light

Many Christian churches celebrate the season of Advent, the four weeks before Christmas, as a time of expectation, preparation and meditation as we let go of the old year and await the promise of the New Year as the Christ Child.

As 2019 comes to an end, it helps to remember and acknowledge what we experienced in the year and be grateful for what we learned. We can do the same with the astrological energies, looking back at the energies of 2019.

Jupiter can help us do this since it takes a year to go through a sign. And because Jupiter is the archetypal energy of curiosity, storytelling, truth, expansion and spiritual vision, I'm going to use it as a marker for the year. Especially since Jupiter spent 2019 in his home sign of Sagittarius, gathering up our visions for the future so we can now begin to manifest them while Jupiter moves through Capricorn this year.

 Jupiter

On December 2^nd, Jupiter finished his stay in his home sign of questing Sagittarius and moved into practical Capricorn. Jupiter will add more expansive energy to the brewing Saturn/Pluto conjunction on January 12, 2020. On one hand, it's already adding to the frenzy in American politics, at the same time as it's helping people ground and implement new ideas and visions to deal with climate change and other social issues.

The last time Jupiter traveled through the sign of Sagittarius was 12 years ago in 2007. Back then, when Jupiter moved through the degree of the Galactic Center of the Milky Way Galaxy, he met up with Pluto, the archetypal energy of evolution, of death and rebirth. 

Pleiades 

I incubated a dream that night – I dreamed that I saw the constellation of the Pleiades, shining brightly in a daytime sky. Very vivid and brilliant against the blue sky. In the opposite direction, I saw silvery threads floating down to earth as old constellations broke up and dissolved.

I spoke with Jean Houston, the transpersonal psychologist, about this dream. She thought it symbolized a new dispensation – a new opportunity for Spirit to guide us. There are many ancient myths and legends about how humans were 'seeded' here on Earth, in part by the Pleiadians.

The 7 stars that make up the Pleiades are an early summer constellation, rising in the sign of Taurus. They have become markers for the change of seasons: their rising before the Sun or setting after the Sun heralds either the hot or cold seasons. So they have become a symbol of change.

The Pleiades are also a symbol of higher consciousness in hermetic theory – being the active, intelligent aspect of the cosmos. So, the dream promised an opportunity to 'start again', to expand my/our consciousness. Which certainly is a theme of the Jupiter/Pluto conjunction channeling the wisdom of the Galactic Center back in 2007.

Looking back 12 years, we all did a lot of growing up, a lot of 'starting up the 60s revolution' again. We went through the financial collapse of 2008; the Mayan alignment of 2012; the 7 squares between Uranus in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn from 2012-2015 which were reflected by a renewed engagement with all the issues we brought up in the 60-70s at the conjunction of Pluto/Uranus. 

 

 

And finally, we're approaching – and already feeling the effects of – this January's Saturn/Pluto conjunction in Capricorn. We are at the end of a cycle – a bigger cycle than Saturn/Pluto conjunctions in other signs. The last time these two planets met in Capricorn, the sign of government, finance and culture, was in 1518 – a few months after Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation, a religious, political, cultural and intellectual upheaval that broke up the Catholic Church's power in Europe and gave rise to our modern society.

Saturn forms the boundary between the planets we can see with the naked eye and the invisible outer, collective planets. He stands in both worlds. And so he can build a structure that can channel Pluto's evolutionary energy and make it stronger. Thankfully, Venus is also included in this conjunction at the Full Moon to add the feminine touch. She is in her Elder phase as Evening Star and can take the energy flow of Pluto – since feminine energy contains and channels power and doesn't try to own it.

These Capricorn planets, now including Jupiter, call for the restructuring of our society, a society that lives up to its ideals and is compassionate to others. We need the divine feminine energies of life now more than ever. Will we stand up to lies, hypocrisy, control, corporate domination, bullying and fear, so we can recreate democracy world-wide? Or will we allow the complete takeover of the planet by corporations and right-wing fanatics in religion and government? These are some possibilities this conjunction offers us.

Personally, if you haven't deleted the 'patriarchal rules' app on your consciousness, do so immediately! You can't live a new story based on the old rules!

Twelve years later, on November 24, 2019, Jupiter conjoined another planet on the Galactic Center. This cycle Venus joined him. Now Venus will be the archetypal energy that reigns in our belief system for the next 12 years. An Evening Star Venus, who is the Great Goddess of Love, the Body and Wisdom, will be our guide.

Photo: Robert-Williams-Hanover-PA

Venus & Jupiter

Venus plays a big role during this week's Full Moon in Gemini/Sagittarius, as she joins both Saturn and Pluto within days of it. She'll channel the Pluto energies and give it form along with Saturn.  She brings kindness and caring, community and nurturing to this potent mix.  She puts herself in the middle of these tranformative times. Just as women are doing all over the world.

So follow Venus' lead and trust your higher Self and listen to your Body. Let those two souls inform your mind about what you really desire and need to help make your life thrive in the coming years. And then make conscious choices. Because relationships make life juicy and joyful – when you get it right!

Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon

We're in the weeks before Winter Solstice, when the darkness is deepest. This is when we go in search of the Light, both without and within. 

 

The Gemini/Sagittarius Full Moon on 12.12.19 (EST) is the last Full Moon of the decade. And it occurs at 12:12 am EST. Twelve is the number of completion, wholeness and spiritual strength, so let's finish up our old business and clear the decks for the future.

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 20* Sagittarius is: In an old-fashioned northern village, men cut the ice of a frozen pond for use during the summer. Instinct tells us to prepare for the future. But we've come so far from our instincts! Do we even listen anymore? Well, it's time to change that. Get back in your body and listen. That is how to prepare for the future.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 20* Gemini is: A modern cafeteria displays an abundance of food, products of various regions. We have gathered all the nourishment and ideas and knowledge from the whole world. Now is the time to discern what we need. Otherwise, it just becomes overabundance. 

 

This week's Full Moon in Gemini conjures up a mixed bag of truths and lies. Just when we need to be speaking our truths, especially to those we love. So pay attention to what you're thinking and take a breath before speaking.

The mixed bag comes from adding a square to this Full Moon from Neptune in Pisces. The Gemini – Sagittarius axis concerns how we use our minds, how we think and speak about our beliefs, and how we express our deepest needs. Sagittarius wants us to see the truth, while Gemini doesn't mind seeing all sides of the picture and not choosing where he stands. Adding a square from Neptune in Pisces brings on the confusion, the lies and the projections that are flying around on Capital Hill these days. Don't let it catch you up.

On the positive side, Neptune in Pisces can add creativity and imagination to the mix. The Sagittarius Sun can give focus to your Neptunian imagination. Don't let your Gemini mind scatter your focus. Just make sure your imagination is in service to the Truth. Otherwise, this energy can be deceptive and create false narratives to suit our own purposes.

The Sabian symbol for Neptune at 16* Pisces is: In the quiet of his study, a creative individual experiences a flow of inspiration. This is the time to turn within for guidance and inspiration. Not a time to be influenced by outside forces, which will lead to a mob mentality.

Other aspects occurring during this Full Moon:

We talked about the possibilities of the Saturn, Venus and Pluto conjunction happening within days of this Full Moon. That forms the background energy of everything else happening this year and next. If you have planets or chart angels from 20-26* of cardinal signs, you're up for transformation!

There is a creative breakthrough possible with the Jupiter in Capricorn trine to Uranus in Taurus. Both these planets are in earth signs, so watch for breakthroughs in technology and environmental concerns, as well as unexpected windfalls for yourself. Open up to your belief in yourself and your dreams.

Mars in Scorpio trines Neptune in Pisces, making for a gentleness and imagination regarding our actions now. These planets are supporting the transformative Capricorn energies, so use the grace and finesse of a dancer as you become your best Self. At this time of endings, let go and surrender. Let Neptune wash away any resentment you hold onto. We're all trying to learn our lessons. Go easy on yourself and others.

Winter Solstice Sun rising at Stonehenge

On December 21, the Sun enters Capricorn on the Winter Solstice. The Moon is in Scorpio, helping us release the past and the darkness so the Light of the World can be reborn. A Winter Solstice Ritual can be as simple as lighting a candle to bring back the Light.

There's a Capricorn Solar Eclipse late on Christmas night, at 5* Capricorn, visible in the Middle East. This solar eclipse is conjunct Jupiter and trine Uranus. This will make for a joyous, interesting Christmas Day. It's a great time to set your intentions for the New Year as you begin the 12 Days of Christmas.

May the blessings of the Light shine within you in this dark time.

Cathy