The Cosmic Story for March

 

The Cosmic Story for March 2022

March & Mars

Did you know that March is named for the Roman god Mars? 

 

 

Mars didn’t become the Roman version of the god of war until Augustus became emperor. The Roman Mars was originally a god of nature and wild things, a god of fertility and abundance, of male sexuality and vegetation. He was a Green Man. Mars was concerned with family and community, like the wolves who raised the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. He was a great example of archetypal masculinity.

So for the ancient Romans, March was a time to plant seeds – not go to war. Mars’ generative nature and his ‘seeds’ brought forth new life each year. For us, planting these seeds can be literal, as all you gardeners are doing now, or creative seeds of thoughts, ideas, inspirations. With the Pisces New Moon in the beginning of March, we have an ideal time to plant and water the seeds for the coming year.

In March, we begin to come out of our wintry inner world and start to use all that energy we stored up, like seeds, in our winter rest. March is the transitional time between Winter and Spring, with Spring Equinox (in the northern hemisphere) occurring on March 20, 2022 this year.

March is a time when our passion and energy begin to focus on our new plans for the year. Many cultures (and astrology) see Spring Equinox as the beginning of the new year, as the Sun moves above the equator once again, bringing more light and warmth to the northern hemisphere. (While the southern hemisphere is preparing for autumn.)

Just as the sap is once again rising in trees, stimulating growth in nature, our Mars nature is rising up within us, now that we’ve purified and released the past. With this uprush of male energy, we begin to look outward for it to express itself. But instead of war (again!) which the old patriarchs use to control us, let this Mars energy be more playful and creative – make love, have fun, play and laugh. This is the way to shake off the dormant energies of the winter months. Light and new life are coming back!

America’s Birth Chart: the first Pluto return & Mars

 U.S. 4th of July 1776 Chart

 

Mars in the sky now is also very prominent, aligning in the morning sky with Morning Star Venus and Pluto at 28* Capricorn, the degree of America’s Pluto. The U.S. has just had our first Pluto return on February 20-22, 2022 so perhaps this is why we feel like we’re living in revolutionary times. When a country has its Pluto return (many other countries have had a few – the U.S. is a young country), there is usually an evolution and transformation in society concerning whatever sign their Pluto occupies.

Just to recap: the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto along with Eris, speak to our collective evolution, a collective realization of a higher perspective on life than we get from our subjective perceptions. These are the planetary energies that work on our collective transformation. Since 2020 and until 2025 and beyond, these outer planets will be re-shaping how we perceive life and our world. Knowing how they’ll affect us can help us navigate these shifting waters.

Besides this Pluto return, the U.S. is also having a 5th Chiron return as well as a third and final Neptune opposition to its natal Neptune this year.

In the U.S. July 4, 1776 chart, we declared our independence the last time Pluto was in Capricorn, the sign of corporations, government, finances as well as the ‘ignored’ Council of Grandmothers. Our founding fathers used the model of the Iroquois Nations – 6 tribes that banded together in peace – to base our constitution on. The only thing they didn’t include was the Council of Grandmothers (duh! White males), which was the real power in these tribes. The Grandmothers decided who could lead and if and when the tribes could go to war. The Wise Women of the tribes held the Sovereignty for the land. Perhaps we need to institute this Council in the U.S. in the coming years.

Pluto strips us to the bone. It gets us back to essentials. We are back in the evolutionary energies of the American Revolution. What are we willing to stand up for? Can we look at our past, at all the death and destruction America has created at home and in the world, and can we see the Truth and then go forward with the lesson learned? Can we be free if others are not free? Can we sit back and ignore the call to evolve?

With our Pluto return, America is being held accountable for its past as we come to understand just what a corporate state we live in. We were founded by a corporation – The East India Trading Company. The rich allowed immigration because they needed people to tame the land and work for them. From the very beginning, our government was designed for the rich, white landholders (and slave owners) who broke away from England.

The irony is one of their rallying cries was Taxation without representation is tyranny! According to many reports, today our representatives do not listen to their constituent's concerns – rather they listen to their wealthy donors, ie lobbyists. Perhaps we need to re-examine where we’ve come from so we can change course and evolve our government into a true democracy. And perhaps have a tax revolt!

With the U.S.’s Chiron in Aries, Americans seem to have an identity crisis. (Aries’ Chironic wound is “who am I?”) Americans for the most part don’t have a deep, centered sense of self-worth because we’ve been sold on the idea that money is what gives us that worth. I believe we’re all orphans, uprooted from our ancestral homes and still not rooted in the true magic and power of the American landscape as our Native American relations are. Perhaps it’s time to grow up and take responsibility for our lives instead of waiting to be told what to do with them. There’s a lot of people, especially women, learning self-love these past two years, quitting jobs that don’t serve them, standing up for their rights. Covid seems to have helped with that.

The U.S. has Neptune in Virgo in its birth chart and we’ve been experiencing a Neptune in Pisces opposition to it all last year and this year. America’s Neptune in Virgo energizes the need to manage and care for Nature and her resources. It called for us to work to manage these resources well to make a good life for the people. In many ways we have a wonderful life compared to the rest of the world, but at what cost? Unfortunately, instead of being stewards of this beautiful and blessed land, we’ve allowed corporations and the wealthy, and our own conspicuous consumption, to vandalize our collective commons, poisoning our land, our water, our air, our food and our social interactions.

Oppositions bring things to a head, like a Full Moon. They force us to confront what we don’t want to see. Of course, a Neptune opposition and Neptune in Pisces also bring dis-orienting conditions and delusions to the masses, as well as pandemics! We see this negative manifestation in all the dis-information as well as censorship on our social media, our fear and anxiety over Covid, as well as our inability to listen to each other, as we are caught up in the illusions and delusions in our own heads. But Pisces is the sign of our shared life, and so we can be certain that there are ways to resolve our conflicting opinions in a peaceful way.

Neptune can also open our spiritual awareness, especially in its own sign of Pisces, symbolizing the great oceanic womb of life and the Collective Unconscious. As the English mystic Julian of Norwich said, ‘All manner of things will be well.” Hopefully, this Neptune transit will open our creative imaginations to help us see what needs to be done to fulfill this original vision of life in America. A vision that our native relations still hold to. Neptune generates that greater vision, the ability to see the whole of life and its possibilities, and perhaps we’re ready to learn from their earth wisdom.

On April 12, 2022 both the rulers of Pisces, Jupiter and Neptune, will meet up opposite the U.S. Neptune, hopefully engendering our spiritual imagination as a country. We have to remember, though, that there are many right-wing Christians who believe we are living in the End Times and they are pushing to get it started. Unfortunately, they hold a lot of political power in the United States. That’s why we have to take that story away from them and find the Wisdom to transform the mess patriarchy has made of our planet. It’s time to clean up our own home before we get to go out to explore other planets.

Astrology of March

So back to Mars. Mars connecting with Pluto is always a powerful and dangerous time, one that patriarchy usually uses to dominate others. It’s interesting that Putin has invaded Ukraine at America’s Pluto return, as if testing the U.S. during these disruptive times. But it is inadvertently showing us that the original American ideals of freedom and democracy have blossomed around the world. And that people are willing to stand up for their rights and life against dictators. We Americans can probably learn a lesson from the Ukrainians about standing up for our rights.

I wonder how most Americans feel about so many of our representatives praising Russia and Putin and picking on the President as he uses diplomacy to get our democratic partners to stand up to this useless war. Perhaps we need to see this as part of the American shadow – that so many of our wealthy business people and the ‘ruling elite’, do not want us to be a true democracy, because they would lose power.

Perhaps this is a moment when the world decides that war is never the answer. And that we the people of the world want PEACE, regardless of what our leaders want.

Mars and Venus in Capricorn joined together at the Leo Full Moon on February 16^th and they’ve been traveling together as they join Pluto and the Moon this weekend. While Mars is strong in Capricorn, Venus has just completed her retrograde in Capricorn, beginning her new Venus Star Point as a Morning Star. So she is also powerful. I see this as signaling a time when the feminine and masculine energies of humanity are re-balanced. Under patriarchy, the masculine energies have dominated and used the feminine energies. This new balance gives them equal sway, although the correct balance is that the feminine intuits what needs to be done and the masculine makes it so. Feminine, imaginal consciousness is the foundation of life, while masculine, logical consciousness helps us to focus our intentions. They are different but equal. The heart leads and the head helps shape what is needed.

 

 

The balancing of feminine and masculine energies is an important initiation for all of us this month. It’s time to match our doing with our being. At it’s highest spiritual expression, we need to embody the Christ and the Sophia/Wisdom. That doesn’t mean that we have to be ‘saints’. It means that we have to start living as ‘spiritual beings having a human experience.’ It’s a call to be innovative, creative, courageous, loving and just. It’s a call to help our communities – family, friends, neighbors, country, world – in whatever way our talents take us. It’s a call to discover our inner freedom from patriarchy and our outer courage to leave it behind.

Once Venus and Mars pass by Pluto, re-birthed with new energy and power, they will meet again on March 6^th as they enter Aquarius, on the degree of the Winter Solstice 2020 alignment of Jupiter and Saturn. They want to speak to the collective consciousness of our planet. About a change in power dynamics.

 

This is another instance of Aquarian energy entering the mainstream. We are definitely in a deep cultural transformation from the old – patriarchy – to a new world of societal freedom and democracy. The old order is crumbling, and so the old patriarchs are fighting to stay in power. But the future is with us and they will ultimately die out. Now is a great time to undermine their power and purpose.

Pisces New Moon & Virgo Full Moon

We have an interesting tension of opposites this month. While March begins in the feminine, receptive, watery sign of Pisces, it ends in the wild fires of Aries, bursting with new life. As we release last year’s outworn energy back to Source (Pisces), we leave ourselves open to this next year’s energy growing within us (Aries).

Something new is coming.

On March 2^nd’s Pisces New Moon, both the rulers of Pisces, Neptune and Jupiter, as well as the Sun and the Moon (and after March 10^th, Mercury), are together in Pisces, creating a deeper connection to what’s going on in our collective unconsciousness – a longing for peace, a desire for balance, a need for love and caring, as well as a fear of death, a denial of responsibility, an anger at feeling powerless. Pisces encompasses all the multiple dimensions of Life itself, the mystery of life that we get born into. The lesson of Pisces is to surrender to Source. The initiation of Pisces is to see beyond suffering to the Truth of Life.

Meanwhile, the old patriarchal consciousness is still creating war, death, famine and plague in the world. It’s still all about the money. Instead of It’s all about life. None of our leaders are asking us to sacrifice some of our comforts to help create a better world. They worry about the cost of heating oil instead of asking us to turn down the heat and use less – less heat, less gas, less electricity, less water.

Why DON’T they ask? Because we’d do it and they’d be out of power. So we need to do it anyway. Why wait for them to ask?

If we dive deeply enough into the Piscean ocean, we can emerge with a new identity – one connected to the Self/Soul. A consciousness of our spiritual purpose, to know ourselves and to know that we are one world, interconnected and whole. What happens to Ukraine happens to us. So what are they carrying for us? A fierce desire for freedom from oppression perhaps?

 

 

When Neptune and Jupiter meet on April 14^th, let the Aries Sun power our courage to open ourselves to these entwined energies of the water of life (Neptune) and the power of heaven (Jupiter). Let there be an end to our petty illusions and delusions so that we see the Truth of Life. If we do, we can embody our spiritual reality and we can become the cupbearers (like Aquarius) who pour out the visions of the possible future.

Pisces New Moon

The Pisces New Moon occurs on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 5:35 pm GMT/

12:35 pm EST/ 9:35 am PST/.

 

 

The Sabian symbol for the New Moon at 13* Pisces is: An ancient sword, used in many battles, is displayed in a museum. The sword often symbolizes will power and focus, and this powerful symbol speaks to our need to use our will power to achieve our spiritual purpose. Now more than ever, it is time for each of us to pick up our ancient swords, not to kill or dominate, but to defend and protect. It’s time to develop our spiritual will.

 

 

Jupiter is closely conjunct this Pisces New Moon, expanding the possibilities that originate in our seeds. Uranus in Taurus supports these efforts, offers us opportunities to reform our behaviors and beliefs, opens us to Earth’s organic genius and opens our intuition and insight into our potentials. So please use the magic!

Just before this New Moon, Mercury and Saturn meet up in Aquarius. The Sabian symbol for 20* Aquarius is: A white dove circles and descends bearing a message. This is a symbol of peace and love, for doves are sacred to Aphrodite/Venus/Mary. So our collective Mind is focused on peace (and blessings and prayers to Ukrainians for bearing the burden of teaching us this!). May the Holy Spirit of Life protect and defend them and all people who are living in war. It’s time for this to stop!

Virgo Full Moon

The Pisces/Virgo Full Moon occurs on Friday, March 18 at 7:18 am GMT/ 3:18 am EDT / 12:18 am PDT. 

 

 

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 28* Pisces is: Populist leader electrifies a political meeting and brings them to their feet. This is definitely a rallying cry for people power. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is a perfect example of this. Instead of running away from his country where he is the prime target of Putin’s invasion, he is staying and fighting for his country.

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 28* Virgo is: Bald-headed man dominates a meeting of national figures. Here’s the exact opposite of the Sun degree symbol. Perhaps this is a reminder not to allow leaders to get too powerful. To have no hair on the head seems to indicate someone with secrets – since hair represents involuntary thoughts. It also indicates that there’s no intuitive connection to the outer world. This guy is in it for his own power. Even though Putin isn’t bald, he comes across as bald sometimes. He is definitely an example of this thug.

This Full Moon has both Jupiter and Neptune conjunct the Sun and opposite the Moon, adding a spiritual, imaginal dimension to this. Perhaps we’ll be called to stop our inner bald headed man from taking power! And with Mercury in Pisces in a helpful relationship with Uranus in Taurus, once again our intuitive brain is open to receive new information that can quell his domination.

Saturn in Aquarius squares the lunar nodes in Taurus (north node) and Scorpio (south node). Our collective consciousness is getting squeezed by the traumas of war and betrayal as well as by the need to listen to Nature if we’re going to heal ourselves and our planet.

Venus and Mars, the rulers of the lunar nodes, are in Aquarius now, squaring Uranus in Taurus. It’s time to be wild and free. It’s time to band together and start creating a new society, connected with Mother Earth’s creative genius. It’s time to start living the future.

Spring Equinox 2022

Spring Equinox occurs on March 20, 2022 at 7:35am GMT/ 11:35 am EDT/ 8:35 am PDT. 

 

 

This equinox chart’s most intense energy comes from two squares.  There is a square between Pluto in Capricorn and the Libra Moon.  This is a powerful call to stand up for equality, freedom and justice.  With Venus and Mars in Aquarius squaring Uranus in Taurus, we find another call to take a stand on freedom and equality.

 So this is the quest for us this Spring.  Can we take a stand for our values?  Can we stand up for peace over war, for equality over domination, for harmony over antagonism?

Spring Equinox Blesssings!

Cathy

Mysteries, Yes

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.

How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds
will never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.

Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers. 

Let me keep company always with those who say
"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.

~ Mary Oliver ~

(Evidence)

The Cosmic Story: February 2022: Interesting and Intense Month.

 

There’s so much going on this month in the heavens! How we integrate these energies is so vital now. We’re living in times when we’re called on to live in our hearts and see how we’re all connected. With Sun in Aquarius, the role of our tribes, our groups, our families need us to live our truth and shine out our light.

World views create worlds. Our task is to change our view of life – from our patriarchal individualism to a communal vision, a knowledge of our unity. Our Oneness. We have a choice every day to live our best Self.

So I’ll give you a context for the seasonal change that’s upon us and a brief look at the astrology of February 2022.

February Festivals:

This weekend and next week kick off February’s intense and interesting energies, so I wanted to get you oriented for this transformational month ahead.

At the beginning of February, we arrive at a new gateway of the Wheel of the Year called Imbolc by the Celts, Candlemas by the Catholics, and St. Brigit’s Day by the Irish and pagans. But first and foremost, it is an astronomical marker of the year.

 

By February, Earth has reached a point in the Sun’s return North that the Light will begin to grow more rapidly now. It’s already noticeable. All these festivals point to that fact. (Just as the light declines more rapidly at the opposite festival of Lamas on August 2 and now in the southern hemisphere – where they are preparing for Autumn.)

We Americans know February 2^nd as Groundhog’s Day, the day this burrower comes out to check to see his shadow. If it’s sunny and he can see it, that means we’ll have an early Spring. If it’s cloudy and there’s no trace of a shadow, we’re in for at least 6 more weeks of Winter. He’s looking for the light.

The second gateway of the Wheel of the Year occurs on February 1^st - 2^nd. The Celts called this cross-quarter fire festival Imbolc, which means 'ewe's milk' because this is the time when spring lambs are born and the mother ewe's milk comes in. The lamb's birth promises returning life and light to the world, despite the snow and frost that still linger in the land. Imbolc was considered the first day of Spring. At Imbolc, we look for a vision of the future year. Take time to meditate – go to Cerridwen’s Cauldron (the Goddess of Bards and Inspiration) and look inside. What do you find there? We have hope in the light’s return.

St. Brigit’s Day is celebrated on Imbolc as well. The Celtic Goddess Bríd was regarded as a sun goddess of healing and the ancient Celts acknowledged her on this day as the day that signaled renewal, new growth, and a lessening of darkness. The Catholics turned this goddess into a Saint because the Irish would not give her up. She is the Goddess of Healing, Smithcraft and Poetry. You can read all about her at my Wisdom Chronicles blog. (The Irish just made St. Brigit’s Day a holiday!) 

 

Brigid ~ Emily Balivet

The Catholics also took over this cross-quarter day as the day baby Jesus was presented in the Temple (and Mary was ‘purified’) and renamed it Candlemas – the day the Church blesses all the candles it will use in ceremony for the year. They are blessing the light.

And this year, the day before Imbolc (January 31 - February 1^st) is the New Moon in Aquarius and therefore the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year – the Year of the Water Tiger, a sign of strength, bravery and overcoming negative emotions.

That’s a lot of energy centered around the next few days. And Venus turns direct on Saturday, January 29^th to add to the fun. There’s more on Venus below.

Before I get to the astrology, I want to talk about February’s energy.

All these themes of returning light are also seen in ancient Roman society, for the Romans viewed February as the month of purification, a time to let go of the old so the new could flourish.

 

 

In ancient Rome, February was the month of Purification. The Roman poet Ovid says that In sum, anything used to purify our bodies was named februa by our ancestors. The month February is named for this.

The Romans considered February a pivotal month, a transitional time between winter’s deep sleep and spring’s reawakening. They used this month for purification rituals, purifying their every day surroundings, sweeping away any decay, the outworn and any debris from their homes and fields, as well as letting go of any negative emotions, bad feelings and self-destructive behaviors.

In the fields, they cleaned up debris from winter storms and tended to the vines, pruned the olive and fruit trees, and began early planting. It was a time to set things right with the home, the community and especially the family.

It was a time to solidify their family ties, for families worked together to ensure everyone’s success. It was a time to heal old family arguments and a time to remember family members who had died, honoring the ancestors and healing old family wounds.

On February 1^st, women were honored as the birthers of children, supporters of family, tenders of the home and keepers of the hearth fires. This was the day to honor the work and worth of women and support them with positive energy. On this day, young girls went to the sacred grove of Juno Sospita, the Goddess of Protection and Fertility and fed her sacred snake in honor of the feminine powers of fertility and regeneration. (It isn’t only about physical fertility.)

So let us use this next month like the Romans did and purify and bless our homes, our animals, our stoves & ovens which cook our nourishment. We can take time to honor our living and dead kin. February is a quiet month best used to come to terms with our past and purify ourselves to prepare us for the future.

If we are to begin to live in a sacred manner, we need to incorporate old/new rituals as we align with the magic of Mother Earth once again.

One last February tradition that we need to honor as well as change.

 

 

St. Valentine’s Day is February 14^th. In modern America, we’ve turned it into a day that celebrates romantic love. Or it was turned into that by corporate advertising. Romantic love was introduced back in the 13^th Century, when the Divine Feminine was valued (when the Grail legends were written down) and the Courts of Love taught warriors how to live by their values and honor women.

Perhaps we need to expand our understanding of Love this Valentine’s Day and make it a day to practice holding love in our hearts for everyone and for Mother Earth. Once again, to live in a sacred manner means that we have to walk our talk, so let’s all pick February 14^th to walk with Love in our hearts.

Can you spend a whole day full of Love? Think of the vibrational change. Think how when Mars and Venus come together on the Full Moon on February 16^th, that love might change the world. We certainly need it to. Look at how quickly the men in charge of our world are preparing for war again. How unimaginative! How remarkably stupid!

February’s Astrology

Sovereignty

 

Venus:

Just before February begins, our Lady Venus, who has been retrograde since last December 91, 2021, will turn to direct motion on Friday - Saturday, January 28^th – 29^th. Venus is now a Morning Star, shining in the early morning sky just before sunrise. If you see her in the next day or so, the old crescent Moon will rise with her before dawn. It’s breathtaking to see them together then.

The Sabian symbol for Venus direct is at 12* Capricorn: In an old diamond mine, a showcase displaying and explaining different crystalline structures. Crystals are energetic matrices, just like the archetypes, which are the pre-existing building blocks of life here on Mother Earth and within our psyches. Venus says, let’s understand what makes life worthwhile if we’re going to build a new society based on natural laws.

When Venus met the Sun on January 8, 2022, she began a new Capricorn Venus Star Point. With her retrograde, she is backtracking to pick up the wisdom she learned from the previous Gemini Venus Star Point that began in June, 2020. That was a cycle of being open to new ideas and possibilities. Now as Venus moves direct, we have to get practical about the ways we can integrate those new ideas and possibilities into society, which is Capricorn’s intention.

Venus turning direct is energized by a lovely trine to Uranus in Venus-ruled Taurus, supporting her rebellion against patriarchy (she meets up with Pluto in Capricorn 3 times, helping to change the tone of cultural transformation). When she finally meets up with Pluto for the third time on March 3^rd, she will be joined by Mars. These three planets can change the collective picture – especially if we let them change us in the process. 

Venus and Mars meet twice in the next month. First on the day of the Leo Full Moon on February 16^th at 17* Capricorn and again on March 3^rd at 1* Aquarius – the same degree as the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction on Winter Solstice 2020. A new Aquarian beginning – again.

Mercury:

Hours before Venus goes direct, Mercury retrograde, the Messenger god, meets up with Pluto in Capricorn, perhaps revealing more secrets about what’s not working in our culture anymore as well as what’s no longer working for us personally. Mercury can travel through the three realms of the heavens, the earth and the underworld, offering his services as guide of souls. (You can listen to Hermes/Mercury’s birth story at Grandma Cat’s Bedtime Stories for the Soul.)

 

 

If you have planets in the last 5 degrees of cardinal signs, you might as well resign yourselves to a dip into the underworld. It’s time to release those secrets you’ve been holding onto. Or at least begin to think about it, since Mercury will go direct on February 3^rd and meet up with Pluto again for the 3^rd time on February 11^th. Prepare your mind for transformation!

The Sabian symbol for Mercury rx and Pluto meeting at 27* Capricorn is: Pilgrims climbing the steep steps leading to a mountain shrine. Our modern society has lost touch with the divine in so many ways. It’s time to realize again that we’re all one in Spirit. This is a great day to meditate and pull into focus what this retrograde has shown you. You can deepen your Imbolc visualization.

After Mercury goes direct on February 3^rd, all the planets will be in direct motion until April 29^th, when Pluto goes retrograde. So hang onto your hats – the energies are going to be strong and on the move.

Aquarius New Moon @ 13* Aquarius on January 31 – February 1, 2022

 

 

This second New Moon of 2022 is also connecting with last year’s Uranus/Saturn square. At the Capricorn New Moon, Uranus gave a boost to our New Year’s resolutions. At this Aquarius New Moon conjunct Saturn and squaring Uranus in Taurus, we’re taken back to the issue of Old vs New. We are challenged to change our ways. The universe gives us plenty of help to make the changes we need to make.

Will we listen to the voice of Mother Earth’s creative genius or will we succumb to the messages of media hype? It’s time to stop listening outside ourselves and turn within to listen to our own instincts and intuitions and our own critical thinking. We all need to stop running around like chickens with our heads cut off and really see what’s going on in our world. The pandemic isn’t the worst of it. The men in power are willing to go to war again rather than deal with the very real issues facing us. It’s time to stop them.

We don’t need nor want another war. Or any wars. This is our ‘death culture’ at work again. It’s time to create a life culture. And it’s up to women and men of good will to do it.

At this New Moon, Venus joins the asteroid Vesta, the fire priestess. It is so important now to ‘belong to ourselves’ (being virginal) and stop trying to be what our culture says we should be. Venus can help you find your own sovereignty during this New Moon. Ask her for her blessing.  With Mars added to the equation, Venus, Vesta, Mars and Uranus makes for unconventional partnerships.  Stay in your own power and see who's around.

The Sabian symbol for 13* Aquarius is: A barometer. The ability to discover basic natural facts that allow us to plan for the future.

Leo-Aquarius Full Moon @ 28* Leo-Aquarius on February 16, 2022

 

 

This Leo Full Moon activates our creativity and our place in our tribe. What do we have to offer to our group? What creative expression do we feel we need to make? This Full Moon squares the new lunar nodes in Taurus/Scorpio. What old values need to go so we can build something new?

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 28* Aquarius is: A tree felled and sawed to ensure a supply of wood for the winter. What do we need for the future? Isn’t that the question. What do we need and is it sustainable?

The Sabian symbol for the Moon at 28* Leo is: Many little birds on a limb of a big tree. There’s a flood of ideas and possibilities but which one to choose? Look to Aquarius and ask, What does the group need?

The First-time U.S. Pluto Return: February 22, 2022

We’ve been feeling this transit for awhile now but it perfects on February 22^nd. What does it mean for a country to have their first Pluto return? Well, it sometimes means the end of empire – which we’ve seen played out these past few years. America is no longer the wonder child; American exceptionalism is on the wan. In fact, America isn’t doing very well in the things the matter to life – our health care system ranks below 3^rd world countries; we are the most violent country in the world; it looks like our democracy is failing; we are controlled by corporate interests who own the government and the courts; we haven’t stopped our over-the-top polluting. I could go on and on but you know what’s wrong.

But we now have a chance to fix things if we actually engage in our society. If we actually take up our duties as citizens. It’s time we stopped waiting for our government to do what’s best for us. It’s been proven that our government officials listen to corporate lobbyists instead of we the people. Isn’t it time we took our government in hand? Or at least had a tax revolt like our fore bearers did.

Remember: Taxation without representation is tyranny. It seems money is always at issue here. That was the rallying cry of the American revolutionaries. Why isn’t it our cry now? The wealthy and corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes but working Americans are. Our government isn’t spending our tax dollars on things Americans need – they’re giving it away to the military and to Wall Street banks.

Are we ready to participate in our government? That’s what democracy is about. If not, we will be led by dictators. There is an element in our country that wants us to live by their rules rather than allowing us to make our own decisions. Isn’t it time we stopped supporting those institutions which no longer represent us? This goes beyond vaccines. This is about how society’s decisions are made. Airlines get to stop 5G from coming in because it disrupts flight patterns. But people can’t stop them when it disrupts our personal electro-magnetic field, causing harm to our bodies.

Anyway, these are questions we need to look at if we’re going to help create a new society. What do you think?

May we all arise together to a new day,

Cathy

Beginners

“From too much love of living,
Hope and desire set free,
Even the weariest river
Winds somewhere to the sea—“

But we have only begun
To love the earth.

We have only begun
To imagine the fullness of life.

How could we tire of hope?
— so much is in bud.

How can desire fail?
— we have only begun

to imagine justice and mercy,
only begun to envision

how it might be
to live as siblings with beast and flower,
not as oppressors.

Surely our river
cannot already be hastening
into the sea of nonbeing?

Surely it cannot
drag, in the silt,
all that is innocent?

Not yet, not yet—
there is too much broken
that must be mended,

too much hurt we have done to each other
that cannot yet be forgiven.

We have only begun to know
the power that is in us if we would join
our solitudes in the communion of struggle.

So much is unfolding that must
complete its gesture,

so much is in bud.

~ Denise Levertov ~

(Candles in Babylon)

The Changing of the Gods:  https://changingofthegods.com/

A great series about the astrological perspective on what’s going on in the world. Based on Rick Tarnas’ book ‘Cosmos & Psyche’, it’s a wonderful explanation of astrology, archetypes, social movements. It’s a new world view that has at its center, we are all One – we are all connected and we all have meaning.

You can go to https://astrologyhub.pages.ontraport.net/cotg-waitlist

Check it out and sign up to see the whole series. And pass it on!

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

 

Mercury retrograde

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Alchemical Hermes

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

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

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

So Who is Hermes/Mercury?

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

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

 

 

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

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

 

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

The Cancer/Capricorn Full Moon January 17, 2022

 

Cancer Full Moon

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

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

 

 Cancer Full Moon 2022

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

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

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

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

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

Cathy