Fall 2013 Eclipse Season Reflections

This Sunday's Full Moon in Taurus concludes the energy surrounding the very intense season of eclipses that we have just gone through since October 4. This cycle of eclipses, as with the last several (Last April/May and Last November/December), was very profound. For me, personally, this set of eclipses took on a particularly strong INTERNAL quality of transformation and change. As always, an important thing to always realize when eclipses occur is that eclipses always bring events, realizations, culminations, endings, new beginnings, and other sorts of big changes and "Aha!" moments -- in particular when they aspect our natal planets. Reviewing the charts of the past several moons, there seem to be a few main themes, with the major emphasis on Saturnine (e.g. Karmic) decisions or disappointments. Saturn in Scorpio is working our issues with commitment and the charts also suggest, to me, a deep desire to become more in tune with our true inner SOUL yearnings (a theme that seems to have taken prominence in this past year.) In this process of trying to understand our karmic work -- the real project of our lifetime -- many things from our past need to be relinquished and finding a place of surrender within ourselves seems at once tenuous and tantamount. Do we accept the responsibility and hardship of our Saturn work? Can we face the bare bones, no frills truth of what we truly dream to be, and how we may or may not be currently in line?

This eclipses have also had a strong Neptune vibe, as always lending an additional shroud of confusion to the overall picture. Saturn may have shattered our illusions about ourselves, others, or situations around us in a jarring way. Or it's required us to make realistic adjustments to our expectations or plans based off of the new insight. A tendency to avoid the situation and indulge or escape could have been very powerful -- it is so much easier to stay within the confines of our habits, our safety zone, and comfort, but Saturn seems to want to pull us away from these behaviors and remind us that if we really want to play out our higher Neptune (Do good for the world, for example) we need to pull it together, see it clearer, and do the work.

This past month has really been a time of looking more deeply into our lives, facing and healing painful issues originating deep in our ancestry, trying to understand what it is we really want, and, of course, with Saturn and the North Node in Scorpio -- learning to let go of attachments which block our growth and transformation. SURRENDER is the key word, but surrender in these circumstances is also immensely challenging. We have to have the courage to let go of parts of ourselves and things in our lives we perhaps once loved -- but even those we don't. We have to have trust that events in our lives beyond our control also serve some kind of purpose, that there is a lesson to be gleaned that may help us better understand our karmic work. Finally, we have to have faith in the decisions we make every day -- especially when choosing the path of our intuition, following what comes to us -- that stepping into unknown territories and committing to the vision is not something to be afraid of, that we will be taken care of, and end up where we're supposed to.

So much of this year has been about THE DREAM. So much of this year has also been about immense and deeply challenging internal transformation (As can be expected during the Chinese year of the Water Snake!). It's one thing simply to dream... but now we must ask ourselves, seriously, are we willing to work for it? Live it. Be it. That, to me, is the central core of this year's transformational energies. How do we shape ourselves to reflect the reality of the dream? -- And what does it really mean to walk the path as who we really are?

Without going outside, one may know the whole world!

Karmic Resonance

"One dies every minute one departs from one's true natureEvery minute is a new life to a true being." - Ni Hua Ching ... I-Ching Hexagram 12

A week of profound changes, karmic life events, and decisions that have lasting and meaningful impact on our lives and for our soul's journey. Tomorrow is a full moon in Pisces... watch for culminations in relation to the new moon in Pisces on March 11 of this year. After a summer of sowing and cultivating, we may see some clarity about where we're headed when some part of the dream becomes manifest or in some way reveals new dimensions or definition. This has truly been a summer, and year, of immense evolution and growth for many. It is the year of the Water Snake after, all. Each and every one of us is having the opportunity to shed an old skin through a process of internal revolution and is laying the foundation for a whole new cycle of work. In the swirling vortex of events, may we seek comfort by connecting to the eye of ourselves, around which everything revolves, and find it easy to shed those things within and without that only serve to complicate and obfuscate our inner direction.

"The universe never dies because it maintains eternal constancy." (Hex 12)

Find the still point, for therein lies peace, stability, and truth.

Caught in the Current

August has felt much like autumn. The summer continues to roll by with its themes of flexibility in crisis, sowing intentions, evolution, and new pathways emerging as old ways of being die away. These days I reflect upon all of this drinking tea, writing astrological reports, making photographs, and reading Chuang Tzu ... So I bring to you a slice of all that:

"Great knowledge is all encompassing; small knowledge is limited. Great words are inspiring; small words are chatter. When we are asleep, we are in touch with our souls. When we are awake, our senses open. We get involved with our activities and our minds are distracted. Sometimes we are hesitant, sometimes underhanded, and sometimes secretive. Little fears cause anxiety, and great fears cause panic. Our words fly off like arrows, as though we knew what was right and wrong. We cling to our own point of view as though everything depended on it. And yet our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away. We are caught in the current and cannot return. We are tied up in knots like an old, clogged drain; we are getting closer to death with no way to regain our youth. Joy and anger, sorrow and happiness, hope and fear, indecision and strength, humility and willfulness, enthusiasm and insolence, like music sounding from an empty reed or mushrooms rising from the warm, dark earth, continually appear before us day and night. No one knows whence they come. Don't worry about it! Let them be! How can we understand it all in one day?"

Excerpt from the "Inner Chapters" (trans. Gia Fu Feng)

On the Star Tetrahedron

Today's very interesting and rare chart has been all the rage in the astrology world for the past month at least. The formation in this chart is referred to as a "Grand Sextile," "Star Tetrahedron," and "Diamond Tetrahedron" among other things. It shows a very exact 6 pointed star formation created by two grand trines, one in earth and one in water (the "yin" or feminine elements of the Western Zodiac), interspersed with two pretty stressful T-squares and a Yod. Though the completion of this formation as we have seen it today is somewhat fleeting, many of the influences involved are enmeshed in long term relationships that have already, and continue to show a substantial and unquestionable change in the world at large on both personal and societal levels. There are many theories about the meaning of this formation. Admittedly, even as an astrologer I approached looking at it with some measure of pragmatism. Does this "star" formation really have any special impact beyond its fleeting few hours of life? Is its message as profound and prolific as many believe?

I did not really have an answer to that question in advance of today. My feeling as I contemplated the chart this afternoon and sensed the energy of the day, was that this chart represents a pretty powerful overall metaphor for the transformative processes at work -- and perhaps a further elaboration on the long term influences involved. The influence of this event, in itself, feels rather like an illumination of new pathways that have not seemed feasible, or may not have even been visible before.

What really stands out to me about this chart, aside from the obvious visual effect, are its stressful characteristics. Mars/Mercury/Jupiter are in a T-Square with Pluto and Uranus, an extremely volatile combination on its own -- Jupiter making Mars' sensitivities in Cancer more extreme and Mercury, more biting, while the on-going Pluto-Uranus combination shows a long-term disruption of established systems. These are not influences that play well together, and without mitigating factors have the feel of very angry, explosive situations and emotions, the essential driving factor being Mars toward Pluto and Uranus -- like all efforts are constantly being thwarted and usurped by greater power, but there is no sense of giving up or yielding. The second stressful aspect of this formation includes a T-Square between the Sun, Moon and Saturn showing an inherent conflict between the soul's desire for pleasure (Moon Taurus) and the ego's desire for recognition (Sun Leo) in a relationship frustrated by the limiting effects of Saturn. The overall theme being that there are inherent obstacles for individuals whose desires are to be seen and live comfortably, but whose needs and wants are constantly being curtailed by the problems imposed by the system at large. This of course connects to the former conflict -- where profound change is taking place, we feel intensely that we are fighting for survival, and that our simple needs must be protected against the force of life's unrelenting, and often unforgiving tests. The needs of the individual are threatened by the disruptive nature of these influences and the potential for dangerous people coming into power, but simultaneously liberated by the situation, for as the established order crumbles, people find the strength to stand their ground -- in the hopes, of course, that there is ultimately going to be some sort of compromise.

Meanwhile, the Grand Sextile itself seems to provide an answer -- in fact, a whole new set of answers -- to the problem posed by the above troubles which we have come to know intimately in recent years. Practical Earth signs and Emotional Water signs suggest heart based solutions, and the matrix of the formation itself supports profound and large scale changes where we have had blocks, obstacles, and stalemates for the past several years. Here, we see Mars and Saturn softened somewhat -- in a less defensive context we see a distinct opportunity to express needs, envision our dream, and then actually begin the process of manifesting those things into lived reality. The earth trine shows that the need for transformation is both an emotional and social process. We want comfort, desire perfection, and surrender (finally!) to the necessity of structural changes in order to move forward. Motivated by the stressful impact of the earlier discussed energies, we find ourselves meeting a unique opportunity to plant seeds and intentions for the new structures we wish to create. There is a greater sense of the "big picture" and reality feels more malleable and workable than it has for some time. Perhaps the phase of crisis was, as it often is, merely a period of discerning our true values and needs. Now that we have a better sense of what we want, our carefully cultivated and protected hopes and ideals have the opportunity to take root.

The final interesting piece is the Yod between Pluto, Neptune and the Sun, emphasizing what has felt to me like a phase of profound transition. As we adjust to changes that are currently dissolving and transforming everything about our approach to life, we are doing so through a process of spiritual renewal and purging. Those things that have been destructive and deceptive on the outside are being rooted out, and the conditioning that we ourselves have created as a matter of course our whole lives is being released. All of this in a constantly evolving effort to reveal our most authentic self expression and inner light.

So -- quite interesting energies are afoot. Even though this particular formation was only up there for a few hours today, I feel the themes of this chart describe very much themes that have been at work since the start of the summer, if not longer. And I don't know about you -- but it has been one crazy adventure so far!!!

OK, just my 23 cents. It is time for rest -- Have a great week and enjoy the cosmic roller coaster ride! 

Some thoughts on Neptune

Neptune stations to move retrograde on Friday, at the same time Venus and Mercury in Cancer form two grand trines across the water signs with Neptune in Pisces and Saturn in Scorpio. A very heart centered, emotional week all around. If for some reason you feel way more touchy and sensitive ... this is why! Neptune's Station is giving us a particularly potent dose of his energy over the course of the next 8-10 days. This confusing, dissolving, spiritualizing vibe has been a major player in the charts since his ingress into his natural sign, Pisces, last year. Though the aspect patterns in effect this week are important and very much indicative of the summer to come -- I feel inclined to focus on Neptune today because the force represented by Neptune has been so incredibly prevalent and relevant!

In recent years of observation of this transit, I have noticed Neptune vibes have several particular manifestations and characteristics. From the positive end -- Neptune can have a very creative and inspiring quality. Astrologer Kelly Lee Phipps often says that this planet represents Universal Harmony, and within that are themes of Divine or High Love. Neptune dissolves the barriers between realms and between people, reconnecting us with our innate sense of the oneness that exists beyond the tangible and material -- this is why the sign of Pisces and the planet Neptune are so closely associated with dreams, intuition, compassion, and spirituality. Neptune energy in its higher forms represents the boundlessness of our hearts and those subtler aspects of reality that are beyond description but move us deeply. When it is manifest, it comes through in highly refined forms of art, spiritual connection, healing, and empathic communication. Music is naturally associated with Neptune (as it is harmonic, vibrational, and often nonverbal!) and I personally always find playing, singing, or just listening to music very soothing during particularly Neptunian times! So this week, if you're feeling down, I highly recommend putting on your favorite music, it might surprise you how much it helps you feel better! :)

On the negative, Neptune can also be incredibly confusing and put a sort of fog or blanket over things. It is very difficult to do analytical or detail oriented work under such energies, and it can also create considerable confusion in communication. People may not thinking clearly, or what they are saying is not coming through clearly. Many people may be extra sensitive, and emotional outbursts can also create confusion, since both parties are likely to feel touchy without necessarily understanding why. Neptune also rules escapism, madness, and illusions. So discernment is not always very high, nor are boundaries. I always notice more woe-be-gone people walking the streets during Neptune phases and sometimes the "Oceanic" energy of Neptune can feel quite "Swampy." Neptune is watery and works best in the FLOW of change, but it can get stagnant if we get caught up in the inertia of irrational fears and feeling like we need to get away and hide from the world through the use of substances, excessive sleep, dogma, watching too much tv, etc. Name your method of escape and that's Neptune! Neptune can also create situations where deception, lies, etc run rampant because it is very difficult to "see." Or there is an exposure of the deception and illusions we hold within ourselves that can make us feel uncertain and confused. Grief and sadness can also be great when these energies are present. It can be personal or impersonal, as this grief can be felt like a collective hurt, or like the burdens and chains of all those who are suffering. Compassionate hearts are stirred by injustices and we can feel a call for healing, helping, or serving in some way.

People undergoing Neptune transits at any time can often feel they've lost their sense of direction. In some ways, I feel this can be said for the world at large at this time in history. But the hidden blessing of losing your sense of direction under the care of Neptune is that it allows us to ask ourselves what we couldn't when we were still bound to our routines, our stability and our normalcy -- What does our SOUL want? I mean -- REALLY want? What is the DREAM within us that drives us to be alive? What can we do to give, to serve, to help the world we live in with our own special gifts and talents?

And as everything around starts to dissolve and disappear before our eyes, realize that now is the perfect opportunity to create everything we've ever wanted.

This, I feel, is what's at the heart of these trying times. And while the energy of Neptune can be confusing and challenging, he also bestows a sense of faith in the higher, divine good and the power of our own personal destiny.

Dream big, and have a great afternoon :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAVyKDDsM3s

Processing Time

Wow, what a week. The eclipse this past weekend was unexpectedly intense. Closely aspecting Neptune and occurring just after a jolt from Pluto & Uranus, the unseen elements of our lives were felt much more strongly than usual. Our world was SHAKEN UP in some way, and then the eclipse came in with profound emotional illuminations and processing. We were a lot more sensitive, and with Saturn and the North Node very near the midheaven, we were again reminded of the importance of doing what is right and revising our belief systems accordingly. In effect, we are not only being shown that we must change, we were also given some pretty strong indications of why. Being a full moon, there was a culmination of events that have been in the works for some time -- since the eclipse on November 25, 2011 to be exact! This was a weekend of "reaping what you sow" and sometimes not in the easiest ways. That said, this week has continued along with the busy, busy pace of the past several, but with a sense that some of the intensity is finally waning. We're all getting a chance to rest a bit and do some processing. At the same time, there is a nice shift of energy coming in as Mars moves into Gemini, Mercury and Venus into Cancer this weekend. There will be more time to relax, while at the same time -- more social opportunities and options to expand our horizons. The energy feels to me like the period of substantial adjustment represented by these eclipses is fading and after a CRAZY winter and spring we are finally moving into a period of more productivity and outward progress in general. There is a very fertile and watery summer ahead and I think we'll all get a chance to appreciate it!

Final Eclipse

It has been one heck of a week to culminate what has been an extremely high octane month or two. Today I told myself and everyone I know that I was NOT doing anything, going anywhere, or talking to anyone, for a much needed breather, and I recommend that others make time to do the same for themselves where possible - whew!!! Tonight is the last of this series of 3 eclipses and is also the first of three super moons, meaning we will just be having stronger and larger than usual full moons throughout the summer. Which of course, seems funny to say, because the last several moons have been far from your average! Lunar activity in this Water Snake year (since February) has been HIGH, which makes sense: The archetype represented by the Chinese year of the Snake is one of internal transformation -- and moon cycles directly reflect our inner waters: our deepest feelings, our needs, our sensitive, sometimes hidden inner selves. Though there are events happening on the outside, the INNER world is where the changes are really taking place.

The last two eclipses were VERY intense -- the first one happening over a pretty rough opposition between Saturn and Mars, the second with two occultations (eclipses) happening simultaneously (Mars and Mercury), and this week, our eclipse is also occurring just 4 days after the Uranus-Pluto Square went exact for the 3rd of 7 times in their 5 year relationship. Good or bad, the past two months have not been easy going on any level. However, they have been very profound -- accelerating us all toward tremendous growth in new directions.

The good news is that tonight's eclipse seems to be much more mellow, and should culminate a phase of work that we have been doing for some years now. What I am getting from the chart is that our efforts to integrate our ideals and beliefs meaningfully with our daily lives has finally started to break solid ground. For some time, we've really been working to adjust our personal lives, and the greater society to better suit our philosophical leanings. We've been in a long term process of fine tuning our understanding of what is REALLY important, and at the same time we've also been working to reshape the world we live in to reflect these inner evolutions. This eclipse cycle has really showed me that the time has come for real progress to take place. People are no long satisfied with dissonance between the lived reality, and what they truly believe in. These ideals, the results of much soul searching and inner work, are now starting to manifest in the outer world and are coming into our lives on a more meaningful, systemic level. This eclipse is culminating and, in a sense, closing a major cycle, while simultaneously preparing us for the fertile, creative, and spiritually nourishing summer to come.

On that note, I will refer those interested to check out the June astrological forecast by an astrologer I really enjoy for further reflections on all this and more -- have a wonderful day!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cx9Gkqhd_M

Solar Eclipse: Relationship Tests

We're finally more than halfway through eclipse season with one more eclipse on May 25. The area of our lives where revelations and changes are taking place should be clear to us by now. In general, this can vary from person to person depending on where the eclipse falls in their chart, but one thing I have observed is that these eclipses have really been working people's CLOSE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS (associated with Scorpio). Over and over again people have been coming to me with the same story -- Partners are taking a stand for what they want and deserve in their relationships out of a fundamental desire for a true immersion and union.  Those old habits (Taurus) just aren't cutting it anymore and people are finding that they are more than done with the old way of doing things, and the same mistakes wrought from the inertia and laziness of comfort. The question afoot seems to be: How do we break those old habits which block our ability to merge? Are we willing to do the work necessary to change and grow as one? Or, is it time for us to part ways with certain associations, relationships, etc to find the fulfillment and depth we really desire in our lives?

Keep in mind that this is Scorpio energy at work. Saturn (Lord of Karma) and the North Node of fate are closing in on each other progressively, and we are feeling increasingly pressed to do the right thing. Self control and self responsibility are highlighted by this placement -- as well as the Scorpio theme of complete surrender, rebirth, and transformation. Relationships of all kinds seem to be at a critical tipping point as we look at the person across from us and ask ourselves -- how far can we go?

We're being asked to merge, to expose ourselves completely, and to do what it takes to form permanent, responsible, mature, and lasting bonds. This cannot happen unless BOTH partners go all in, and as a result, some relationships may become stronger and more stable, while others may fall apart. The reasons for this can be: a fear of/unwillingness to change (South Node Taurus), a lack of maturity or self responsibility (Saturn/Mars), or even just a realization that the relationship might not be that "one." (North Node Scorpio)

Whatever the direction your relationships take -- be it with a partner, friend, or other association -- these trials seem to be of the clarifying, revealing, and strengthening variety. We feel we know more what we really want, what calls to our souls, and where we need to go at a deeper level. Allow the changes to take place, whatever they are, and don't force anything -- the ultimate result of this time is part of a long term, evolutionary process for us as individuals, and those who we care about most deeply.

As always -- look towards growth and enjoy the ride!

Outworn Beliefs

Much has been going on this eclipse season. The first eclipse saw harsh aspects between Saturn & Mars implying some serious standoffs and major adjustments that we needed to make in our lives. The second eclipse also occurred at the same time the moon occulted (eclipsed) mercury and mars, meaning we had a triple eclipse! Revelations, insights, and new beginnings came to us on three levels -- feeling, thinking, and doing. The final eclipse occurs around midnight on May 25 with aspects reiterating my earlier post about spiritual service and revelations regarding the path to the future. These eclipses have been really powerful and seem to be profoundly karmic. We are being asked to take responsibility for ourselves, rid ourselves of outworn belief systems and structures, and change -- FAST! I see this as a major transitional period and tipping point. Just stand back and watch what unfolds. Do your best to make positive and growth oriented decisions for they will have a lasting impact on your life. Pay attention to messages you receive and the changes afoot -- and enjoy the ride!!!

Saturn Mars Opposition Perfects

The afore mentioned Saturn-Sun & Mars opposition, active during the Lunar eclipse on Thursday, is coming into perfection this week. I have felt a building intensity all weekend and today this transit felt especially strong to me. There is an unnerving almost grinding vibe afoot -- Saturn is reminding us of our boundaries, pitfalls, and limitations and Mars is beneath it like a pot about to boil over. Maintain control -- this frustrating energy will pass, but an angry outburst might not be forgotten so easily. Especially during this very critical eclipse phase that we are in. Lots of changes, lessons, and major events on the scene this past month and the coming month -- Today, the message seems to be: BE PATIENT! This is a good time to meditate, or release potentially angry energy through some sort of vigorous discipline. Keep the bigger picture in mind -- Saturn helps us see what's REALLY important in our lives as it also represents lessons associated with the soul's karma. Maintain your vision, don't let petty stuff get under your skin, and heed Saturn's wise inner counsel. Keep calm and carry on, as they say.