Starsdance Astrology

New Moon January 23, 2012: Crankiness and Cosmic Consciousness

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:54:00 +0000

I meant to make this lunar month’s article be about something lofty. For instance, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Age of Separation and the notion that human culture is perhaps poised now to experience a Great Turning towards connection and interbeing (See Joanna Macy). I meant to write about this, but what I am noticing is frustration and extreme crankiness, which is distracting me. In the spirit of paying attention to what is present as a guide to what can become, I will write instead about Mars.

It’s funny, or perhaps not so funny, how little emotions like crankiness and frustration can move us off track of our grand intentions. Astrology lets me look for these “little things,” like Mars going retrograde and gives me a story that puts it all in context. Logic tells me that such a little thing as Mars changing apparent motion should not have a big impact on life direction, deeply-held beliefs, or a sense of meaning, but if we are feeling fragile or if we can’t allow ourselves a little slack, a small thing can topple a big structure.

I am reminded that the Tarot card that corresponds to Mars is The Tower. This card usually shows a large structure being hit by lightening and falling down. The message: It is time to allow structures to crumble; they no longer serve their function. Anger and frustration—Mars territory—are a signal that I am spending way too much energy maintaining out-dated structures. I appreciate anger as a teacher. This emotion arises when I am sleeping through something I should be awake for. Often, I am surprised by my own anger. I need wake up calls. Mars steps up. It isn’t that I think anger is a good thing, but it does help me know a structure needs to shift.

I offer this to those readers who may also be feeling the cranky effects of Mars stationing retrograde on the same day that this New Moon cycle begins. You might be holding on too tightly to something that no longer serves.

This new moon is in Aquarius. This fixed air sign demands freedom, space, and new possibilities. Where do you feel shackled? It is time to breathe in the air of change and liberation. Perhaps a Tower in your life will crumble and bring you freedom. On the other hand, perhaps the nature of Mars turning retrograde—our wills slowing down and moving inward—will frustrate your attempts to embrace the freedom you are longing for. Pay attention: This is a mere stage in the transformation, not an indication that our desires are wrong. I often get confused about this important distinction. Setbacks are not signs that I should quit. We might feel a lot of setbacks as Mars spends the next nearly three months going backwards.

Mars is in Virgo for this retrograde. This sign colors our experiences with this transit. If there was ever a sign that felt it could figure everything out and set it into perfect order, that would be Virgo. This is a set-up for extreme frustration. Life is messy, yet the Mars in Virgo desire is to find a way to make it whole and beautiful, even in its chaos. This is a wonderful intention for the next few months: To stay engaged with making things better even as I release control over the details of manifesting perfection. Every sign contains a paradox. Virgo’s paradox is to endeavor always for perfection even as we realize that perfection is never possible. This is a hard truth to be married to, as Virgos are. Let’s try to forgive ourselves for crankiness and learn to practice the other trait that many Virgos have mastered: an amazing sense of humor.

Virgo is ruled by Mercury—the planet of mental energy and resourcefulness—and so Mercury’s movements will impact our experiences of this Mars retrograde. Mercury is busy this month. On the day of the New Moon, Mercury is trine Mars. This is a good sign, as trines are harmonious alliances between signs of the same element. In this case, earth is emphasized. Earth helps with manifestation and paying attention to the here and now. Perhaps we can think of this aspect between Mercury and Mars as a secret pact—even as we experience frustrations, setbacks, and crumbling towers, we can rest assured that in the end we will have something solid to show for it.

Mercury’s tricky moves. Mercury is a fox jumbling up his tracks to keep the hunter confused. It isn’t easy to follow all the paths this planet makes. However, here is a stab at what he might be up to this lunar month. A few days after the New Moon, Mercury squares a stationary Saturn. This is ponderous energy. We can notice how strongly we are attached to getting our ideas across. It may feel like an impossibility. Right afterwards, Mercury enters Aquarius where ideas and visions explode. Mercury is also sextile to Uranus—the ruler of Aquarius—which will foster ideas and insights. Saturn contributes discipline; Uranus contributes visionary illuminations. This could be quite fun. However, there is another stressor: Mercury is also squared to Jupiter. When these two planets connect by this aspect, it is hard to keep our ideas and loose words contained. We want to broadcast our brilliant insights. We need to talk it out. If anything, towers of relationship might crumble this week as we say what we really think and find ourselves having to deal with the fallout.

On the Full Moon, Mercury joins with the Sun exactly. When a planet conjoins the Sun, it is being infused with solar light. This solar light is all about the gifts of Aquarius. In Aquarius, Mercury displays an eagerness to invent, share vision, and question assumptions. There is a stress between Mercury and Mars at this time in the form of a quincunx aspect. This aspect stretches our abilities to understand. Eventually, we surrender to paradox, and these contrary truths create enlightenment. Both Virgo and Aquarius want to tinker with the status quo. Both signs are very inventive. However, they have very different approaches. Aquarius looks for sweeping, global change through visionary revolution. Virgo achieves revolution in persistently managing the details. It is easy to forget these two signs are on the same side. We may also forget to appreciate who our true allies are as we get distracted by methods over intentions.

Right before leaving Aquarius, Mercury makes a harmonious connection to Saturn through a trine. This Saturn is still stationary and still ponderous, but now Mercury is helping us to move past the places we were stuck and towards finding solutions. And then, Mercury dives into Pisces. There is a distinct shift at this time from thoughts to feelings. Mercury also joins Neptune at 0 degrees Pisces, further intensifying the contrast between the first part of the lunar month and last part. The emphasis on Pisces is an important part of Mars retrograde since Pisces is the opposite sign to Virgo. Oppositions create perspective and invite us to wholly understand.

Interestingly enough, this gets me back to what I intended to write about in the first place: the Great Turning from an age of separation to an age of interbeing. Neptune’s entry into Pisces (enhanced by Mercury and Mars) is a chance for us to remember that we are not separate, disconnected beings, but that we are interdependent in ways that we have mostly forgotten yet are beginning to remember more and more. In a small way, Mercury’s entry into Pisces this month shows us how to remember our connections. As this lunar month winds down, Mercury joins with Chiron in Pisces and makes a sextile to Jupiter. Through compassion and acknowledging the pain that interconnected awareness brings up for us, we learn that we matter to each other in profound ways. Mercury’s last aspect of this lunar month is a sextile to Pluto. I can’t help but notice that this aspect powerfully supports the exact conjunction between the Sun in Pisces and Neptune also occurring.

At this New Moon, as Mars is stationing retrograde, I am noticing my crankiness. Part of me is ready for the big transition into interbeing and part of me isn’t so sure I can let my old towers fall—the strongest contrast being that Mars is earnestly trying to figure out the details while my heart is ready to soar. The continuum of consciousness between Virgo of the humble earth and Pisces of the cosmic ocean is vast. I’m reminded of Walt Whitman’s poem: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.” Mars reminds me it isn’t easy getting from here to the next place. I’m glad I have guides along the way.

Transits important to these themes. *
January 23 Mercury 23° Capricorn trines Mars 23° Virgo
January 23 Mars stations retrograde 23° Virgo
January 27 Mercury 29° Capricorn squares Saturn 29° Libra
January 27 Mercury enters Aquarius
January 28 Mercury 1° Aquarius sextiles Uranus 1° Aries
January 28 Mercury 2° Aquarius square Jupiter 2° Taurus
February 1 Venus 22° Pisces opposes Mars 22° Virgo
February 3 Neptune enters Pisces

February 7 Full Moon at 18° Leo
February 7 Sun conjunct Mercury at 17° Aquarius
February 7 Saturn stations retrograde 29° Libra
February 9 Mercury 21° Aquarius quincunx Mars 21° Virgo
February 10 Sun 21° Aquarius quincunx Mars 21° Virgo
February 13 Mercury 29° Aquarius trine Saturn 29° Libra
February 14 Mercury enters Pisces
February 14 Mercury conjunct Neptune 0° Pisces
February 16 Mercury conjunct Chiron at 4° Pisces
February 16 Mercury 4° Pisces sextile Jupiter 4° Taurus
February 19 Mercury 8° Pisces sextile Pluto 8° Capricorn
February 19 Sun conjunct Neptune 0° Pisces

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx – perplexing
Opposition – balancing

New Moon December 24, 2011: Looking behind and forward

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:53:00 +0000

Winter is a time for dreaming, turning within, tending the light inside — the small spark of inspiration that can grow into miraculous manifestation. I welcome this time to turn away from outside distractions and drift into incubating my dreams.

Janus, the two faced god, looks into what has been and what is becoming. This liminal time between Winter Solstice and the New Year, is a good time to see what Janus sees. These questions arise: Where have we been this year? What influences our choices for this next year? And the final, but most important question: With this information, how will we consciously co-create the world we envision?

In 2011, we saw the spark of revolution catching around the world. Uranus entering Aries spurred many in the world to action. Pluto, in Capricorn since 2008, has been turning over the soil of toxic economies to compost outworn systems of empire and hierarchy.

Neptune, the planet of collective consciousness, has been finishing up its 14-year transit of Aquarius, the sign of invention. Technological advances brought us the possibilities of being connected with each other through the Internet. Neptune invited us to blur those boundaries even further, and the surface of how we can expand our connections throughout the world has only been scratched.

Our heart muscles have been exercised this year as well. A terrible tsunami struck Japan in March, just as Chiron, the shaman/healer, was entering the oceanic sign of Pisces. This tragedy touched the heart of the world as we watched the waves devouring villages.

Another tragedy occurred in Norway in July when a gunman invaded a camp for youth and killed 76. That month began with a grand cardinal cross involving Saturn, Pluto, Uranus, and the Sun and Moon. This configuration of planets reminded us of how vulnerable we all are to inexplicable violence. Neptune was stationary at 0° Pisces, again opening us to empathic connection.

Saturn in Libra this year has also influenced our lives. Saturn—defining the important work before us—in the sign of balance, has injected constraint into some very passionate energy (Pluto and Uranus). On the one hand, Occupiers around the world are using relational decision-making processes like concensus to define their movement. This is a slow (Saturn) way to make decisions, but one that promotes relationship and equality. On the other hand, we see our elected officials mired in opposition—an indication that they have not learned the Libra lessons of compromise and harmony. They are out of touch with planetary guidance as well as good common sense.

A look ahead at important themes influencing our becoming.

Neptune enters Pisces in February—the sign it rules. Pisces is an empathetic sign and plays a big role over the next few years. Just like an ocean wave breaking over us, we can find our defenses suddenly swept away and we open to the feelings of universal suffering more easily. Liz Greene’s definitive book on this planet, The Astrological Neptune and the Quest for Redemption, tells us that this planet is enormously influential in what defines our collective consciousness and behaviors. We are entering a new era of consciousness, one that will have the coloration of Pisces.

Uranus square Pluto becomes exact this year but will not complete until 2015. The crescendo of change is building.

Saturn continues to offer us the lessons of Libran balance until October when this planet enters the subterranean world of Scorpio. What is not acknowledged openly in our relationships and dealt with in a fair and equitable manner will emerge in power struggles while Saturn is in Scorpio. Right before the election, things most likely get even more ugly in our politics, as bad behavior gets exposed.

The Mutable signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces have their challenges this year, which does not mean that it will be all bad. The strength and weakness of these signs is their mutability—imagine that! Where is the ground? How do we maintain boundaries and commitments, while at the same time expanding into new ways of being, thinking, feeling, and learning? This is a very expansive year for these signs. Here’s the lowdown: In addition to Neptune and Chiron transiting through Pisces, Mars retrogrades through Virgo for three months. Venus retrogrades through Gemini for two months. There will be one solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse in Gemini and one lunar eclipse in Sagittarius. Jupiter enters Gemini for a year in June. Mutable signs are concerned with integration and understanding. We will all have a lot of work to do in these areas.

The easy transits. Astrologers traditionally have described some transits as challenging (squares, opposition and some conjunctions, for instance) and some transits as easy (sextiles and trines). What I am noticing is that as we become more aware of ourselves as conscious co-creators, all transits can be experienced as challenging because they represent another piece of consciousness to integrate.

With that in mind, I am interested in following the meaning of these transits this year:
Chiron in Pisces sextile Pluto in Capricorn
Saturn in Scorpio trine Neptune and Chiron in Pisces
Saturn in Scorpio sextile Pluto in Capricorn

The link between these transits is the emphasis on water (emotional awareness) and the relationship between water and earth (grounding that emotional awareness).

Rather than give a list of transits for this month as I usually do, here is an overview of the year’s important transits.

JANUARY - Mars stations retrograde at 23° Virgo and turns direct in April at 3° Virgo
MAY – Chiron 9° Pisces sextile Pluto 9° Capricorn (1st of 6 times over next two years)
Venus stations retrograde at 23° Gemini and turns direct in June at 7° Gemini
Solar eclipse at 0° Gemini
JUNE – Lunar eclipse at 14° Saggitarius
Jupiter enters Gemini
Uranus 8° Aries square Pluto 8° Capricorn (1st exact square of 7 over next 3 years)
Jupiter 3° Gemini square Neptune 3° Pisces
JULY – Jupiter 8° Gemini square Chiron 8° Pisces
SEPTEMBER – Chiron 6° Pisces square Pluto 6° Capricorn (2nd time)
Uranus 6° Aries square stationary Pluto 6° Capricorn (2nd time)
OCTOBER - Saturn enters Scorpio
Saturn 0° Scorpio trines Neptune 0° Pisces
NOVEMBER - Solar eclipse 21° Scorpio, Lunar eclipse 6° Gemini
Saturn 4° Scorpio trine Chiron 4° Pisces
DECEMBER – Saturn 9° Scorpio sextile Pluto 9° Capricorn

Opening to Winter’s dreams, may we surprise even ourselves in the ways we embrace our divinity and inherent possibilities this year. Blessings to all.

New Moon November 25, 2011: Freedom to Choose

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:14:00 +0000

We’re in the midst of change. Evidence is everywhere, in big ways and small. Some of this change is terribly exciting and some is terrifying. At this New Moon in Sagittarius, I find myself needing a strategy to ride these waves of change. I am trying to maintain equilibrium even as I react to every up and down in my life. As 2011 winds down and we prepare for the new year, it feels really important that we orient ourselves to our guiding values, so even as the ground shifts, we know who we are and what is really important to us.

Sagittarius is the Archer. The stars of this constellation depict a centaur pulling back on his bow, getting ready to let loose an arrow that actually points toward the very center of our galaxy. Long-range vision and core truths belong to this sign. We need both as we navigate change. The questions I hold now are, what is the world I long to see manifested through these changes, and what are the values that guide me as I make choices throughout these changes. This New Moon presents a challenge. It is a Solar Eclipse, which intensifies emotional charge and brings additional uncertainty. In addition, Mercury is stationing retrograde the day before the eclipse. Mars and Chiron also square the New Moon, adding a quality of heightened empathy and reactivity. In other words, this is an excellent lunar cycle to practice awareness that fosters our visions and our guiding values. What are yours?

“Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.” Rollo May – The Courage to Create.

Life is full of things that provoke us. Sometimes, a fierce and sudden reaction serves our intention. However, I’ve noticed that I make more mistakes by reacting quickly than when I stop to pause between whatever stimulates me and what I choose to ultimately do about it. Rollo May, in the quote above suggests that not only can we avoid more mistakes by pausing before we choose, but that freedom itself lies in the ability to pause first before choosing. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about this idea of freedom. Often we are tied to our reactivity, playing out old stories and wounds that have nothing to do with the actual situation before us. Imagine the freedom we could have, if we stopped to look at our own impulsivity—pausing before choosing. Mars is the planet of impulse. Last month, I wrote about the Mars retrograde journey. Mars has begun the first portion of that journey, still traveling direct through Virgo. Mars is contributing to the tension we may be feeling at the New Moon, and I believe, is also a guide to examining what we can do about it.

Virgo is the sign of order, practice, and service. It isn’t a particularly comfortable sign for Mars to spend an extended period of time in. The planet of impulsivity must wear the clothes of humility and must channel his aggression into creating order. If Mars is energy, then we can direct that energy into daily practice—small acts that bring integration. This integration can help us achieve the freedom to pause between stimulus and response.

Pausing, integration, freedom—that sounds lovely doesn’t it? It won’t be easy with Mercury retrograding. On December 13, Mercury stations direct just one degree away from the Solar Eclipse degree of 2° Sagittarius. It is as if the trickster god has a special mission this month to see how well we can hold to our core truths and visions. And maybe we shouldn’t hold too hard. Flexibility is so important during this time. If freedom comes from pausing, then genius comes from being flexible in our truths. Perhaps we need both qualities to meet these changing times.

The Full Moon this month is a Lunar Eclipse. Uranus, the ultimate instigator of change and awakening, is stationing direct at 0° Aries the same day. Mars is also squaring the Sun and Moon. This Full Moon does not promise to be any calmer than the period leading up to the New Moon. However, the signs Gemini and Sagittarius invite illumination. Our understanding of the world, of other people, of our own truth may expand in unexpected ways at this time. Sagittarius is an understanding of the macro and Gemini is an understanding of the micro. When these come together, we achieve a deeper understanding of the whole.

Another important turning point this month is the Sun’s entry into Capricorn, which marks the beginning of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At this time, the Sun at 0° Capricorn exactly squares Uranus at 0° Aries and this signals another season of uncertainty in world events. In the U.S., since these planets are angular, there may be significant change–especially in the areas of real estate, homeland security, and relationship with allies.

Change is present. However, we still have the ability to choose our response to change. Every time I am able to exercise my ability to choose my response, I develop a sense of freedom. The Archer of Sagittarius, riding toward the next horizon—the next adventure of discovery—is an image of the freedom that is possible for us all.

Transits important to these themes. *

December 2 Sun 9° Sagittarius square Mars 9° Virgo
December 4 Sun conjunct Mercury retrograde at 11° Sagittarius
December 4 Mercury retrograde 11° Sagittarius square Mars 11° Virgo
December 5 Venus 11° Capricorn trine Mars 11° Virgo
December 10 Uranus stations direct 0° Aries
December 10 Lunar Eclipse 18° Gemini
December 13 Mercury stations direct 3° Sagittarius
December 21 Sun enters Capricorn
December 22 Sun 0° Capricorn square Uranus 0° Aries

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx – perplexing
Opposition – balancing

New Moon October 26, 2011: Death is the Companion

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:05:00 +0000

My soul is calling for rest. I need to sink down into the earth, into my body, and into my home to reflect, recharge, and regenerate. I need is to pay attention to the wisdom of Scorpio, the season of death. Every year, this season hits me the same way—as a wakeup call to stop what I am doing and go deeper. How do I suddenly slow down, stop the manic activity in my life, and begin to notice what is really important? Scorpio demands we remember we are mortal, that we are ultimately compost. And that knowledge puts a whole new spin on how we fill our days. Scorpio is a Fixed sign and so has a special link to the other times of the year represented by the other Fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, and Aquarius. In contrast to Leo, the mid-summer season of creativity and expression, Scorpio time— inward, brooding and soulful—can hit us like a slap in the face. It is time to shift focus.

I attended Barebones last night, an annual Halloween outdoor puppet show. This year, the show began with the audience being told that we were all dead and gathered there for an orientation for the newly deceased. Our amusing guide told us that the first question that everyone always asks is, “Am I really dead?” It’s always good to check. We were reminded of the five stages of grief, one of the first being denial. Really? Am I really dead? Who knows what our actual deaths will be like, but I imagine it could be a bit of a shock to change realities so quickly. If we need a reminder, Scorpio shocks us into realizing that we are indeed mortal, and that below the surface of things, there is an immense underworld of experience and reality we should pay attention to. Coming from the busy activity of summer and early fall, we may have forgotten all that.

The underworld really isn’t all doom and gloom. It is a place of rich resource and treasure. Yes, death resides there, but also regeneration. The wisdom of Scorpio is that remembering our mortality, we claim our power to transform and enjoy life in a deeper, richer way. This pause between the worlds of Leo and the next Fixed sign, Aquarius, enriches the possibilities inherent in those other signs. The exuberance of summer loses its shine and the inspiring visions of winter are dull without this season of dying.

The relationship between Scorpio and Aquarius is particularly meaningful right now. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus—the force of revolution and reform. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto—god of the underworld. We are living in a time of profound transformation as Uranus squares Pluto for the next four years. Squares are challenging and they are fertile. Collectively and individually, we are invited to develop sustainable practices that will acknowledge the deep truths of Scorpio while holding the visions of Aquarius. How will the world look at the end of the next four years? What are you committed to creating? Who are you committed to being? Our individual choices will create that world.

That is the macrocosm of the moment. In the microcosm, we have this particular lunar cycle with moments of challenge and moments of support as we always do. Some of these are:

The New Moon chart. Jupiter entered Taurus, Fixed earth, in June. It opposes the Moon and Sun in this chart. Oppositions create perspective so this is a good time to access what Jupiter’s transit of Taurus means to us at this moment. The seasons of Scorpio and Taurus represent the cycles of death and rebirth. Through Taurus, we get in touch with our gardens, our bodies, and everything that gives us comfort and pleasure. What is your relationship to the physical world? How does it feel to be embodied while becoming aware of your mortality? Jupiter in Taurus places strong emphasis on the need to care for our bodies and to create sustainable lives that bless those who have made these lives possible, our ancestors—the beloved dead. Death and life are linked.

Another component of this chart is Mars in Leo square to Venus and Mercury in Scorpio. This recalls the theme of Fixed sign squares—the clash of worlds that fertilizes change. Tensions exist in our intimate relationships. Misunderstandings can arise between what we desire and how we defend those desires. Can our friends and lovers be trusted? Are egos bruised, needing reassurance that we are important to others? This frisson speaks to the authentic desire to be in partnerships that acknowledge who we really are and that support us even when we are afraid.

Neptune is stationing direct this month and thus will be a stronger energy for sensing what is on the other side of the veil between this world and the other. Dreams and intuition, as well as grief and disappointment swell up, especially those times when Neptune is in aspect with other planets this month. At the Full Moon, Neptune in Fixed sign, Aquarius will have just turned direct and will oppose Mars in Leo. This is Neptune’s last station in Aquarius where it has been since 1998. Mars calls attention to the fact that this era is coming to an end and another is beginning. This is a big topic, however, I imagine that this aspect at the Full Moon will include the ways we need to balance the significance of the individual with our collective longings. Certainly, we have the opportunity to open and receive new insights this month.

Another mythic storyline beginning this month—Mars retrograde through Virgo. Every two years Mars turns retrograde. Because of apparent backward motion during retrograde, Mars stays in a sign much longer than usual, first transiting forward through a segment of the zodiac, stationing retrograde to go back over the same area, and then stationing direct to complete the third pass. Mars represents the heroic, valorous parts of ourselves and as this planet makes its retrograde journey, I imagine that we are all taking a hero’s journey along with Mars.

I use Joseph Campbell’s model of the hero’s journey in three parts—the Call, the Journey, and the Return—to frame Mars retrogrades. This time, Mars journeys between 3 degrees Virgo and 23 degrees Virgo starting November 18 and ending on June 19, 2012. Mars is still moving direct as it enters the retrograde zone. From the 18th to January 23, 2012, we are in the first segment of the journey: the Call. During this phase, we receive indications that we are being called on an adventure that will eventually change our lives if we dare to accept. During the second phase (January 23 through April 13) of Mars retrograde, or the journey, we are tested and transformed. During the return phase (April 13 through June 19), we must integrate newfound wisdom into our lives. Anyone with planets or important points between these degrees of any Mutable sign, may feel this mythic journey strongly. However, the lessons are there for us all. These lessons center around the meaning of Virgo.

Some clues. Pay attention to holistic practices that nurture body and mind. Health concerns may arise that will shift your diet or lifestyle. What are your expectations for yourself? How does perfectionism play out in your life? You may be called to refine your ability to discern what is important to you and how you must act in accordance. There may be a strong call to service or apprenticeship that will lead you on an important journey. Virgo, like all Mutable signs, is concerned with synthesizing and learning. This seven-month period will give us ample opportunity to do just that.

There is a moment in every significant journey when we know we will never again be the same person who began the journey. Scorpio time is when we realize that change is the only constant. Death is the companion that gives meaning to the path.

Transits important to these themes. *
October 26 Venus 21 ° Scorpio square Mars 21° Leo
October 28 Mercury 22° Scorpio square Mars 22° Leo
October 28 Sun 5° Scorpio opposite Jupiter 5° Taurus
October 31 Venus 28° Scorpio square Neptune 28° Aquarius
November 1 Mercury 28° Scorpio square Neptune 28° Aquarius
November 7 Mars 28° Leo opposite Neptune 28° Aquarius
November 9 Neptune stations direct 28° Aquarius
November 10 Full Moon 18° Taurus
November 10 Mars enters Virgo
November 18 Mars at 3° Virgo enters 1st phase of retrograde journey
November 20 Sun 28 Scorpio square Neptune 28° Aquarius

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx – perplexing
Opposition – balancing

New Moon September 27, 2011: Wisdom more Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:44:00 +0000

Sophia is “rooted in tree, vine, earth and water as well as in the human creation of the city. She is judge and saviour, interceding to save her people, as Ishtar interceded to save humanity from the Flood. She is transcendent, eternally one with the godhead beyond creation, and immanent in the world as the presence of the divine within the forms of creation. She is the invisible spirit guiding human life, who may be discovered by the person who seeks her guidance and help.” The Myth of the Goddess by Ann Baring and Jules Cashford

Divine Balance, Harmony, and Order, I honor you.

Now that the Sun has entered Libra, the breeze is getting crisp and I want to celebrate the realm of Air—the realm of mind. Our thoughts and ability to detach, objectify, and conceptualize, as well as communicate and relate to others, live here. Often these qualities, especially the ones of intellect, are criticized. I hear people complaining that they are too much in their heads or that they can’t turn off their thoughts. It is common be ashamed of our own intelligence or ability to reason. And I get it; it can be overdone. However now, in this season of the Scales, I want to claim all that is good about the brain. Hail to the Mind.

I recently attended a concert of medieval vocal music. The harmonies and blendings of the choral group were amazing. The order inherent in the medieval compositions approached the sublime. The intricacies within the music were delightful. I came to the concert with worries and concerns from my life. I left it in an exalted state, feeling as though I could solve those problems. The artistry elevated me, but I also appreciated the effect of harmony, blending, and intricacy on my soul. Libra is the sign of such qualities, and this lunar month is a good time to honor these qualities in ourselves.

Libra’s scales are a symbol of balance. They also stand for duality, judgment and weighing our options. Are any of these issues giving you trouble right now? The reason may be that Saturn, the planet that loves to give us good solid work to do, has been transiting though Libra since October 2009. Recently Saturn has moved into a new region of Libra sparking new challenges to use Libra qualities in even more exquisite ways. (See how I am framing Saturn in a positive light? I’m trying to seduce him into thinking he doesn’t have to torment me anymore.) People with planets or important points between 18 degrees and 29 degrees of Libra or the same degrees in the other Cardinal signs, will be visited by Saturn this fall and early winter. My Sun occupies this area and I am thinking that I need to pay more attention to Libra. It is time to appreciate my mind.

Every element has its purpose. Air reminds us that our thoughts can create reality. It is a powerful tool and is possibly the hardest to use intentionally. The forces of chaos and order dance together within this realm. Both are real, both are necessary. I am wondering however, in my own desire to live in balance I may overcompensate and not allow these energies to flow freely in my life. This New Moon cycle starts off with a great opportunity to practice balance between order and chaos.

The lunar month starts with the crackle of a t-square involving Pluto, Uranus, and the Sun and Moon. Possibly the most interesting part of this t-square is that it also involves an exact opposition between Uranus (master god of chaos) and Mercury (master god of mind). Oppositions can create a crisis that provokes integration. Uranian transits often feel like lightening bolts and Mercury shows us how tricky our minds can be. With Pluto involved in this, there is potential also to experience this lunar month as deep and transformative.

Mars is involved in this story as well. Mars increases impulsivity and also carries the energy of the lightening bolt. At this new moon, Mars is in Fixed Fire—Leo—quincunx to Pluto and square to Jupiter. The quincunx aspect represents what we don’t easily see. Imagine a lightening bolt coming out of the blue. As if a t-square configuration isn’t challenging enough, our wills, our anger, our passions just may set off the storm of transformation. Is this an opportunity for embracing chaos or creating order? For sure, it is an opportunity to observe our patterns and investigate how we might want to change them.

When the mind is emphasized it is too easy to forget about the body. Even as I am writing this, I am noticing that in an effort to express my thoughts I have a tendency to contort and hold my body in positions that can create pain later. Perhaps this dynamic is one of the most important when we strive to achieve balance in the mind. The body is here too. Jupiter has been in Fixed Earth—Taurus— since June (and stays until June 2012). Jupiter’s job is to expand our experiences past previous paradigms. Sometimes this can be exhilarating and sometimes overwhelming. The square between Mars and Jupiter could manifest as an overwhelming need to remember the body in all this. Transits between Jupiter and other planets are an opportunity to invite in the body’s awareness. Jupiter in Taurus wants us to bring the body along on our mind trips.

My favorite part of the New Moon chart is a conjunction between Libra’s ruler—Venus—and Saturn. Saturn expresses himself well in the sign of Libra. All the best qualities of mind are exalted by this planet of focus and intention. Venus’ position here reminds me of the goddess Sophia. She represents Wisdom. In Sophia, we encounter the hidden law that creates order out of chaos and invites us into the grace and beauty of harmony. The Wisdom book in the Apocrypha describes Sophia: “For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars: being compared with light, she is found before it.” This meeting of Saturn and Venus is an opportunity to walk with this inspiration this month.

The Full Moon chart is less tense. The predominant story at the Full Moon is the conjunction of Saturn and the Sun, which is of course also opposite the Moon in Cardinal Fire—Aries. Saturn continues to encourage us to focus and define the qualities of mind that serve us best. The Aries Moon interjects urgency, much like Mars did earlier. What did we learn from the first two weeks of this lunar cycle? How can we integrate the passion to act and the wisdom to consider our best choices? May the beauty, balance, and wisdom of Sophia guide us.

Transits important to these themes. *

September 28 Sun 4° Libra square Pluto 4° Capricorn
September 28 Mercury 4° Libra square Pluto 4° Capricorn
September 28 Sun conjunct Mercury 5° Libra
September 29 Venus conjunct Saturn 18° Libra
October 1 Sun 8° Libra quincunx Jupiter 8° Taurus
October 2 Mars 8° Leo square Jupiter 8° Taurus
October 6 Mercury conjunct Saturn 19· Libra
October 11 Full Moon 18° Aries
October 13 Sun conjunct Saturn 20° Libra
October 14 Venus 7° Scorpio opposite Jupiter 7° Taurus
October 17 Mercury 6° Scorpio opposite Jupiter 6° Taurus

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon August 28, 2011: The Way of Intention

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:23:00 +0000

I’ve been thinking about my astrology practice a lot lately. I don’t mean my astrology business, I mean my practice—the way I use astrology to live a life that is filled with awareness, meaning, and intention. I’ve been observing the evolution of this practice

My readers may have noticed these themes, as I am just starting to see them myself.

•    Each sign is a season and indicates how to be present to the energies and wisdom of the moment.
•    Being present to the energies and wisdom of the moment means I can make aware choices that support intention.
•    Each planet is an archetype that describes different parts of human experience and potential. They show us who we are and who we can become. Planets represent divine beings and may even be divine beings. They remind us that we are divine too.
•    Intention is how I both honor my divinity as well as take responsibility for my impact.
•    To live a life of intention means I am interested in manifesting change in myself and the world around me.
•    Even though I value intention and awareness, I also court paradox and the unknowable. The edge of Mystery is fertile with possibility.

These beliefs motivate my astrology practice.

I am most curious about intention and manifestation this month. Many of us believe that in order to manifest something, we must first work with an intention. That makes sense. But another assumption is often tied to this idea: Every intention should manifest if we are diligent enough, inspired enough, aware or smart enough to make it so. We judge ourselves when intention does not produce the change we are looking for. So, we get busy trying to figure out what we did wrong, who is to blame, and how to perfect our skills. However, I don’t think the purpose of working with intention is really about the outcome. Rather, it is about the practice itself, where it takes us on the inner journey, and the people it makes us into. Perhaps the practice helps us manifest change, but it also might not.

I’ve recently started a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, “no death, no fear.” In it he writes about death as simply being the state where life does not have the proper conditions to be supported and so withdraws. He writes: “This is what the Buddha taught. When conditions are sufficient things manifest. When conditions are no longer sufficient things withdraw. They wait until the moment is right for them to manifest again.”

Refreshing simplicity! What if we replaced shame about not manifesting our intentions with this awareness? Of course, we try our best to create the conditions that support our intentions—that is living in alignment—but we cannot control every factor. Living with intention without attachment to outcome. That’s a paradox for sure.

The season of Virgo is a perfect time to notice our practices, intentions, and attachments to outcome. This mutable earth sign cultivates, discerns value, harvests, and disperses the benefits of practice. The gift of Virgo is steadfast attention to what we cultivate through ongoing attention to detail. The burden for Virgo is to be overwhelmed with managing those details. This is a sign that rides the edge of practice and manifestation. Like all Earth signs, Virgo is concerned with what really is, really here, being manifested right now. And Virgo probably is the sign most likely to hold itself to perfectionism—a deadly trap for working with intention.

Every sign has a shadow and the genius to transform that shadow. The work this month is to notice how we hold ourselves accountable for intentions that have not yet manifested. We will be able to use Virgo eyes to pay attention to every nagging doubt and Virgo steadfastness to allow those doubts to fall away.

If our practice this month is simply this, the transits will be new opportunities to observe and allow. Sometimes supportive, sometimes illuminating, sometimes challenging, each step in this month’s starsdance is another reminder that we are here with a reason to be.

An important feature of the New Moon chart is a Grand Earth Trine, appropriate for the theme of intention and manifestation. A grand trine features a planet in every sign of a single element in harmonizing aspect to each other. The harmonizing part is the theory but I find grand trines can be challenging because every expression of the element, the cardinal, fixed and mutable, is demanding attention. The potential of the grand trine is to have access to every mode of energy. The challenge is to allow that harmony to exist. Sometimes we are partial to one modality over another. Cardinal people like starting new projects. Fixed people challenge every change. The Mutable folks are more interested in what they can learn and want to move on to the next thing. A committee with all these types cover all the bases, but first we have to appreciate their different approaches.

In this Grand Earth committee, Cardinal focus is held by Pluto who wants us to research the very beginnings of intention. What motivates us to desire a particular manifestation? What are the secrets, the psychological complexes, and the fears that lie at the foundation? Jupiter in Taurus holds the Fixed focus. Jupiter is strong at this time because it is stationary. If Pluto plants the seeds of manifestation, Jupiter is protecting them in the fertile, dark earth. Perhaps we need to wait a little while longer before we notice anything happening. Perhaps we need to invoke our faith that when conditions allow, intention will manifest. The Mutable focus in this committee comes from Sun, Moon and Venus in Virgo – a lovely trio. The challenge is to evaluate what our seeds of intention have produced without invoking the specter of shame. Whatever has grown from the practice of intention can be illuminating and meaningful. Virgo is capable of harvesting this meaning.

This lunation also begins with Mars square to Saturn. This is very earnest energy. We are trying hard but may not feel very successful. In January Saturn stationed retrograde at 17° Libra, it turned direct in June and this month finally passes the point where it retrograded. I think of this as new territory. While Saturn has been moving through this portion of the sky, we’ve had ample opportunity to push past struggles around balance and relationship. Now, new Libra lessons will arise. Saturn is about developing mastery. What are your trying to master about living with others or about creating harmony in your life? Have you set intention in this work?

The Full Moon in Pisces provides an illuminating mirror for Virgo. Pisces reminds Virgo why focusing on intention is important in the first place. Pisces offers transcendence and meaning through the heart, giving balance to Virgo’s dry earthiness, which can get overly focused on work and results.
The Grand Earth Trine is present during the Full Moon too, this time with Mercury anchoring the Virgo part. Mercury rules Virgo and provides a strong desire to learn and be productive. Mercury spent most of last lunar month retrograding through Leo after turning retrograde at 1° Virgo. When Mercury returns to that degree on September 9, it will be raring to go, eager to fulfill the Virgo mission of integration until this planet enters Libra on September 25.

Virgo, as a mutable sign, is sensitive to energy and stress. The last half of this lunar month has the potential to be more stressful as there are several quincunx aspects between planets from September 16th to the next New Moon on the 27th. This is a good time to practice self-care, not discounting any stress we feel.

The Hermit card in Tarot is a good guide for tending to Virgo stress. This card corresponds to Virgo in the Golden Dawn system. Sometimes we need periods of quiet contemplation, times to focus on intention and practice, and release ourselves from the expectations of success or failure. These times serve a purpose. We should honor them.

Transits important to these themes. *

August 30 Jupiter stations retrograde 10° Taurus
September 8 Mercury enters Virgo
September 10 Mercury 3° Virgo quincunx Uranus 3° Aries
September 12 Full Moon 19° Pisces
September 16 Pluto stations direct 4° Capricorn
September 16 Mars 28° Cancer quincunx Neptune 28° Aquarius
September 17 Venus 2° Libra opposite Uranus 2° Aries
September 18 Venus 4° Libra square Pluto 4° Capricorn
September 21 Sun 28° Virgo quincunx Neptune 28° Aquarius
September 22 Venus 9° Libra quincunx Jupiter 9° Taurus
September 23 Sun enters Libra
September 24 Mercury 28° Virgo quincunx Neptune 28° Aquarius
September 25 Mercury enters Libra
September 25 Sun 2° Libra opposite Uranus 2° Aries
September 26 Mars 4 ° Leo quincunx Pluto 4° Capricorn
September 27 Mercury 2° Libra opposite Uranus 2° Aries

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon July 31, 2011: This Little Light

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:49:00 +0000

The tragedy that took place in Norway on July 22 pulls on my heart. At this time of year, the season of Leo, we are meant to relish our first harvests. It should be a time to enjoy the gifts of the earth and claim the shining glory of our own creations. Yet this season, which should be joyous, is tinged with grief and fear. The very same weekend of the nightmare in Norway, I attended a blissful celebration of love as two dear friends shared their marriage vows amidst loving family and community. They happen to be lesbians, and in our state, Minnesota, they sadly do not yet have the right to make their marriage legal. However, in New York, during this same weekend an abundance of gay couples were legally wedded for the first time. The photos from that weekend, in both states, have been inspiring.

Our world is full of sharp contrasts – lights and shadows. For some, love is a courageous act that affirms life. For others hate and fear fuel violence. There is nothing wrong with contrast itself. Shadow and light color our world in amazing shades of complexity and richness. In celebrating diversity, I celebrate others being different from me. However, currently, contrasts between people are creating alarming, dehumanizing divisions where groups of people seem to be living on different planets, and I am afraid that this gives permission for violence. I am perplexed by this division in worlds. How can anyone be threatened by gay people marrying? How can anyone, even the most insane amongst us, think that killing young people will protect from multiculturalism? I acknowledge my fear that such violence might destroy what is beautiful. I pay attention to fear, and I wonder what intention to follow this month, supported by the season and the stars, which will contribute to a lessening of fear and an embrace of life’s joy.

I am a person of faith. My faith is the belief that when I commit to such an intention, it changes me and it changes the world. Through this, I add my spark to the fire of enlightenment I want to see manifested. Faith and fire are appropriate Leo themes. Leo is a Fixed Fire sign. The fixed signs hold and protect the archetypal form of their elements. What are the gifts and challenges of fire? How do we work with fire to support our intentions? If fire is the teacher this month, what are the lessons? Fire is a hungry element. It needs to be fed. A proper fire must be built carefully in order to sustain the flame, not burning too quickly and not sputtering out due to lack of fuel. A proper fire, like Goldilocks’ bowl of porridge, is just right.

If I intend to kindle a fire that is just right for me to sustain my faith, lessen my fears, and embrace life’s joy, what must I pay attention to?

The New Moon chart shows us what we have to work with this month in holding to our intentions. The Sun and Moon are joined with Venus, adding the blessing of love and beauty to our fires. The Moon is soul, the Sun is consciousness, and Venus is love. These are the foundation of intention this month. This trio is part of a configuration called a Yod, or Hand of God in Hebrew. The yod formation points to paradox and holding contrasts until we reach new understanding. The paradox of this yod may be that we are both insignificant and pivotal to creating the world we envision. The paradox is that it isn’t about us and it is all about each of us. What can we do in the face of large, impersonal forces, represented by the other two planets forming the base of the yod (Pluto and Neptune)? We know we are in a paradigm shift right now. Large tectonic plates are moving under us. Where will we end up and will the shift bring more chaos as it unfolds? Neptune and Pluto represent some of the forces of change we are experiencing right now. Uranus, another outer planet is also contributing.

Leo reminds us of the power of the Child. Although Leo is a fire sign ruled by the powerful Sun, an imposing energy, Leo can be quite meek. Perhaps the Sun’s potential to manifest and destroy, is intimidating to Leos, because many Leos do not feel that powerful. Leos often wonder, what difference can my little spark make? There are giant forces out there, what can I do to change them? I love this quote from Margaret Mead,

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

This month, we need to remember that every small, dedicated group is made of dedicated individuals putting intention behind belief. Mead also said:

"Never depend upon institutions or government to solve any problem. All social movements are founded by, guided by, motivated and seen through by the passion of individuals. "

Childlike innocence is echoed in another way at this new moon. Nine of the 11 “planets” in this chart (Sun, Moon, Pluto and Chiron are not planets but for simplicity’s sake termed planets here.) are in the beginning third of their signs. There is a lot of new energy present here, perhaps naïve, perhaps inexperienced, but also perhaps just the thing we need to enliven our fires of possibility. Can we embrace the unexpected and new this month?

Mercury retrograde brings surprise. On August 2, Mercury will station retrograde at 1 degree Virgo to move back through Leo. For most of August, Mercury encourages us to rethink our assumptions, especially about our fires. These fires can represent our passions, beliefs, our anger, and our energy. August 16th, Mercury retrograde exactly joins with the Sun and Venus. This represents a time of peak illumination for what Mercury is teaching us about the significance of self and love. I can’t promise this illumination will happen gracefully. Mercury retrogrades often teach us in unexpected ways.
This month Mars, usually an ally of fire, will be traveling through the water sign, Cancer. August 9 and 10 Mars will activate the square between Uranus and Pluto. This most likely will bring tension. The desire to protect and defend will we strong. Are emotions at this time in alignment with your intentions? What do you deeply need? Pay attention to the causes of defensiveness.

The Full Moon shows the t-square between Mars, Pluto, and Uranus as still very powerful. I wonder about the budget negotiations in Washington, DC. Will anger or frustration manifest at this time due to the polarities in our culture represented by this stalemate? The square between Pluto and Uranus will be present for the next four years. This is a long time to be feeling this restlessness and undercurrent of violence. Not all changes that will happen during this time will be unwelcomed or difficult. But some will. Is it possible that the mindfulness practice we do this month will support an intention to reflect back the values of peace, love, and tolerance?

The Full Moon in Aquarius is opposite the Sun in Leo. All oppositions represent a whole. Leo and Aquarius represent the powers of Vision and Passion. Together, they affirm the power of the individual to create new worlds. However, we aren’t meant to live in the world of our own creation by ourselves, disconnected from others. Margaret Mead, who had the moon in Aquarius herself, also said:

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else."

Every single one of us is a world creator. We have to enjoy the diversity and make it work for us.
Towards the end of this lunar month, as the Sun moves into the service-oriented sign of Virgo, we may be inspired to be useful in service to the world we wish to manifest. But first, pay attention to Leo’s Divine Fire. What intention will you hold for this month in order to push your glow a little further out into the gloom of fear and hatred? The Sun is a symbol of divinity. Whatever you need to do to feed your own divinity, do it. Be inspired. Be inspiring. Every little light makes a difference.

Transits important to these themes. *
August 2 Mercury stations retrograde at 1° Virgo
August 3 Mars enters Cancer
August 4 Venus 9° Leo square Jupiter 9° Taurus
August 8 Mercury (retro) 29° Leo opposite Neptune 29° Aquarius
August 9 Mars 4° Cancer square Uranus 4° Aries
August 10 Mars 5° Cancer square Pluto 5° Capricorn
August 13 Full Moon 20° Aquarius
August 16 Sun conjunct Venus 23° Leo
August 16 Mercury (retro) conjunct Venus 23° Leo
August 16 Sun conjunct Mercury (retro) 23° Leo
August 21 Venus 29° Leo opposite Neptune 29° Aquarius
August 21 Venus enters Virgo
August 22 Sun 29° Leo opposite Neptune 29° Aquarius
August 23 Sun enters Virgo
August 24 Venus 3° Virgo opposite Chiron 3° Pisces
August 25 Mars 14° Cancer square Saturn 14° Libra
August 26 Sun 3° Virgo opposite Chiron 3° Pisces
August 26 Mercury stations direct 18° Leo

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon July 1, 2011: Time for soul restoration

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:49:00 +0000

My favorite metaphor for Cancer is a tidal pool—the ocean womb, teeming with life and subject to the rhythmic pulsation of the tides. So much of this world mirrors what is means to be a Cancer. We think of Cancer as the great nurturer. This Cardinal water sign marshals its strong capacity for leadership into the tasks of tending and managing whatever it holds dear. The other side of this abundant giving is the experience of absolute depletion. When at high tide, Cancers have all the energy they need. At low tide they must retreat and recharge. It is the experience of low tide, of going within and finding solace, that intrigues me this lunar month. I am feeling an ebbing of energy and a desire to rest as the New Moon approaches. I suspect that this pull is even stronger due to a Solar Eclipse in Cancer that beginsthis lunar cycle. [see last month’s blog for information about this eclipse cycle.]

Every time I see the glyph for Cancer in a chart, I substitute the word “soul.” And soul means depth. It is connected to the past, to memories, to the unconscious. Even though, Cancers can be just as involved in the outer world of manifestation as anyone else, the real work of Cancer is concerned with the deep work of Soul. Cancer’s constellation is the dimmest in the sky and quite small, hard to see. It is fitting that a sign oriented to interior emotional awareness should forego the drama of visible light. Cancer’s house in the Natural Wheel begins at the lowest point in the chart, the Nadir. It was to this part of the sky, that the Egyptians believed the Sun returned each day to die and be reborn.

Entering the liminal place of soul.

Between us and events, between the doer and the deed, there is a reflective moment—and soul-making means differentiating this middle ground. – James Hillman in Re-Visioning Psychology

This month, allow yourself to let go of externals and the obligations of your ordinary life. The liminal space between doing and being is a place where the soul is nourished, especially if we slow down enough to also experience our own discomfort with the stillness. Soul work sometimes is uncomfortable. We are used to being busy and distracted. Yet, stepping between doing and being, we return to source and this replenishes our capacity to give back to life.

What is at your source? The word source comes from roots meaning to rise. Imagine journeying to the nadir of self, reconnecting to what lies there and rising back again. Imagine rising through pools of water, cleansing, nurturing, soothing. The work of summer, when the living is easy, is to recharge and restore ourselves so we may move next into the productive work of harvest and preparation for winter.

New Moon in Cancer (Solar Eclipse). The Soul Moon is part of a grand cardinal cross involving Pluto, Uranus and Saturn. This configuration intensifies the need to do our soul work. Grand crosses can feel like we are stretched to the max. What has reached its breaking point in you? Transits involving Pluto, Uranus, and Saturn this month will call attention to our stresses. Listen to what you need. Jupiter in Taurus plays along with the Cancer theme well, reminding us that the body holds a lot of soul wisdom too. Find a way to honor your body. Transits involving Venus this month are particularly strong times of listening to the body and following our bliss.

Full Moon in Capricorn. Full moons bring illumination. If you have listened to your soul, now is the time to look upon the pearl that resides in the heart of your soul. Something is illuminated about who we really are. A pearl is the gift we receive from the irritating grain of sand that annoys and disturbs us. It is worthwhile to look at how we handle our emotions and how they handle us.

James Hillman (author of the quote above) writes brilliantly about the soul. He believes that it is important in the work of soul-making to avoid pushing ourselves towards a goal. The gift, the pearl, the self-awareness that arises is secondary to the process of surrender and replenishment. It is a mysterious journey that cannot be forced but must wash over us like a wave. Allow that wave to wash you.

Transits important to these themes. *

July 2 Sun 10° Cancer square Saturn 10° Libra
July 3 Venus enters Cancer
July 4 Venus trine Neptune
July 7 Venus 4° Cancer square Uranus 4°Uranus
July 8 Venus 5° Cancer opposite Pluto 5° Capricorn
July 9 Uranus stations retrograde
July 13 Venus 11° Cancer square Saturn 11° Libra
July 15 Full Moon 22° Capricorn

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon June 1, 2011: The journey of desire

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Tue, 31 May 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Where I live, spring is in full flourish. The incredible beauty of the fertile earth awakening and multiplying is delightfully awe inspiring. However, beauty can bring another response—important to acknowledge this month—the fear within the vulnerable, open heart of longing.

The journey of desire. Beauty nudges our hearts to want more. This desire is both exquisite and painful. I believe it calls us into life. The journey begins with asking this question, “What am I afraid to wish for, believing in the depths of my soul that I could never really have it?” The answer is different for each of us. But all of us have that story living deep inside. No matter how small, and it may be very small, that small kernel of shame or disbelief colors the story of our lives. It becomes an essential reality that impacts our lives profoundly. Perhaps this month will be a good time to notice this seed, to coax it out of hiding, to see the truth as well as the falsehood of our limiting beliefs.

Eclipses. This lunar month begins with a solar eclipse. Physical reality informs my interpretation of an eclipse—the light goes out and then comes back. The waxing and waning of light and darkness is a rhythm repeated during the lunar and solar cycles of the year. Our human bodies understand this. Yet during an eclipse the cycle is quick and potentially unsettling. Suddenly, we are plunged into darkness. Suddenly, the light returns. Even when we cannot see the eclipse, we can feel its effects. A unique feature of the next two months is that there will be two solar eclipses back to back. The next lunar cycle beginning July 1 will also be a solar eclipse. The full moon in between these two will be a lunar eclipse. The last time this happened was July 2000.

Karmic patterns and the nodes of the moon. Shadows bring up stuff hidden within. An eclipse is an opportunity to illuminate long embedded patterns. This can be experienced in physical reality—something happens to us to create the possibility of a new awareness or a new path to take in life. Or an eclipse can work on the spiritual/intentional level. We are given an opportunity to understand ourselves in new ways. The two back-to-back eclipses are south node eclipses introducing the theme of karma to these experiences. Dana Gerhardt describes the south node in her excellent article on the nodes: “It's a comfort zone, describing attitudes and talents which, for good or ill, are easy to believe and express.” This comfort zone has a karmic component to it. What are the patterns that keep repeating in our lives? Even if these patterns are frustrating or harmful, we are used to them. Sometimes it feels more comfortable to live with the demons we know than to take a chance on awakening new ways of being. So, the possibility exists to erase the patterns that repeat, “I will never realize my heart’s desire and it hurts too much to let myself have that desire.”

Cracked open. The heart is a tough organ, the strongest muscle in the body. Yet the heart feels vulnerable. What the heart represents is so core to what it means to be human, that we work hard to create impenetrable defenses. Ironically those defenses prevent us from being in our hearts—open to longing and intimacy. Neptune and Chiron having been working to crack open these hard shells around the heart. Both are in Pisces, the mutable water sign of dissolution, transcendence, and ultimate connection. Both Chiron and Neptune station retrograde this month, which means they have stronger influence. Also these two planets will receive square aspects from a series of planets transiting through Gemini this month. These squares highlight the way that Pisces and Gemini dance together—the mutable dance of water and air.

Pisces and Gemini. Duality is an important theme for both of these signs. Both long to repair the sense of separation that duality evokes. Using water, Pisces feels its way to union. Using air, Gemini learns, discovers and communicates to understand what is missing. Gemini has the reputation of being a lightweight. The eternal youthfulness of Gemini fools us into thinking there isn’t any substance underneath. This month proves that wrong. Gemini holds up the mirror of reality—how we create our world through thought and belief and how we can alter that reality through changing our thoughts and beliefs. When longing is reflected back to us our souls are revealed.

Desire and manifestation. Jupiter enters the fixed earth sign Taurus this month where it will remain for one year. Jupiter’s focus on possibility and belief creates an impulse to embrace the gifts of the sign it is transiting. We will all want to be Taureans this year. Taurus is good at is using beauty and pleasure to manifest the heart’s desire. Although that sounds really good, and it is, shadows reside here too and we will have the opportunity to understand ours more deeply. When we give birth to our heart’s desire, it becomes mortal. Everything we bring into existence will eventually pass away. Forms change. One block to manifestation is the defense of keeping the heart’s longing within the heart, not letting it take form so we won’t feel this pain. Jupiter encourages risk. We have the opportunity to risk the pain of loss in order to manifest desire.

Full Moon Lunar eclipse. The Moon in the full moon chart is conjunct the north node. If the south node represents karmic patterns, the north node represents current evolution, the growing edge. The north node in Sagittarius is about the journey to truth and meaning. Perhaps the light will suddenly go out of a belief system of yours. Perhaps the light will suddenly illuminate another path leading you to new truths. Is it easier to believe we deserve the treasures that reside in our hearts if we align ourselves to the star that gives meaning to our lives? The heart is a muscle—it needs to be used. Keeping our desires hidden inside does nothing to strengthen our capacity to use our hearts for the highest good. As darkness and light play around the edges of your life this month remember to honor your heart.

Transits important to these themes. *

Eclipse triggers. Astrologers note that we may feel the impact of an eclipse both before and after the actual eclipse. Planets transiting the degree of the eclipse can trigger the effect. The eclipse of June 1 is at 11° Gemini. The eclipse of July 1 is at 9° Cancer. Dates when these degrees are transited are listed below.

June 3 Mercury 0° Gemini squares Neptune 0° Pisces
June 3 Neptune stations retrograde
June 4 Jupiter enters Taurus
June 5 Mercury 5° Gemini squares Chiron 5° Pisces
June 6 Mercury triggers solar eclipse at 11° Gemini
June 8 Chiron stations retrograde
June 10 Venus 0° Gemini squares Neptune 0° Pisces
June 12 Sun conjunct Mercury 21° Gemini (illumination of themes)
June 13 Venus 5° Gemini squares Chiron 5° Pisces
June 15 Lunar eclipse 24° Sagittarius
June 18 Venus triggers solar eclipse at 11° Gemini
June 20 Mercury triggers solar eclipse at 9° Cancer
June 20 Mars enters Gemini
June 22 Mars 0° Gemini squares Neptune 0° Pisces
June 27 Mars 5° Gemini squares Chiron 5° Pisces
July 6 Mars triggers solar eclipse at 11° Gemini
July 11 Venus triggers solar eclipse at 9° Cancer
August 16 Mars triggers solar eclipse at 9° Cancer

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon May 3, 2011: Loving what we love

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:30:00 +0000

It has been a while since I’ve been able to look at the transits for an upcoming month and say to myself, “This looks pretty good.” Wow, considering the last few months that is something. Can it be that this next lunar month will give us a chance to deeply recuperate from the relentless reminders of personal and global crisis? We can use this opportunity to receive needed support to tend to our bodies and spirits. This month’s transits emphasize the importance of beauty and desire in our lives. At this time, in the season of Taurus, we are being invited to tune into the wisdom of our soft animal bodies, as Mary Oliver exhorts us to do in her poem, “Wild Geese.”

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

This sounds simple, yet I realize that in many ways, I have forgotten how to really listen to what my soft animal body needs and wants and loves. As I prepare for the next month at this New Moon, I am interested in developing a better way to listen to my body’s messages.

This is the season of Taurus, the sensory-based fixed earth sign ruled by Venus. This planet represents the principle of beauty and pleasure, as well as abundance and fertility. The energy of Venus is strong this month as this planet makes important contacts with other planets, inviting them into alliance. On May 15, Venus enters Taurus and stays for a little over three weeks, leaving on June 9. Venus and Mars make a special connection this month as well. Mars enters Taurus on May 11 and makes a conjunction with Venus on May 23. The last time these two planets came together was in 2010, the next time will be 2013, and they have not joined together in Taurus since 2009. Mars and Venus represent the pulsating dyadic energies of life. Mars pursues and Venus invites. Through this dance we experience life more fully, more abundantly. What are you longing to have in your life? What are you willing to invite in? This month is an excellent time to explore what your soft animal body already knows it loves.

The New Moon chart shows a line up of planets in Aries. Mars rules Aries, giving us a hint at the passionate nature of this sign. With Mercury retrograding through Aries last month, perhaps you noticed frustration in moving forward with attaining your heart’s desire. Now that Mercury is moving direct, it is easier to let the renewing energies of spring move us toward what we truly want, perhaps even surprising us in the ways we are willing to take risks or break old patterns to do so. This sense of fresh beginning flows soon into the languorous enjoyment of Taurus when Mars enters that sign on May 11 while at the same time Venus is conjunct expansive Jupiter in Aries.

A chance for magic. In honor of Venus this month, perhaps you’d like to try a little spellwork dedicated to what your soft animal body loves. Caroline Casey offers a wonderful Venus spell in her book, Making the Gods Work for You. I love Casey’s book because it is written with great, galumphing spirit and also includes practical magic to try at home to cultivate relationship with the planet gods. Friday, May 13th would be an auspicious day to try this spell for several reasons. For one, it occurs in the month of Taurus when Venus is already happy. For another, all Fridays are sacred to Venus. The name for Friday comes from another love goddess, Freya. And the 13th day of the month is significant in working with the divine feminine principal. This number has gotten the reputation of being unlucky, but that may be due in part to its association with the number of Moon cycles in a year and the association that the Moon has with witches.

Casey says this spell is done to invoke the beloved, whoever or whatever that may be for you. She writes, “Take a round piece of bread, such as a roll, make a hole in it, and put a nickel inside (the number five, represented by the nickel is sacred to Venus). On top of the nickel, place a little piece of paper on which you have written the qualities you desire in your beloved. Put a little bit of honey on top of that, for obvious symbolic reasons, then place a short yellow candle in the hole. Light the candle.” Casey recommends enjoying ourselves with Venusian pleasure as the candle burns. To complete the spell, you may want to ritualistically release it into flowing water or burn it in a fire. Whatever you decide, it would be good to honor Venus while doing so with a clear spoken statement about your beloved.

A few days later at the Full Moon, it will be interesting to see what you have noticed in your life concerning love and pleasure. Full Moons bring illumination. The Moon will be in dark and sexy Scorpio while the Sun is in solid and sensuous Taurus. Scorpio contributes intensity and depth reminding us that love and beauty are the primary forces of life. It will be a very good thing to spend time in nature this month, observing how that world expresses love and pleasure, for after all we are animals too.

Jupiter completes its year-long transit of Aries this month. Next month on June 4th, Jupiter enters Taurus for a year. Wherever Jupiter is, opportunity and expansion follow. The work we do this month to cultivate better relationship with our soft animal bodies will align with Jupiter’s mission to seek for and explain life’s principal meanings. We shift from the stories of bold individualism (Aries) to the sustaining stories of body wisdom (Taurus). Not only are we encouraged to let our soft animal bodies love what they love, we are encouraged to understand more deeply how this animal connection gives us answers to many of the problems we face today. Let us invite that wisdom!

Transits important to our stories.*

May 9 Mercury conjunct Venus at 22° Aries
May 11 Mars enters Taurus
May 11 Venus conjunct Jupiter at 24° Aries
May 11 Mercury conjunct Jupiter at 24° Aries
May 12 Mars at 0° Taurus sextile Neptune at 0° Pisces
May 15 Venus enters Taurus
May 15 Mercury enters Taurus
May 16 Mercury conjunct Venus at 0° Taurus
May 16 Mercury at 0° Taurus sextile Neptune at 0° Pisces
May 16 Venus at 0° Taurus sextile Neptune at 0° Pisces
May 18 Mars at 5° Taurus sextile Chiron at 5° Pisces
May 19 Mercury at 5° Taurus sextile Chiron at 5° Pisces
May 20 Venus at 5° Taurus sextile Chiron at 5° Pisces
May 20 Mars at 7° Taurus trine Pluto at 7° Capricorn
May 20 Mercury at 7° Taurus trine Pluto at 7° Capricorn
May 21 Venus at 7° Taurus trine Pluto at 7° Capricorn
May 23 Venus at 9° Taurus conjunct Mars
May 23 Mercury at 10° Taurus quincunx Saturn at 10° Libra
May 24 Venus at 10° Taurus quincunx Saturn at 10° Libra
May 25 Mars at 10° Taurus quincunx Saturn at 10° Libra

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon April 3, 2011: Working without a safety net

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:02:00 +0000

What can we learn from a daffodil? Now, at the end of a long Minnesota winter I am inspired by the daffodil’s audacity as it pushes its way past last year’s leaf rubble with tender/strong green fingers, up into an unknown future. Will the air be warm enough? Will sleet or hail or snow crush the new growth? Or will a too harsh Sun burn its newborn leaves before they’ve had a chance to harden? Our world is full of uncertainty. Dire warnings are coming at a constant staccato tempo. Yet, there is a part of the human spirit that is like this daffodil that pushes forward in spite of these things. The archetype of Aries captures this aspect of the human spirit well. Aries is the energy of spring’s boldness mixed with naïve vulnerability. Aries is one of the most important stories of the moment. The flaws and gifts that Aries possesses and mirrors back to each of us whether we have Aries planets or not, are part of the vital lessons we need to understand as we also push our way into an unknown future.

The Aries individual mirrors taking risks, not because she is confident of success but because she has to. Working without a safety net is both a frustrating and inspiring fact of life for an Aries. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a back up plan? Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a little assurance that everything will turn out well in the end? Then, it might not be so hard to step out into the strong currents of life and give it our all. But that is not what Spring teaches and that is not what the world is promising us right now. The world is calling us into our most daring and brilliant selves to become this very current of being, this impulse to be. No safety nets in this circus.

Yet, back to the daffodil before my metaphors threaten to implode. Under ground, the daffodil has a secret storehouse—a big fat bulb that it draws upon for survival. Do you have a secret storehouse? What keeps you centered in the flow? Believing in the impossible? Delighting in what life offers? These things are not assurances that Spring will provide us the perfect environment for growth, but they help us to adapt to a rapidly changing, unpredictable world. I think of this bulb as the storehouse of my practices—all the actions I take to be mindful, compassionate, and open to learning. Whatever your practices, we each need the accumulated effort of intention that lives deep inside us for sustenance and support.

The New Moon chart shows a powerhouse of Aries energy. Mars, the ruler of Aries, is conjunct Uranus; Jupiter is only two degrees away from the Sun and Moon at 13° Aries; and Mercury is moving retrograde through Aries for most of the month. So, there’s that. In addition, a stationary Pluto provides extra tension to all this from the Capricorn perspective. I think it is important to remember that while Pluto’s job is to uncover hidden and toxic secrets, it is also about recovering vitality and power. If Aries is new growth, Pluto in Capricorn challenges us to take that mission seriously. We need to be daring however scary it may feel. Saturn in Libra is exactly opposite the Sun and Moon. Oppositions provide perspective and a necessary balancing of forces. Another important part of the story to pay attention to is Saturn’s mission in the relationship sign of Libra. The balance of relationship may be the secret storehouse that allows us to move forward into this Spring.

Saturn’s mission in Libra. As the earth teeters under the impact of natural and human actions, we need to cultivate relationship, not only with our fellow humans but with all beings, especially those from the realms of nature: the elementals, the green bloods, the mineral kingdoms, microbes, and animals. Saturn emphasizes the work we need to do. As it transits Libra, this work is around relationship. Relationships bring comfort, but they also bring struggle, the right kind of struggle that keeps us in balance with ourselves and the world. To be in relationship is to feel the pushback of the other. Aries wants to define the Self. That Self needs relationship in order to know its boundaries, obligations, and potential. Cultivating relationship with other beings requires listening to the other, acting with integrity within the relationship, and bringing a sense of deep enjoyment and gratitude to the relationship. I do not think this is airy, fairy stuff. I know that humans can and must be in relationship to rivers, air, trees, and birds. We must know our place in this world to be in balance with it.

The Full Moon is a time to realize the balance between Aries and Libra. At this time Saturn opposes Mars. Saturn grounds the Martian impulsivity. I want to pay attention to the military actions in Libya. If Mars represents the quick action to go to war, Saturn represents the cost and accountability of that action. Mercury moving retrograde reminds us that our first impressions are never enough. How do we consciously cultivate wisdom? All the firey energy of this month is cooled somewhat by the god of the oceans, as Neptune enters Pisces. Chiron and Venus, both in Pisces also, add to the soulful lure of dreaming, intuition, and emotions. Aries invites us to action. Pisces opens us to receptivity. This is another very important dynamic to pay attention to. Empathy is a necessary component to relationship. These planets encourage deeper, mystical connection.

Transits important to our stories.*
April 4 Neptune enters Pisces
April 6 Sun conjunct Jupiter 16°Aries
April 9 Pluto stations retrograde 7° Capricorn
April 9 Mercury (retrograde) conjunct Sun 19° Aries
April 11 Mars 7° Aries square Pluto 7° Capricorn
April 11 Mercury (retrograde) conjunct Jupiter 17° Aries
April 17 Full Moon 27° Libra
April 18 Mars 12° Aries opposite Saturn 12 Libra
April 19 Mercury (retrograde) conjunct Mars 13° Aries
April 20 Venus enters Aries
April 22 Venus conjunct Uranus 2° Aries
April 23 Mercury stations direct 12° Aries
April 27 Venus 7° Aries square Pluto 7° Capricorn
April 30 Venus 11° Aries opposite Saturn 11° Libra
April 30 Mars conjunct Jupiter 22° Aries

New Moon March 4, 2011: Swimming in two directions

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:06:00 +0000

I am noticing ambivalence. As I sit down to write about this next lunar cycle, I lose interest or get distracted by something else. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I am no longer in love with astrology. I am. My practice with astrology continues to anchor me in the qualities I want to have in my life—self-awareness, intentionality, and connection to Mystery. All that is still there, yet I am noticing right now that it seems like an effort to engage with what usually brings me joy and purpose. As I struggle with this, wondering where my inspiration is, it occurrs to me that this is the work of the month. My ambivalence is part of the natural cycle mirrored by astrology’s symbols.

Pisces is the starring energy of this New Moon. The constellation shows two fish, connected by a cord, swimming in different directions. Ambivalence, being pulled in two directions with no particular fire or heat to encourage one over the other, is a Pisces signal to tune into what we need on a more diffused level of consciousness. Water signs connect us to soul. The Pisces connection to soul develops a new sense of boundary, an ability to be aware of multiple levels and multiple points of view. Our souls need this connection and access to Mystery. Sometimes, even holding intention for what we want to manifest in our lives is inappropriate. Sometimes we are meant to drift in seemingly contrary directions.

Where will this drifting lead us? I wish I could say there were guarantees—that if we surrender to the soul’s longing and let go, we will always end up in a better place. This isn’t always true. Some of us get lost. [I am thinking about Charlie Sheen with Saturn and Chiron in Pisces in his natal chart.] For some, the return looks impossible. Yet this experience, so clothed in Mystery and unique purpose, cannot be judged by ordinary standards. These lines from a Rumi poem keeps surfacing for me:

So the sea-journey goes on, and who knows where!
Just to be held by the ocean is the best luck we could have. It's a total waking up!

On this sea journey, if we do not entirely lose ourselves, then we may find a balm for the soul in a secret place intended just for us. Only we can know that this medicine will restore us. No one else can tell. This month, it might look like we are escaping, wasting time, sleeping too much. It might look like we are depressed or isolating ourselves. It might look like losing direction and motivation. It could be any of these things, and it could be just the balm we need, the secret medicine that restores the soul. And here is the other scary thing—we might not know right away whether what we are feeling is all of these debilitating things or if it is the secret medicine, until we awaken on the other side of Pisces.

One thing I do know, and I’ve learned this from studying astrology, Spring’s renewal requires us to pay attention to the listless space before we are called back into purpose, will, and intention. We need a rest before we can know the next steps and muster the vital energy.

This month, the Piscean siren call to drift and dream will be punctuated by spikes of impulsivity and urgings to coalesce into responsibilities and burdens. What if we entertained the thought that the impulsivity and burdens will only create more unhappiness for us unless we also allow ourselves the sea journey into Mystery? What if we tried to hold everything and nothing all at once? Would it look or feel like two fish, tethered and swimming in different but somehow connected directions? I invite you to experiment with this consciousness this month.

Planet stories of the month. This New Moon chart shows Chiron, Mars, Sun, Moon, Mercury ,and Uranus spanning the entire sign. Chiron has been floating around the end of Aquarius and the beginning of Pisces for a year; now it will stay in this sign until 2018. The ingress of an outer planet into a sign calls our attention to this energy. Chiron, whose teachings are about healing, wisdom, and wounding, has a strong presence in this empathetic sign. Every time our hearts crack open, we are able to bring more connection and more healing to the world. Mars stays in Pisces for most of this month. When the warrior planet enters Aries on April 1, we may feel that spike of impulsivity and impatience. Along with that small spike, Uranus contributes its share of electricity when this planet finally enters Aries after cruising the cusp between Pisces and Aries for the past 9 months. I’ve written a lot about this transit in past months. See last month’s blog for one. The larger Pisces story involves Neptune, the modern ruler of Pisces. Neptune will also be transiting the zone between signs this next year —the cusp between Aquarius and Pisces. The last time Neptune entered its own sign was in 1847-48. We can look back at events of that time to make some assumptions about what Neptune may bring us this time. Interestingly, The Communist Manifesto was published in 1848. [Uranus was also in Aries at that time.] With the issue of unions featuring strongly in the news, perhaps we will see a resurgence of collective action. Coupled with the revolutionary energy of Uranus we may not see this issue go away anytime soon.

Saturn has been quietly occupying the middle degrees of Libra for the past few months, not making any major aspects with other planets. This changes as Jupiter moves into the middle degrees of Aries, opposing Saturn. The issues of selfhood vs. partnership will strengthen, especially at the Full Moon. Oppositions are actually great times to integrate qualities that support each other. If Saturn is calling us into more responsible relationships, Jupiter is asking us to know and assert ourselves well enough to encourage equal partnership in those relationships.

A few days after the Full Moon, the Sun enters Aries. The Aries Ingress chart set for Washington is a picture of what we can expect energetically in our country this Spring. The Sun is exactly conjunct Uranus in Aries, and the Moon is conjunct Saturn in Libra. This looks like a powerful opposition between forces of change and the forces that stand for balance and stability. Due to the more angular position of the Sun and Uranus, it looks like the forces of change will stronger. Energy, perhaps anxiety, mounts this month. But we still can recall the Piscean lure to let go, to rest, and to trust in an inner guidance system that makes no sense but knows more than we do about sea journeys. The month ends with another twist. Mercury in Aries turns retrograde. Traveling backwards may get us farther than we think.

Transits important to our stories.*
March 9 Mercury 29 Pisces conjunct Uranus
March 9 Mercury enters Aries
March 11 Uranus enters Aries
March 15 Mercury 11° Aries conjunct Jupiter
March 18 Mercury 15° Aries opposite Saturn 15° Libra
March 20 Sun enters Aries – the first day of Spring
March 21 Sun 0° Aries conjunct Uranus
March 26 Venus 29° Aquarius conjunct Neptune
March 27 Venus enters Pisces
March 28 Jupiter 14° Aries opposite Saturn 14° Libra
March 29 Venus 3° Pisces conjunct Chiron
March 30 Mercury stations retrograde 24° Aries
April 1 Mars enters Aries

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon February 2, 2011: Got a revolution, got to revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Sitting at my desk in Minnesota, snow quietly falling, creating a hush over everything, I can only imagine what being in the streets of Cairo must be like right now. As a woman of European descent, living a fairly privileged life, I can only wonder what the struggle for freedom means for one of the oldest cultures in the world. Our realities are separate; I know that. But we are also connected. There is a spirit to this uprising and a universal longing for justice in it, that I understand. Sometimes, images and sounds from half way across the world can reach across our differences and tell us about common dreams. In those times I begin to hope that change is possible. And even though the uprising in Egypt is inspiring, I send prayers that the struggle ends soon with peace and freedom instilled into their daily lives.

We live in revolutionary times. Astrological patterns of the moment support this. We are on the cusp of change. I choose to approach this change in the most conscious way I can, while learning my part in creating the world I dream of.

Being a revolutionary. I am not an expert, but it makes sense to me that the root of revolution must be in living an authentic life—whether that life is a quiet one tending the home and raising children; a public one of organizing and meetings; an interrupted life, when revolution is thrust upon us; or a confrontational, challenging life of asking hard questions and holding leaders accountable. There are many ways to be a revolutionary, but all of them include self-reflection so that we may know our true selves and our responsibility in making the world we dream about.

Perhaps there is a cosmic scale we are meant to weigh ourselves in. On one side we fill the scale with the answers to these questions: What is my authentic truth? How do I live in accordance with that truth? On the other side of the scale, these questions reside: What is the authentic truth of those who are not like me? How do I make room for or reach across the differences of other individuals, nationalities, races and classes, who are very different from me? When I shift awareness to another point of view, I see my own inherent contradictions and paradoxes more clearly. Knowing others leads me to knowing myself. Knowing myself, I become a revolutionary.

The New Moon in Aquarius invites us into a practice of self-knowledge and revolution. This lunar month begins with the electric energy of Aquarius—pouring forth a fountain of fresh ideas and inspiration. The lunar month ends with the release and reverie of Pisces filling our hearts and erasing divisions—needed balm for our souls.

The New Moon chart sets the pattern for this month. The Sun and Moon are conjunct Mars. Mars in Aquarius is the White Knight charging in to save the day, especially if the means of salvation can be novel and unexpected. This Mars has great zeal to instigate change. The grounding trine to Mars from Saturn will hopefully give us the focus we need to act effectively. The ruler of Aquarius, Uranus, is square to Venus. If Mars is the Knight, Venus is the Lady of Inspiration. The Star card in Tarot represents Aquarian inspiration pouring down. If that cup of inspiration has felt dry over the past few weeks, now it begins to flow with the anticipation of change coming our way.

The sky stories. Everything around us tells a story. The stars are no different. In fact, they are especially good at telling stories that reveal important things about being human. Every New Moon is an opportunity to re-story our lives inspired by the stars. Are you being moved to take heroic action? Do you long for change? Are you searching for your authentic truth? Are you ready for an outpouring of inspiration? The transits this month involving Mars tell a story about the hero of change, his challenges, lessons, and transformations as the energy of Aquarius gives way to Pisces near the end of this lunar cycle. The transits involving Venus are about inspiration, which deepens in the first part of the month and then at the end bursts from the overflowing cup when Venus enters Aquarius.

The shift from Aquarius to Pisces emphasizes taking ideas and inspirations from the head space to the heart space. The Full Moon on February 18 happens on the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces. Cusps are doorways holding equally what is passing and what is to come. This liminal space is a time to open consciousness—to feel the paradox that leads to illumination. Two squares are added to this energy, making it interesting and potent. Jupiter in Aries squares Pluto in Capricorn. Jupiter expands; Pluto reveals. This Full Moon has the potential to reveal secrets. The revelation contributes to the revolutionary energy of these times. Saturn in Libra squares Venus in Capricorn. This is the energy of deepening our source of inspiration. Every inspiration carries a responsibility to that beauty. Commitment creates possibility.

Next month, Uranus enters Aries for the next seven years. There will be no spectators; every one of us will all be called on to become revolutionaries. The stirrings of truth and self-knowledge we experience this month have the potential to teach us important things about this journey.

Transits important to our stories.*
February 3 Venus 29° Sagittarius sextile Chiron 29° Aquarius
February 3 Venus enters Capricorn
February 4 Sun conjunct Mars 15° Aquarius
February 6 Mars 17° Aquarius trine Saturn 17° Libra
February 6 Venus 2° Capricorn square Jupiter 2° Aries
February 8 Chiron enters Pisces
February 9 Venus conjunct Pluto 6° Capricorn
February 17 Sun conjunct Neptune 28° Aquarius
February 18 Full Moon 29° Aquarius
February 18 Venus 16° Capricorn square Saturn 16° Libra (mutual reception)
February 18 Sun enters Pisces
February 20 Mercury conjunct Mars 28° Aquarius
February 20 Mars conjunct Neptune 28° Aquarius
February 21 Mercury enters Pisces
February 22 Mercury conjunct Chiron 0° Pisces
February 22 Mars enters Pisces
February 24 Mars conjunct Chiron 1° Pisces
February 25 Jupiter 7° Aries square Pluto 7° Capricorn
March 1 Venus 29° Capricorn sextile Uranus 29° Pisces
March 1 Venus enters Aquarius
March 3 Mars 7° Pisces sextile Pluto 7° Capricorn

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These shifting relationships create the plotlines of our stories. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon January 4, 2011: Calling forth our brilliance

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:52:00 +0000

Readers will not get doom and gloom from my astrology forecasts. I don’t believe in being an alarmist. It isn’t very useful. The world hasn’t ended yet even though the end has been foretold many times. I like astrology because it helps me connect to a mysterious and engaging cosmos. If astrology isn’t about choice and co-creation, then I don’t want it. No doom and gloom from me. However, I can’t help noticing what interesting times are coming our way over the next two years. We have a huge opportunity to participate in the coming changes by living lives that support the changes we want to see happen.

With that thought in mind, it may be helpful for those of you who are fully participating in co-creating the Multiverse in conscious and brilliant ways, to know a few things that strike me as interesting about this month and the next year or so.

The New Moon on Jan. 4 is also a Solar Eclipse at 13 degrees Capricorn—exactly opposite the U.S. Sibley Sun. There are several birth charts for the United States. I use one that is known as the Sibley chart. [See the bi-wheel that represents the Sibley chart and current transits at the New Moon.] Eclipses to the Sun signal a reorientation of focus. The light goes out, and for a time, direction and purpose can be lost as well. However, the light returns, sometimes placing us on new, unforeseen paths. I wonder if we will experience something like this as a nation over the next few months?

The 112th Congress convenes the day after this eclipse. This Congress will be colored by the addition of newly-elected Tea Partiers. President Obama has tried to play the political game down the middle with questionable success. The country seems to be poised for boisterous expression of discontent. Economic injustice is shameful. No clear mandate for environmental protection is apparent. We are mired in war. OK, we know all this. I use astrology to help answer the question, “What is going on?” And with that insight to brainstorm the answer to, “What is the best response?”

This eclipse opposite the nation’s Sun is not the only influence of the moment. In fact, it may be the least significant one.

Pluto represents both corruption of power and the transforming use of power. In Capricorn since 2008, Pluto shows us where our hierarchies are dysfunctional. There is potential to reorganize how we handle the most basic survival issues. At this moment, Pluto is opposite the nation’s Jupiter in Cancer. Jupiter is an important guide for the country; this planet rules the Sibley chart. This Jupiter represents the national character of optimism, patriotism, even being a vanguard for freedom, although there may be a bit too much myth in this persona and not enough actual expression. Pluto takes the blinders off and exposes who we really are. The result could be a revitalization of national identity if we can accept reality.

Neptune represents the collective imagination—from the illusions that confuse us to the inspirations that guide us. Now, Neptune is transiting the exact degree of the nation’s Moon. The Moon represents the people in a nation’s chart. Have we been living in fantasy? During a Neptune transit, more goes on in the unconscious than in conscious awareness. Neptune is now moving away from this point after being there for the past year. I wonder what collective thoughts will be as we wake from this dream? Expression of dreams is a theme for the next 14 years as Neptune moves into Pisces in April.

Uranus represents revolution—the impulse to change and innovate. After being in Pisces for the last 7 years, Uranus also changes signs in March, moving into a very impulsive fire sign, Aries. But first, at this New Moon Uranus and Jupiter are co-joined at the end of Pisces while transiting an important dynamic in our nation’s chart: Neptune square Mars. This quality in the U.S. natal chart points to the fantasies we have around aggression and war. This transit from Uranus began in 2008. As it ends, there is potential to give up on war fantasies. However, since Uranus will be transiting into a more aggressive sign, there is a danger of more aggression. This is where personal intention to work with anger and finding solutions to conflict may help to influence others to choose peace over war. Individually, we are important.

Saturn represents our authority—where we have hard yet significant work to do. We are experiencing a Saturn Return this year, which happens every 30 years. At the New Moon, Saturn is at 16 degrees Libra, only two degrees from the “natal” position of 14 Libra at the birth of the U.S. We gain authority through diplomacy, since Libra is the sign of the peacemaker. The national chart shows Saturn—the authority of diplomacy—square to the Sun in Cancer—striving to protect homeland. Protectionism vs. the work of engaging in world relationships has been an important dynamic of our nation’s history. Interestingly enough, the exposure of diplomatic secrets from Wikileaks may be part of our reorientation towards being a more prominent force in the diplomatic world.

As far as major transits go for this year, Jupiter reentering Aries this month and staying until June when it moves into Taurus for a year, contributes to the same impulsive energy discussed with Uranus. On the plus side, we will have the energy we need to take action. For the first half of the year, we will initiate new actions, especially on behalf of asserting who we really are. When Jupiter moves into Taurus, the focus will be on sustaining any changes we have begun.

Looking ahead to the next major development in the cosmic cycles, in 2012 Uranus in Aries will square Pluto in Capricorn. This is the first opening square since these two revolutionary planets came together in the 1960s. There is good reason to believe that the choices we make this year will significantly impact the story of changing culture that is sure to emerge more strongly when the square between these two planets becomes exact.

A hopeful message. On Dec. 30, the New York Times published an article about a young, ingenious designer named Yves Behar [Yves Behar of Fuseproject on Design with Grand Ambitions] that inspired me.

Behar believes we are about to enter a second golden age of design like the one of the 50s and 60s. In the article, he says:
“Rather than succumbing to the brand message, people are very centered on the product and their expectations of what the product should deliver as far as relevance, technology, simplicity, sustainability and health.”

I like this realism that is also bringing forth beauty. Perhaps we can take inspiration from the idea that we are on the verge of new, pragmatic, yet beautiful solutions to the very real problems facing us. We’ve been waiting for this moment to step forward with brilliance and creativity. In what ways will you dare to be a conscious co-creator of this present moment? How will you contribute? January is a time when we make plans for the year. How will you embrace the challenges before us? What is your plan?

Transits important to our stories.*
January 4 Jupiter conjunct Uranus 27° Pisces
January 7 Sun 16° Capricorn square Saturn 16° Libra
January 10 Mercury 27° Sagittarius square Uranus 27° Pisces
January 11 Mercury 28° Sagittarius square Jupiter 28° Pisces
January 12 Mars 27° Capricorn sextile Uranus 27° Pisces
January 13 Mars 28° Capricorn sextile Jupiter 28° Pisces
January 17 Mercury 5° Capricorn conjunct Pluto
January 19 Full Moon 29° Cancer
January 22 Jupiter enters Aries
January 26 Saturn stations retrograde 17° Libra
January 26 Mercury 17° Capricorn square Saturn 17° Libra
February 2 Venus 28° Sagittarius square Uranus 28° Pisces
February 2 Mercury 28° Capricorn sextile Uranus 28° Pisces
*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon December 5, 2010: The Wheel is Turning

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:28:00 +0000

I’ve been thinking about wheels as the New Moon in Sagittarius approaches. These wheels are spinning to take us to new places. This month I’ll let a wheel be my guide. Stick with me, I’ll explain. The notion of the Wheel first arose during a class I teach about each sign and season of astrology. I draw from an assortment of symbols and correspondences to explore the deeper meaning of each of the twelve signs. One system I use is the Golden Dawn correspondences between Tarot and astrology. For this month, we explored the imagery of Temperance—the card that represents Sagittarius—and the Wheel of Fortune—the card that represents Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius.

The Wheel captures an essence of both the planet, which brings changes in fortune as well as the sign, which reflects the Sagittarian desire to travel to new horizons. The wheel is a mode of transportation and a reflection on the vagaries of fortune. The wheel is also a cosmological concept: the notion that all things occur in cycles. What goes up comes down. The wheel reminds us that every ending is also a beginning. The paradox of the wheel is the realization that even as we attempt to travel to new places both within and without, we still find ourselves returning to a place we’ve been before. The wheel describes karma, the zodiac, and the movement of life force. There is no escaping the wheel, however there is choice about how we ride it. This month the opportunities and frustrations of the wheel will perhaps be very apparent.

The edge of a spinning wheel is where the wildest ride happens. That’s where we experience the most extreme ups and downs. In the center, there’s a greater chance of remaining centered as the wheel spins around us. Like many, I enjoy a good ride from time to time; it can be fun to ride the rim of the wheel. With my own Sagittarian ascendant perhaps I think the wild ride will take me to another land, one rich for exploration. But sometimes, I also yearn to get off the merry-go-round and take a break from the crazy ride. There will be times to make both choices this month and times to notice which choice I am making.

Mercury is turning retrograde this month. This happens three times a year and so is not that significant in and of itself. However, this month it will be the only planet moving retrograde from December 8 when it stations retrograde till December 30 when it turns direct. Mercury will be the only retrograde planet and for some reason, I believe this may cause us to notice Mercury’s influence even more. When all the planets are moving direct, we also feel as if we are making progress, kind of like that notion that when we ride the wheel, we can get someplace new. But Mercury, the planet of travel, will have something to say about this. For every step forward, there may be another step back. A good sense of humor is so critical to tolerating Mercury’s antics of messing with our plans, our communications, and our sense of getting someplace. To cultivate mindfulness this month a good question to hold is: Am I riding the rim of the wheel or am I letting it spin around me? Another question: Why am I choosing this?

The New Moon chart shows Mercury exactly conjunct Pluto in Capricorn. This is a powerful beginning to a month of Mercury’s influence. Sometimes we overlook the importance that our thoughts and words have on creating reality. This month we have the opportunity to realize just how influential thoughts and words are. There is power in uncovering hidden assumptions. There is also a strong desire to uncover secrets of all kinds and tell them.

Uranus in Pisces. At the New Moon, Uranus, the last remaining retrograde planet for the moment, is stationing direct at 26° Pisces. Uranus is about to leave Pisces, where it has been since 2003. This spring, Uranus popped into the next sign, Aries, for a few weeks and then retrograded back into Pisces in mid-August. Uranus moves back into Aries in March 2011. So this last segment of time when Uranus is in Pisces is good for reflecting on its influence in this mutable water sign. When Uranus entered Pisces in 2003, I expected there would be revolutions in psychic experience. I thought we’d have technical advancement in our understanding of subtle energy. I expected innovations in how we experience the unity of all. Did we see any of this happen? Perhaps not overtly. However, I think the incredible popularity of Facebook is due to this particular transit. Facebook, a technological innovation (Uranus influence), changed culture and created a revolution in how people connect with each other. The site was launched in February 2004 and has a profound impact in the last few years. Needing to connect with others is an eternal requirement. Uranus has spurred us to embrace a new method. Pisces is a sign of emotion, of union, of sacrifice. Uranus’ revolutions in culture have occurred in these ways and for these reasons. Using this awareness, what can we imagine for the next stage of evolution as Uranus transits through the cardinal fire sign, Aries? Aries is a sign that needs action, individuation, and a sense of renewal. What is the next cultural innovation that will support these values? Stay tuned.

Another theme this month comes from Mars. This planet increases tension and reactivity as it joins Pluto in Capricorn right after the New Moon. Other significant contacts that Mars makes will be to the North Node of the Moon and a square to Saturn toward the end of December. The planet of will and desire reinforces Pluto’s impact on Capricornian values of accountability, responsibility, and authority. Fuses may be short and frustrations high. However, as the Winter Solstice draws us into the season of Capricorn, we can use this Mars/Pluto energy to reinforce where our strong values and high expectations lie. Can you feel the strength of your own authority?

There is a lunar eclipse on the Full Moon this month. The eclipse is in the final degree of Sagittarius, right before the Sun goes into Capricorn. In the chart for the Full Moon, we see that the Sun and Moon square a conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus. The final degrees of the mutable signs where all these planets are located represent the liminal state of a threshold. During this eclipse, which is visible throughout North America, we have a moment to reflect on the threshold—where we have been and where we desire to go next. At the threshold, the wheel pauses for a brief moment. For that moment, we can envision stepping off the wheel to gain perspective. Let’s take the moment to see into our hearts and into the wonders of the world around us. Let’s take a moment to pause on the spinning wheel to realize our true selves and what really matters.

It really isn’t true that as we ride the wheel we never get to anywhere new. If we arrive at the same place we’ve been before, but with new awareness, then we ourselves are new. New possibilities arise as the wheel goes on and on.

Transits important to our stories.*
December 5 Mercury conjunct Pluto 4° Capricorn
December 5 Uranus stations direct 26° Pisces
December 7 Mars enters Capricorn
December 10 Mercury stations retrograde 5° Capricorn
December 10 Mercury (r) 5° Capricorn sextile Venus 5° Scoprio
December 11 Mars conjunct North Node 2° Capricorn
December 13 Mercury (r) conjunct Pluto 4° Capricorn
December 13 Mars conjunct Pluto 4° Capricorn
December 13 Mercury (r) conjunct Mars 4° Capricorn
December 18 Mercury (r) reenters Sagittarius
December 18 Sun 26° Sagittarius square Uranus 26° Pisces
December 19 Sun conjunct Mercury (r) 28° Sagittarius
December 20 Mercury (r) sextile Chiron 27° Aquarius
December 20 Mercury (r) square Uranus 26° Sagittarius
December 20 Mercury (r) sextile Neptune 26° Aquarius
December 21 Lunar Eclipse 29° Gemini
December 21 Sun enters Capricorn
December 21 Mercury (r) 25° Sagittarius square Jupiter 25° Pisces
December 26 Sun conjunct Pluto 5° Capricorn
December 29 Mars 16° Capricorn square Saturn 16° Libra
December 30 Mercury stations direct 19° Sagittarius

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Quincunx - perplexing

New Moon November 6, 2010: Soul Medicine

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:58:00 +0000

I write this the day after the mid-term election 2010. TV commentators tell us that this election proves that a “new” political force is moving through our country. If you are like me and thought the Rally to Restore Sanity/and or Fear was a brilliant analysis of current times, then it is hard to not despair after this election. For many of us, we do not see this new political force as anything new at all. It looks a lot like the same old hatred, fear, and greed. Yet these old motivations are wrapped in the cloak of new for now. In the midst of this despair, I wonder what response invites clarity, joy, and an open-mind. I use my tools of astrology to see things around me and within me with clear eyes. With this insight I form my intentions. Currently, I wonder how to respond to what is going on in my country. On one hand, I do not want to be enticed into the whirlpools of fear and hatred myself, yet on the other, I want to be willing to respond to possible danger or trends in our culture that could lead to violence and injustice. We walk such fine lines every day. Now is no different.

Perhaps I am looking for clarity and detachment—air is the ally of these qualities. Currently, Saturn in the air sign of Libra provides relentless reminders that we need the clarity that comes from a sense of equilibrium. Neptune and Chiron in another air sign, Aquarius, create a longing for clarity but the nature of these planets makes it difficult to achieve.

We may need this air but where we are right now at the New Moon in Scorpio is in a state of water. If I desire the clarity of air but am immersed in the flow of water, my instincts tell me to dive deeper into the water, to be present to those lessons. We are in a season of strong water; emotional currents run heavy now. These currents can incite reactivity and heightened fear. Yet, water, especially the water of Scorpio, pulls us down into soul where our fears no longer create separation and blame but reunite us in compassion. Scorpio invites us to move down and through our fears to the other side. On the other side, I believe it is possible to find the air of reason.

How do we move down and through to soul? I turn to James Hillman’s definition of soul in A Blue Fire, “By soul I mean, first of all, a perspective rather than a substance, a viewpoint toward things rather than a thing itself… soul … refers to that unknown component which makes meaning possible, turns events into experiences, is communicated in love, and has a religious concern.”

Makes meaning possible. Feelings matter. Perhaps fear is the deepest emotion of all and is the emotion that causes the most problems for us. However, fear is part of soul. Fear when it is denied or projected onto others is an attempt to protect ourselves. Yet, emotions like fear, grief, and also joy and love make meaning possible. Emotions invite us into the water; a common response is to keep our distance, looking only at the reflections on the surface, to be either repelled by the water or to see exterior things as the cause of those feelings. In order to retrieve soul, we must see beyond the surface to find personal meaning and cause.

Turning events into experiences. Things happen; sometimes really hard things. With emotional self-awareness, we also learn to grow our capacity for compassion. Things happen to other people too. Every one of us is more alike than different, yet outside the soul-level, we emphasize the differences. In water we merge.

Is communicated in love. Fortunately, it isn’t a big leap to realize that love is the communicator of soul. Profound, healing, mysterious—love is the ultimate language of the ultimate, which is soul.

Has a religious concern. Our souls matter too. The word religion evolved from words meaning to relink, to tie back together. We can think of this as relinking to Mystery, to divine source, and to Soul. Our spiritual lives depend on remembering our souls.

To move down and through into soul is to swim in waters of deep meaning, to abandon projection of fears, to cherish our hearts that feel love, and to know that this work relinks us to our spiritual selves. This month, soul work promises such growth.

Venus is our guide for the soul work of this season. Venus has been retrograding through Scorpio. Last month, I wrote about this Venus retrograde and the journey of Inanna. Each step in this journey brings more depth leading to more clarity.

The steps are:
Venus entered Scorpio on September 8.
Stationed retrograde at 13° Scorpio on October 7
Disappeared from the evening sky on October 20
Arrived at a conjunction with the Sun on October 28 at 5° Scorpio
At the New Moon on November 5 Venus is at 0° Scorpio – a potent degree for any sign.
On November 7 two important things happen in this cycle. Venus is still moving retrograde, but now can be seen as the Morning Star, while at the same time is reentering the sign of Libra. Venus rules Libra, she exemplifies beauty and balance in that sign. She guides soul to clarity.
On November 18, a few days before the Full Moon, Venus stations direct at 27° Libra.
On November 29 Venus reenters Scorpio, this time moving direct. Venus spends a lengthy bit of time in this sign, moving into Sagittarius on January 8, 2011.

More Venus connections. The New Moon on November 6 (EDT) occurs at 13° Scorpio, the same degree at which Venus stationed retrograde. The Full Moon on November 21, shows Venus at her stationary degree of 27° Libra and at the apex of an aspect configuration called a Yod. A Yod configuration forces us to integrate paradox. The paradox of this particular Yod involves the revolutionary forces of Jupiter conjunct Uranus and the stabilizing forces of the Moon in Taurus. Venus, strongly motivated to find the balance point between these two urges, encourages us to develop and use our skills of diplomacy and fairness.

Other energies and elements. Mars is in the fire sign, Sagittarius, all month lending us energy to push past old boundaries—learning new truths and defending our truths. At the end of this lunar month, Mars will square Uranus, perhaps reaching the breaking point in tolerance.

Jupiter and Uranus have both retrograded back into Pisces after a short time of energizing revolutionary desires while in Aries. They will both return to Aries (Jupiter in February 2011 and Uranus in March 2011), so expect more fiery passion next Spring. While still in Pisces, these two planets invite us to dream big and to realize how emotional connections feed these dreams.

Pluto and the North Node of the Moon are conjunct in Capricorn at the Full Moon. Pluto always points to our evolutionary edge, but even more so at this time. That edge involves uncovering the shadows of that which rules us – governments, businesses, economic systems. There is deep dissatisfaction in the world concerning these institutions. We are at a moment of realizing how much is broken and what we need to do to start repairing and revitalizing these systems.

I like the idea of soul work leading to clarity. I plan to keep that thought in mind as I open myself to feelings, both fearful and joyous this month.

Other dates to note this lunar month. *
Venus transits are listed above.
November 6 Mercury 25° Scorpio square Neptune 25° Aquarius
November 6 Mercury 26° Scorpio square Chiron 26° Aquarius
November 7 Neptune stations direct 25° Aquarius
November 15 Mars 13° Sagittarius sextile Saturn 13° Libra
November 18 Sun 25° Scorpio square Neptune 25° Aquarius
November 18 Sun 26° Scorpio square Chiron 26° Aquarius
November 18 Jupiter stations direct 23° Pisces
November 18 Venus stations direct 27° Libra
November 20 Mercury conjunct Mars 17° Sagittarius
November 21 Full Moon 29° Taurus
November 29 Mars 23° Sagittarius square Jupiter 23° Pisces
December 2 Mars 26° Sagittarius sextile Neptune 26° Aquarius
December 3 Mars 26° Sagittarius sextile Chiron 26° Aquarius
December 3 Mars 26° Sagittarius square Uranus 26° Pisces
*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – perplexing

New Moon October 7, 2010: This World and the Other

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:56:00 +0000

If this world were a tree, then the other world would be the roots—
the part of the plant we can’t see, but that puts the sap into the tree’s veins.

    The other world feeds this tangible world—
    the world that can feel pain, that can eat and drink, that can fail;
    the world that goes around in cycles; the world where we die.

The other world is what makes this world work.
And the way we help the other world continue
    is by feeding it with our beauty.
Martin Prechtel, Saving the Indigenous Soul

This is the time of year in the northern hemisphere when we become aware of the other world of the dead—that other world which feeds our own. The shift from life to death in the plant world reminds us of this “other world that makes this world work.” This other is world in inhabited by our dead.

We owe our ancestors a debt. Every one of us breathing and living on this beautiful earth is here because our ancestors brought us here. The debt is not about guilt or shame. It is not about being incapable of repaying them for the gift of life. No, this debt is actually about joy—a prayer of gratitude that heals guilt and shame and renews our rightful place in this amazing dance of life. I love what Martin Prechtel is saying above, “the way we help the other world continue is by feeding it with our beauty.” To be in obligation to the unseen world of our ancestors is to be obligated to create and give away beauty. Drink in that thought. Do you have a reaction? What are you noticing? Do you have the opinion that you don’t create beauty, or that others do a much better job? Shame creeps in around the corners when we try to compare ourselves to others, when we denigrate our capacity to create beauty. We give away our rightful relationship to the unseen world when we convince ourselves that we cannot create beauty or that our beauty is somehow less than others’. Perhaps self-doubt is a cop out. Perhaps the ancestors are waiting for us to step up and move past paralyzing shame. What if this debt really was an invitation to experience life more deeply, more joyfully, more ecstatically? What if we really can feed the other world with the beauty we create?

The energies of this next moon cycle invite such intentions. The New Moon of October 7 is an invitation to experience the depth of the ancestral world and to renew a commitment to beauty. At this time Venus is standing stationary in the sunset sky as the Evening Star. Venus turns retrograde on October 8, moving quickly from view on October 20 and then appears as the Morning Star before sunrise on November 7. The retrograde cycle lasts till November 18. Venus remains the Morning Star until June 21, 2011. This Venus cycle of alternating between the morning and evening sky and of disappearing from the sky for a period of time in between relates to the myth of the Sumerian goddess, Inanna. To the Sumerians, the planet Venus was their goddess. Stories about Inanna are reflected in Venus’ own patterns in the sky. The disappearance of Venus relates to Inanna’s story of visiting her sister Erishkegal in the underworld.

Not only is Venus/Inanna poised to repeat this journey at this time but Venus is also in the sign of Scorpio and conjunct Mars. Scorpio, the sign of death, money, sex and power invites us to the depths. Mars, the co-ruler of Scorpio, perhaps fills the role of Inanna’s lover, Dumuzi, the green god of the blooming desert. The relationship between these two dieties speaks about the fertile power of sex. Astrologically, Mars conjunct Venus creates potency for this moment. Something vital is being created during all the Mars transits this month.

In the myth, we aren’t told why Inanna chooses to take the journey into the underworld. However, one of the gifts of this place is regeneration. Perhaps, she was depleted, soul weary, as many of us are right now as we are faced with more stress and uncertainty than usual. As Venus stations, I, along with her, am poised to take a journey into the unknown that may also offer new strength and regeneration for soul and body. When I consider that the underworld is the home of my ancestors and allies who feed the living world, I am encouraged to ask for healing for the burdens that weigh on me.

Asking is not enough. There is a debt that we owe our ancestors and they ask for gifts of beauty. The New Moon is in Libra. The symbol of the Scales stands for harmony, balance, and justice. The beauty that Libra invokes is the beauty of responsibility—of engagement with others to find the diplomatic point of balance where we coexist in harmony and recognize our need for each other. The give and take of relationship, just like our relationship with the hidden world, restores balance. What does balance feel like to you? What do you need to do, whether it is related to spiritual practice, physical health, or living in integrity, to create more balance in your life? Since Saturn is also in Libra for the next two years, we have the opportunity to hone our skills of balance and relationship. I believe doing this work is the beauty that our ancestors require of us.

The chart for the New Moon shows an interesting pattern. Every planet is paired with another planet, and in the case of Pluto, paired with an important point, the North Node of the Moon. The Sun and Moon are conjunct as they always are at a new moon. Saturn is paired with Mercury, Mars with Venus, Neptune with Chiron, and Jupiter with Uranus. How fascinating that the New Moon in the sign of relationship shows us six distinct pairings! Are you drawn to any particular group? Are any of these pairs transiting your chart at this time? These relationships are: Jupiter/Uranus – the relationship of revolution, Neptune/Chiron – the relationship of mysticism, Pluto/Node – the relationship of destiny, Mars/Venus – the relationship of creativity, Sun/Moon – the relationship of relationships, Saturn/Mercury – the relationship of intellect.

The Full Moon occurs in the last degree of Libra. This is the second Full Moon in Libra this year, a somewhat unusual occurrence. The theme of relationship, balance, and beauty continues. At this time Chiron, the wounded shaman/healer, is stationing direct square to Mars. Venus is gone from the sky. We may be feeling the challenge of the journey to the underworld. When Inanna journeyed there, she had to give up every piece of status and identity in order to reach the core of her being. Chiron transits can feel like such shamanic initiations where we are dismantled in order to be put back together with a new connection to a healing source. Perhaps we all need to become healers at this time in our world. When I am feeling particularly challenged, the best source of strength for me is the thought that the experience helps me to be more connected with others who are also suffering. That connection, like the debt we owe our ancestors, creates beauty and healing.

Dates important to our stories: *
October 8 Venus stations retrograde 13° Scorpio
October 8 Mercury conjunct Saturn 8° Libra
October 20 Mercury enters Scorpio
October 20 Mars 24° Scorpio trines Jupiter 24° Pisces
October 22 Mars 25° Scorpio squares Neptune 25° Aquarius
October 22 Mars 26° Scorpio squares Chiron 26° Aquarius
October 22 Full Moon 29° Aries/Libra
October 23 Sun enters Scorpio
October 24 Mars 27° Scorpio trines Uranus 27° Pisces
October 25 Mercury conjunct Venus (retrograde) 7° Scorpio
October 28 Sun conjunct Venus (retrograde) 5° Scorpio
November 1 Venus (retrograde) 3° Scorpio sextiles Pluto 3° Capricorn
November 5 Chiron stations direct 26° Aquarius

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – perplexing

New Moon September 8, 2010: Summer's End

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:06:00 +0000

It’s closet cleaning time. The end of Summer, always has me looking longingly at closet organizing catalogs. Can a perfectly organized closet really bring happiness? Oh probably not, but perhaps it can help to ease the tension that this time of year brings. This is the Virgo tension— a nagging sense that I must put all in order. Something really important depends on it. Like the maniacal squirrels running around my neighborhood, I am impelled to rush about hoping that I can get ready for the change in season.

I know an organized closet is not a substitute for what this season is really about, but it is tempting to think that if I could just have a place for everything and everything in its place, then I’d be ready to accept the Fall and coming Winter with grace and ease. I’d be really ready. If a clean closet doesn’t actually create that readiness for what’s ahead, then what does? Seeking the answer to that question is a good intention for this New Moon in Virgo.

Each season has three parts, three months, three signs that mirror for us internal and external realities. These three parts are called the modalities in astrology. They are Cardinal—season’s beginning, Fixed—season’s middle, and Mutable—season’s end. The Sun and Moon join together on September 8 in the Mutable sign of Virgo at Summer’s end. Understanding and integration are the key purposes of each Mutable sign. (The word integration comes from a Latin word that means renewal.) At season’s end, we do whatever is necessary to put away the past and prepare for the future. And we can’t simply forget about what has happened, we must find the wisdom, value, and purpose of those things. Each Mutable sign (there are four, one for each element) has its own methods of doing that. Virgo uses the Earth element. Earth specializes in the physical realm; hence Virgo understanding comes bound with physical practices and manifestations. The more maniacal I feel about cleaning my closet, the more aware I am that I probably need to focus on other Virgo values like balance in mind and body, as well as spiritual and physical practices that keep me centered and grounded. Even though Virgo is an earth sign, there is a definite mental component to Virgo’s energy. All the Mutable signs are learners and synthesizers. So, even though I will benefit from using my body to integrate the lessons of summer, I still have a sense that I must spend some time in contemplation as well.

The Hermit is the Tarot card that stands for the sign of Virgo. This image from the Thoth deck captures a vital Virgo idea. Take the wisdom of this season, the light in his hand, and go deeper into understanding. The planets have conspired this last season to give us lots to think about. Many profound shifts are happening. Although some of the transits are over, the impact is still coming, I think.

Lessons of Summer to integrate

Saturn in Libra square Pluto in Capricorn—These planets challenge us to take on hard issues. Ecological disaster, economic injustice, and religious intolerance are just some of important issues we must confront. On a personal level, people with planets or important points at the beginning of any Cardinal sign are having profound experiences. Now is a time for life-defining choices. It is particularly important for you to find ways to integrate the changes happening in your life.
Uranus conjunct Jupiter in Aries—The ingress into Fire sign, Aries, signals a deep impatience with the status quo. Both of these planets retrograde back into Mutable Water for the fall and winter. I find myself trying to integrate my spiritual values into my desire for change. Water gives us wisdom on an emotional level. This will be an important skill to have on hand when Jupiter and Uranus go back into Aries (Jupiter in January 2011 and Uranus in March 2011).

Mercury retrograde—Mercury is stationing direct at this New Moon. It’s been traveling through Virgo, a sign it has special affinity for. Mercury will have passed through the same degrees of Virgo three times when this retrograde journey is finally complete on September 27. This particular retrograde cycle is challenging us to take our time in truly integrating the experiences of Summer. It won’t come right away, we’ll have to dig a little deeper and perhaps rely a little more on faith that understanding and completion will come.

Fall’s beginning. The Mercury retrograde lesson of patience comes in handy as we begin a new season. A new season begins. This is an excellent time to set new intentions. However, it is important to give the integration time of Virgo complete attention before we move into the Fall. Skipping over integration often means we will have to go over those lessons again in the future.

The Full Moon comes just hours after the Sun goes into Libra – also known as Fall Equinox. Astrologers use the seasonal charts, known as the ingress charts, set for a country’s capital as a way to forecast the fortunes of that country during the season. In this Ingress Chart set for Washington D.C. I am noticing that the angles (Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven and Nadir) are in Mutable signs. In the last two ingress charts of Spring and Summer, the angles have been in Cardinal signs. This signals that change is coming. Perhaps it will be the Republican Party gaining control of the Congress, or perhaps a new revitalization of President Obama’s influence. The 10th house of this chart represents the President. There we find Uranus, Jupiter and the Moon in Pisces. If Obama is going to revitalize his message, he will have to tap into a spiritual force, a collective consciousness, much like he did during his inauguration.

The tension in the Equinox chart also shows up in the Full Moon chart. We again have the Cardinal t-square configuration that was prevalent this Summer. This is the last time that Pluto/Saturn/Uranus and Jupiter will align with the Sun and Moon. (The December 21 Lunar Eclipse will include all these planets in a t-square but without Saturn.) The Fall continues to be an important time for dealing with big shifts and difficult problems.

Neptune is again conjunct Chiron in this chart. These two have been traveling together for some time. Underneath the drama of the Cardinal t-square, we are gathering medicine to respond to our world with spiritual insight and empathy.

From September 19 through the 30th, the Sun comes into aspect with every outer planet – Jupiter through Pluto. This period of time will give us important insight into the changes that are before us. The first part of October, Mercury will also come into aspect with the same outer planets. A good inquiry is: What do we think? What is our understanding? How do we express ourselves?

Venus and Mars in Scorpio. Another important ingredient to the season is the ingress of Venus and Mars into Scorpio. With this transit we have the opportunity to travel deeply into the psyche. At the next New Moon on October 7 Venus will be stationing retrograde for a journey through Scorpio and Libra. We may feel a closer connection to the world of our beloved dead. We may need to uncover hidden truths. We will benefit from being ruthlessly honest with ourselves. I’ll write more about the Venus retrograde journey next month.

Knowing that I have a lot to integrate this month and some indications that this integration requires patience and time, I am vowing to be gentle with myself. If a cleaner closet helps to alleviate stress, then what a gift! Perhaps cleaning my desk will bring enlightenment. You never know.

Dates important to our stories: *

September 8 Venus enters Scorpio
September 8 Jupiter re-enters Pisces
September 12 Mercury stations direct at 5° Virgo
September 13 Pluto stations direct 2° Capricorn
September 14 Mars enters Scorpio
September 18 Jupiter conjunct Uranus 28° Pisces
September 19 Sun 26° Virgo quincunx Neptune 26° Aquarius
September 19 Sun 26° Virgo quincunx Chiron 26° Aquarius
September 21 Sun 28° Virgo opposite Jupiter 28° Pisces
September 21 Sun 28° Virgo opposite Uranus 28° Pisces
September 22 Sun enters Libra – Fall Equinox
September 23 Full Moon 0° Aries
September 25 Sun 2° Libra square Pluto 2° Capricorn
September 30 Sun conjunct Saturn 7° Libra
October 1 Mercury 26° Virgo quincunx Neptune 26° Aquarius
October 1 Mercury 26° Virgo quincunx Chiron 26 ° Aquarius
October 1 Mercury 27° Virgo opposite Jupiter 27° Pisces
October 2 Mercury 28° Virgo opposite Uranus 28° Pisces
October 3 Venus conjunct Mars 12° Scorpio
October 5 Mercury 2° Libra square Pluto 2° Capricorn

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – perplexing

New Moon August 9, 2010: Precious Fire, Flame of Self

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:57:00 +0000

The New Moon of August 9 is in the Fixed Fire sign – Leo. Fire is both the teacher and precious resource we celebrate this month. Fire and life are connected. Although fire alone may not sustain life, without fire there is no life.

Fire is the most vulnerable element. I learned this lesson from my teacher, Cynthea Jones. She writes, “Fire is a showy and admired element. Yes, we marvel at all the elemental forces: the wild wind before a storm, the fierce rain, the vast ocean, the mountains – the elements in their states of grandeur. But fire, just a simple fire, draws us to it. The elegance of a candle flame, the compelling warmth of a fireplace; fire is an admired element and… It is so insecure. Fire is dependent. It must be fed.” [Seasons of the Soul]. I’m feeling the need for fire this month. Perhaps the most meaningful exploration I can make right now is to note the state of my internal fires and create ways to tend those flames.

What is this fire? “Leo is the piece of us that craves recognition. It is the creative fire within us.”[Jones]. Leo is ruled by the Sun. Everyone’s Sun, whether in the sign of Leo or not, craves what Leo craves—to matter to others, to share our gifts. Without this fire, we lose our sense of purpose. And even if we haven’t lost our sense of purpose altogether, without the energy of fire, if feels as if we are creeping along, barely managing, about to give up.

Fire is a good antidote for depression. A real remedy for the blues is to sit in the Sun for a few hours a day. We need that light. The joy of Leo’s creative, playful energy also relieves stress. With the state of the world these days and the stress of the Cardinal transits of Pluto, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter, it is important to collect all the sunlight we can. What is the state of your internal fires? How will you tend these vulnerable flames?

In our culture, we disdain as selfish or needy any notion that we should be important. From early age, we are taught that we should be ashamed of our desire to be recognized. We learn to be afraid of ego and therefore have a hard time knowing what a healthy ego is or how to cultivate one. Therefore, whenever I make an intention to tend my own flames, I immediately experience all kinds of resistance—from the thought, “This is unimportant,” to “How dare I take time for myself.” Whenever resistance gets particularly strong, that is hint that I am about to make a breakthrough, if I persist. Remember that this month.

The mystery of Leo’s fire is that there is enough for everyone. The Sun is enormous and generous. When I shine, I allow others to shine as well. Fire feeds fire. This is not a selfish act. We need inspiration. We need the glow of many flames to help us shift the world into a more loving, balanced, and joyful place for all of us. Leo’s fire is essential.

As we commit to tending the fire of our essential worth, the ebb and flow of planetary influence adds to the journey.

At the New Moon, the Cardinal t-square that I wrote about last month is still very strong. Perhaps you are experiencing these transits personally as a time when the stakes are high, when you really want to make the right decisions and fear that you may not. For these times, the Leo Sun is especially important. Playful, joyful, creative energy is vital right now.

The Lovers Dance. At the New Moon we see Venus and Mars almost conjunct in the sign of relationship—Libra. Their near conjunction is important because they join Saturn there too. It is as if the Lovers come to bless Saturn’s task of bringing recommitment to relationship. Venus and Mars come together exactly on August 20 but the interesting thing is that Venus does not sprint ahead of Mars as it usually would since Venus usually moves much faster than Mars. Instead, Venus hovers around the same degrees as Mars until early October when Venus will turn retrograde and finally move away from her lover. I wonder what this energy will bring? Both Mars and Venus contribute to the creative process. The Lovers do a tantalizing dance with us for the next two months. How does desire feed you creatively?

Three times a year, Mercury turns retrograde. It will station retrograde a few days after the New Moon in the sign of Virgo. Mercury rules this sign and I expect that after adjusting for new thoughts, communication styles, and ways of processing information, this retrograde journey will strengthen our capacity to use Virgo discernment in our lives. However, while Mercury travels backwards from August 20 to September 12, we may be surprised at how hard it is to make this adjustment. When I welcome Mercury retrograde periods as a time to learn new ways to think, I am able to enjoy them. Laughter feeds the flame. Mercury retrogrades are a good time to laugh at ourselves.

The 10 of Swords. There is a card in the Waite Smith Tarot deck that is so dire and so melodramatic, I have to laugh when I draw it. It shows a man with 10, count them, 10 swords in his back. Yikes. We can think of the final square between Saturn and Pluto this month as a good representation of this type of energy. Yes, things suck. But really, do we need another sword in our backs to tell us that? Some astrologers say this aspect between Pluto and Saturn, which began last November, is the cause of our terrible economy. I think of this transit as a time when things get very real, the stakes are very high, and we have the opportunity to reframe how we see things like wealth, authority, and responsibility. Embrace the possibilities.

The Full Moon happens right after the Sun enters Virgo. The transition from Leo to Virgo is interesting. From the healthy expression of ego and pride to the healthy expression of humility and service, these signs are compliments to each other—a lesson in how we need to be many things in order to be whole. After two weeks of tending our creative fire, the energy shifts to putting our gifts to work. At this Full Moon, we can sense that fall is around the corner. We get ready for a shift in focus. For some of us it will be a return to school. For others, a need to get our lives and homes in order for coming winter. Perhaps for all the season of Virgo will be a time for planning how to serve our bigger dreams. Tending the flame of self will provide a garden ripe with fruit. The goal will be to harvest the bounty and move with clarity and discernment into the future.

Dates important to our stories: *

August 9 Venus 3° Libra squares Pluto 3° Capricorn
August 16 Jupiter 2° Aries opposite Saturn 2° Libra
August 20 Venus conjunct Mars 13° Libra
August 20 Mercury stations retrograde 19° Virgo
August 21 Saturn 2° Libra square Pluto 2° Capricorn
August 23 Sun enters Virgo
August 24 Full Moon
September 3 Sun conjunct Mercury retrograde 10° Virgo

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – perplexing

New Moon July 11, 2010: Can I get a witness?

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 22:16:00 +0000

So the sea-journey goes on, and who knows where?
Just to be held by the ocean is the best luck
we could have. It's a total waking up!

Why should we grieve that we've been sleeping?
It doesn't matter how long we've been unconscious.

We're groggy, but let the guilt go.
Feel the motions of tenderness
around you, the buoyancy.

By Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

In honor of this Cancer New Moon, which is also a Solar Eclipse, I want to invoke water. My dictionary offers this definition: invoke - to call in prayer or as a witness. Yes, that is about right—prayer and witness. I want to pray with and for water and I want to be a witness for water, water in me and around me. I want to witness how water teaches, how water behaves, how water gives. I want to witness how the water in me also teaches, flows, and gives. Water is precious. It is important to be aware of, to witness in fact, how we treat water. I also believe that our capacity to identify with water and to be in relationship with water will determine the quality of our lives in the world we are creating. If we can invoke in prayer and witness the wonder of water, we will enhance our ability to live sustainably on this earth in joy and compassion. It is that important.

I want to invoke water and I am frustrated by this medium of writing. Instead I want to sit beside water and listen. I want to lie down and travel into the water of my own cells. I want to feel the weight of the organs in my body and the rhythm of my pulse as blood flows through my veins. I want to smell rain and taste spring water flowing from the ground. I want to sit silently by the ocean and weep. This Cancer Moon pulls on me like the tides. I want to “feel the buoyancy,” as the poet Rumi has written. So I invoke and offer this invocation to you. How will you witness water?

A Solar Eclipse is an opportunity to release old ways of seeing and open to the next way of seeing. The opportunity to awaken is always present, yet eclipses can give us an extra push. I’ve noticed that life seems more intense lately. The stakes seem higher. That can create stress but also excitement. What new leaps of consciousness are coming? How can we live the lives we long to live? How amazing will the dream become? All of these feelings and thoughts become an invocation as well. What will you allow to happen next in your life?

The Sun and Moon come together at 19° Cancer at this New Moon. The only aspect they make is an encouraging sextile to Mars in Virgo. Three planets in Virgo, the sign of holistic healing, support intentions for bringing order and health into our lives. Mars helps us to act on the New Moon intentions. Saturn is finishing its two and a half year transit of Virgo. (Due to retrograde motion, Saturn entered Libra in October 2009 and went back into Virgo in April 2010.) We can look back over Saturn’s transit through Virgo to see the ways we have responded to the lessons of this sign. Healing has been one of them.

Venus and Chiron. The third planet in Virgo is Venus. Venus helps us to soften the hard edges, to invite in beauty. Venus is opposing Chiron, the shaman and healer, at 0° Pisces. On May 3 astrologer Mary Plumb wrote beautifully about Chiron’s entry into Pisces on the same day of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, “April 20 was Chiron’s entry into Pisces, the day of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. Chiron is the shamanic journey, the wisest teacher, and the traveler out of ordinary time. Pisces’s greatest strength is to open the doors of perception, and, if conditions are lined up, can bring a glimpse of interconnectedness.” She went on to wonder what this wound on the ocean’s floor has to teach us. Venus touches this wound. Aphrodite, Venus’s Greek counterpart was birthed in sea foam. Again, it seems that the question, “How will we witness water?” is important to what we need to learn at the moment. Venus is the teacher. This goddess offers us a heartfelt response to immense pain. Perhaps it is time to “let the guilt go” so we are free to act.

The planets and their dance become the co-conspirators of our intentions. The dance this month continues to build on the lessons of the t-square of planets at the beginning of Cardinal signs.

The Cardinal t-square with Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto. A t-square is a powerful triangle of planets occurring in 3 out of the 4 signs in the same modality (Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable). A grand cross fills in the missing sign and so may provoke a resolution of tension or may simply add another element of stress. We begin the month with a t-square that will be filled in by the transiting Moon in Cancer the evening of August 6. Throughout the month, we will feel the building momentum of this energy, which may climax in the first week of August.

To recap the energies of these transits:
Saturn opposite Uranus. These two have been opposing each other since November 2008 from the Mutable signs, Virgo and Pisces. Finally, this very long-lasting transit will complete this month when both will be at 0° of Cardinal signs. Uranus in Aries and Saturn in Libra. Essentially we are being asked to integrate revolution with responsibility, not an easy tightrope to walk.

Pluto in Capricorn. Since 2008 Pluto has been uncovering dysfunction in our systems of business and finance. Infrastructure seems to be crumbling. In spite of fear, true healing and power will emerge. Our work is to be ready to transform.

Jupiter in Aries. Jupiter moves more quickly than the other planets in the t-square but has a great ability to inflate experiences. Jupiter entered Aries in June and will station retrograde exactly square to Pluto on July 23. This is a time for transformative action.

The Full Moon on July 25 will be one of several crescendos this month. In addition to the t-square, there are two other configurations called Yods in the chart for the Full Moon. An apex of a Yod points to a planet that is under stress to understand the incomprehensible. One apex is the Sun; the other is Chiron. Full Moons are usually illuminating; this one may be even more so. Chiron points to shamanic healing lessons. The Sun to lessons about purpose and life-force. In addition to the two Yods, another configuration called a Mystic Rectangle is forming. This involves the Sun and Moon opposition forming encouraging sextiles to the Jupiter/Uranus and Saturn opposition. A Mystic Rectangle was described by Dane Rudyhar as a symbol for "practical mysticism". The feeling is that the stressful opposition of Uranus and Saturn is getting help from the Sun and Moon to bring resolution or understanding.

When Mars enters Libra on July 29, the planet of action and reaction will join in with the energies of the t-square, culminating with a square with Pluto on August 3. Libra is the sign of diplomacy. Mars is often the planet of war. Tension may arise from those diverse impulses.

The perhaps tempestuous month ends with Venus moving into Libra, a sign of rulership for the planet of harmony. Waves calm a bit, although Venus is no pushover. After a month of deep experience, will the abiding lesson be that letting the “beauty we love, be what we do” is a more profound act than we could have ever previously known? May we be a witness to such profound acts of love.

Dates important to our stories: *
July 20 Chiron re-enters Aquarius
July 21 Saturn enters Libra
July 23 Jupiter turns retrograde
July 24 Jupiter 3° Aries squares Pluto 3° Capricorn (first time)
July 26 Saturn 0° Libra opposes Uranus 0° Aries
July 27 Mercury 29° Leo opposes Chiron 29° Aquarius
July 29 Mars enters Libra
July 30 Mars 0° Libra opposes Uranus 0° Aries
July 31 Mars 0° Libra conjunct Saturn 0° Aries
August 3 Jupiter 3° Aries squares Pluto 3° Capricorn (second time)
August 3 Mars 3° Libra opposes Jupiter 3° Aries
August 3 Mars 3° Libra squares Pluto 3° Capricorn
August 6 Venus enters Libra
August 7 Venus 0° Libra opposes Uranus 0° Aries
August 8 Venus 1° Libra conjunct Saturn 1° Libra
August 9 Venus 2 ° Libra opposes Jupiter 2° Aries

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – perplexing

New Moon June 12, 2010: A Dire and Wonderful Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:25:00 +0000

The world is heavy with burden. I don’t really need to list the overwhelming concerns before us at this time. We know the challenges are fierce; the stakes are high. It is also true that everyday, in profound ways, people all over the world are engaged in marvelous acts of wonder, compassion, and courage. Perhaps humans have never been more connected to a global awareness, to our place in nature, and to selfless action on behalf of our ideals than right now. Do you also see evidence of this? I think it may be true. Knowing that, right now, two extremes of being are both present—the dire and the wonderful—how do we begin to comprehend it all?

These are the thoughts I’m having as the New Moon in Gemini approaches. Every sign provides a filter for viewing the world. Gemini’s filter highlights such dualities as: We are doomed and we have never shown more potential than at this moment. The ruler of Gemini, Mercury (or Hermes) is often called out on his glorious ability to tell lies. It is easy to see lies when we get attached to one side or the other of duality. If we are doomed, then it is a lie that we have never shown more potential. Yet, if it is true that we have never shown more potential, then it must be a lie that we are doomed. Hermes, help us through this maze!

Gemini and Mercury have a close connection to our minds. What we think creates reality. Hermes is the patron god of the alchemists, the hermetic science of creating the most precious substance imaginable from the basest ingredients. Our minds hold this ability too—to take the ordinary stuff of thought and make a new world, new possibilities, even new meaning from them. But it isn’t easy. The mind is a hard thing to control. Our thoughts are slippery; we want to believe in true and false; yes and no; right and wrong. Duality is itself true and is itself a trap keeping us from the truth. Most of the time, most of us seesaw back and forth between extremes—one day thinking we are doomed, the next day in wonder at what we are creating.

At this New Moon on June 12, we can invite another way to comprehend reality. It may be very important to see more clearly how we frame the world in dualities and to find a way to step off the seesaw.

The most significant seesaw influence right now is the ongoing opposition between Uranus and Saturn. These two planets have been opposing each other since November 2008 in the mutable signs of Pisces and Virgo. The last exact opposition in this series will occur next month in a new pair of signs: Aries and Libra. I’ve written about Uranus’ ingress into Aries as a big temperament shift. There is more volatility and more willingness to make changes now. Libra on the other hand invites balance and consideration of options. Saturn and Uranus can represent two extremes in approach. Saturn is concerned with authority. Uranus is concerned with overturning authority. However, both of these planets can collaborate to bring more authenticity and true cultural evolution to our world. We just need to know how to work with both. My hope is that by stepping off the right/wrong seesaw, we will learn how to embrace this potential.

This opposition is by no means the only important influence this lunar month. The charts for both the New Moon and the Full Moon, which is also a lunar eclipse, are full of challenges.

New Moon on June 12, 2010. There is a t-square configuration in this chart. That means there is a triangle of planets in potent relationship to each other. Mars opposes Chiron and a nearby Neptune. This opposition is squared to Mercury (our hero of the month). Our minds will be working hard to understand and craft the reality we want. Most likely we will run into dead ends. If we pay attention, they may even be meaningful dead ends. Mars in Virgo demands pragmatic detail and longs to be of service. Chiron and Neptune create a roadblock to the effectiveness that Mars desires. It isn’t only about the plan and the work. Sacrifices need to be made. We need to remember why we do the work and get out of our own egos.

Keeping up with Pluto in Capricorn. Since Jupiter and Uranus entered Aries recently, we are getting a new taste of Pluto in Capricorn. The square between these planets is a strong influence this month. It seems that everyday more corrupt business practices or inept government oversight is uncovered. Pluto is doing its job of revealing hidden, toxic patterns. Uranus and Jupiter give us the impetus to do something about it.

The role of empathy. The Yod pattern in the New Moon chart pointing to Neptune warns us to pay attention to dreams and illusions. Even though the “truth” seems obvious, attachment to outcome or to fantasy, will only keep us bound to the seesaw of duality. On the other hand, Neptune offers the necessary connection to empathize with those beings, human or not, who are currently suffering. We have big work to do.

Full Moon, June 26, 2010. The Grand Cross aspect configuration shown in the Full Moon chart initiates a pattern in place all summer—the tense t-square relationship between Pluto, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter. An extra arm is added to the t-square at this Full Moon, which creates a Grand Cross configuration. If Saturn were in Libra instead of Virgo, we’d call this a Cardinal Grand Cross. The challenge of a cardinal grand cross is to be able to move past inertia to take action. Even though Saturn is out of sign, this is an extremely potent time when we may feel a lot of frustration. We are entering the summer of the T-square. T-squares create tension. They can be felt as entrenched patterns that are difficult to transform or as turning points of growth. The struggle presented by a t-square gives gifts but not easily. This Full Moon is also a Lunar Eclipse. Eclipses have the potential to set us suddenly upon new paths. They are a time to release the old and find the new. They can set off unexpected events.

Structure and nurture—the Capricorn/Cancer polarity. The Full Moon in Capricorn asks us to pay attention to our structures. The purpose of Capricornian structure is to ensure survival. The need is to create a legacy of abundance for our descendants. The opposing Sun in Cancer illuminates nurturance. The concept of family can be quite broad. Who/what do we cherish as if they were blood relations? How broad is your definition of family? Cancer nurturance offers unconditional love. The polarity of Capricorn and Cancer displays the whole range of love, from tough to soft. Under the light of this Full Moon, we can experience this full range of emotion. Moving away from duality (my family vs. your family), we have the opportunity to see the whole Earth as family. The heart is a powerful muscle. With full and open hearts, feeling deeply and letting go, we are strengthened to do the work needed to ensure the survival of our precious Earth family.

Dates important to our stories: *
June 19 Sun 28° Gemini square Saturn 28° Virgo
June 21 Sun enters Cancer (Summer Solstice)
June 21 Sun 0° Cancer square Uranus 0° Aries
June 23 Sun 1° Cancer square Jupiter 1° Aries
June 24 Mercury 28 Gemini square Saturn 28° Virgo
June 25 Mercury 0° Cancer square Uranus 0° Aries
June 25 Sun 4° Cancer opposes Pluto 4° Capricorn
June 26 Mercury 2° Cancer square Jupiter 2° Aries
June 26 Full Moon Lunar Eclipse 4° Capricorn
June 27 Mercury 4° Cancer opposes Pluto 4° Capricorn
June 27 Saturn 28° Virgo quincunx Neptune 28° Aquarius
June 28 Sun conjunct Mercury 6° Cancer
July 4 Uranus stations retrograde 0° Aries

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – perplexing

New Moon May 13, 2010: Entice the Willing Collaborators

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:28:00 +0000

In honor of this month’s New Moon in the beautiful earth sign, Taurus, I begin with an awareness of Earth and body. Yielding into the Earth, I expand my perceptions. This is where I come from. She is my support. Listening and sensing with my body and soul, I realize my heart is heavy with the awareness of what we have done. Birds covered in black, heavy grime; turtles dying; unleashed floods of oil where no oil should flow; overwhelming greed and the complicity in that greed. Enough. We stand at a crossroads. The planets agree to stand for our choices. If ever you have felt that there is no use, change cannot happen or it won’t happen, now is the time to let go of that thought—because change must happen. We need a change in consciousness and it is happening. We can also be the midwives to this change, nurture it along, give it a nudge, be ready to catch it when it comes.

Looking over the transits and transitions of this next month, I admit a bit of weariness overtook me. Last month I wrote about the life-force rodeo, how the ingress of Uranus and Jupiter into Aries is like sitting on the back of a bull. We are in for a ride. It is important to be mindful, to have the personal practices in place so that impulsivity does not take over, so that we can consciously move into a new way to be and think; because we know that anger and aggression lead us to the same old cycles of karmic debt and the sea creatures will suffer. Weariness, cynicism, and hopelessness are present and yet these attitudes do not need to be the only response or even the predominant response to our challenges. The good thing about Aries is that it helps us to believe we can begin again. We have an opportunity for a fresh start.

What will help us make the shift? I’m beginning to think that the coming surge of life-force is a call to embrace Joy in a whole new way. The force of Joy will help us to shift into the new consciousness that is required of us if we are to live in balance and just relationship with all that is.

I am challenging myself with the following questions and offer them to my readers to consider: What is Joy? What are the old ideas I have about Joy that keep me thinking in old, ego-bound ways? How could the force of Joy help me to create, in the here and now, a life that is full of beauty and balance and mindfulness? If I dedicate myself to forming a new understanding of Joy, what will my obligation be to that force? How might this change my life?

I sometimes forget that I have willing allies. The earth, the planets, my family, teachers, colleagues, mysterious ones, ancestors—they all are willing to be my collaborators in this task of embracing Joy. For this work, I know I need a prayer, a call to my helpers and teachers, because this shift may be hard. I know I will need guidance and encouragement.

Light the fire
make it known
entice the willing collaborators of Joy
    Keen pleasure
    Gladness
    Willingness to be the kiss and the consummation
Let us dance for the world
dance for what we will become
dance for our birthrights
    belonging
    creation
    love
Dance and burn the signal fire
the fire of adoration for
the Beloved World—
Her green bloods
Her finned ones
Her winged ones
Her four-footed ones
Her two-footed ones
Her crawling ones
Her single-celled
Her emerging life forms
Her mineral kingdoms
Her molecules of atmosphere
Her molecules of water
Her fiery essences
Her gravity
Her dissolution
Her processes and cycles
The singleness of everything
The collection of more than
Praise – Dance – Entice – Light the signal fires
Let us call for a radical evolution of consciousness.
Let us call for Joy.

What the planetary allies are up to:
Uranus: ally of change. Moving into Aries, Uranus challenges us to embrace new beginnings and to be mindful of impulsivity.

Saturn: ally of discipline. In Virgo until July 21, Saturn is encouraging us to work behind the scenes, to be of service, to pay attention to the details, and to insist on holistic solutions. When Saturn moves back into Libra after July 21, this planet becomes the ally that provides a firm counterbalance to impulsivity. Saturn collaborates in new beginnings that include balance and beauty.

Jupiter: ally of expansive belief. While in Pisces, ecstatic experiences open us to all collaborators, and to belief that we are all connected. In Aries, we are optimistic that we can begin anew. Joy is our birthright. The caution is to not settle for short-term solutions, quick fixes, or for what feels good now.

Pluto: ally of absolute truth. With Pluto in Capricorn, we are invited to look at the shadows that underlie authority—our own and others’; to claim power; and to live in integrity with the consequences of being powerful.

Chiron: ally of shamanic wisdom gained from wounds and heart openings. Through Chiron transits we gather medicine (I thank Adam Gainsburg for this metaphor for Chiron transits.) Chiron has just entered Pisces; it re-enters Aquarius on July 20; then returns to Pisces in February of 2011. Pisces medicine is gained through the experience of oneness, connection and compassion. Aquarius medicine is gained through the experience of isolation or the act of revolt.

Neptune: ally of the collective consciousness. Neptune confronts us with the fine line between ecstasy and illusion. While in Aquarius, we are offered the wonders of group mind, communal identity, and networks. How are we escaping into useless fantasy and how are we evolving?

Highlights of the New Moon of May 13:
The opposition between Uranus and Saturn with Jupiter just 3 degrees away from conjunction with Uranus is in force. Venus is squaring this opposition. Our relationships are impacted, but through relating we may find a way to synthesize both Uranus and Saturn.
Mars has almost reached the degree of its retrograde station from December. It is square to the Sun and Moon emphasizing the possible conflict between fixed earth— stability and sustenance and fixed fire—stewarding the life-force of Joy. Is one too conservative and cautious? Is the other too impulsive and light-hearted? Both signs are fixed. So even though it seems that earth naturally has more gravitas, and therefore more importance than fire, both are essential energies. How do we embrace them both?

Highlights of the Full Moon of May 27:
The opposition between Uranus and Saturn continues with Uranus on the cusp of moving into Aries. Jupiter is even closer to Uranus now. Energy is building. The signs of the Sun and Moon, Gemini and Sagittarius, focus on learning. There is an opportunity for new insight and expression. The Sun and Moon are square to Chiron in Pisces. What medicine do you gather? Who needs this wisdom? Mars has moved past its stationary degree and opposes Neptune. This aspect could encourage mystical experiences or escapism. Venus in Cancer opposes Pluto. Power and shadows influence our relationships. We can deepen what we are experiencing and look with honesty at relationship dynamics.

Dates important to our stories: *
May 17 Venus 26° Gemini square Jupiter 26° Pisces
May 18 Venus 27° Gemini square Saturn 27° Virgo
May 19 Sun 28° Taurus square Neptune 28° Aquarius
May 19 Venus 29° Gemini square Uranus 29° Pisces
May 23 Jupiter 27° Pisces opposes Saturn 27° Virgo
May 23 Venus 4° Cancer opposes Pluto 4° Capricorn
May 27 Uranus enters Aries
May 27 Full Moon in Sagittarius
May 30 Saturn stations direct 27° Virgo
May 31 Neptune stations retrograde 28° Aquarius
June 4 Chiron stations retrograde 0° Pisces
June 4 Mars 28° Leo opposes Neptune 28° Aquarius
June 6 Jupiter enters Aries
June 8 Jupiter conjunct Uranus 0° Aries
June 8 Mars 0° Virgo opposes Chiron 0° Pisces

*These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict. These are:

Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – stretching

New Moon April 14, 2010: Life-force Rodeo

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:03:00 +0000

Several metaphors have been rattling around in my head as I attempt to capture the quality of the energy of this Spring and Summer. I think I’ll go with the rodeo one for now. After all, I just got back from a trip to Texas. Bull riding. Let’s imagine what it must be like to be the cowboy in the chute sitting on top of the bull. Let’s imagine what it must be like to be the bull confined to the chute with a cowboy on our back. Let’s imagine that energy being released when the door is pulled away.

My life has been a bit like this lately. Here are the astrological clues. For one, I am a Sun sign Aries. This New Moon is in my Sun sign. Aries comes around once a year, no big deal. This year, and very soon, two outer planets will ingress into Aries – Uranus and then Jupiter. They will be part of an opposition to another outer planet, Saturn. Then all of these planets will square the outermost planet – Pluto. Some astrologers are calling this event, which will heat up this summer, as the Cardinal Climax. The Mountain Astrologer magazine has been doing a good job of covering this. (This blog is devoted to these transits ) Aries is a Cardinal sign, so is Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Clients and friends who are Aries have been showing up in greater numbers lately to check in with the stars. It seems that something is up. The other Cardinal signs are feeling it too, especially if you were born at the beginning of the sign.

Back to the rodeo. Aries is the impulse to be, act, differentiate, and fight if necessary. Mars is the ruler of Aries, and Mars has not been acting nice as far as this fire sign is concerned. Mars went retrograde in December 2009. Think pent up bull. Mars turned direct in March. Think the door is open. Mars will finally clear the area of the zodiac that it has been traversing during this whole period on May 17. Think, the ride has started. I’ve noticed that Mars-ruled people, Aries and Scorpio, have felt this retrograde more strongly. Leo people haven’t been too happy either. I suspect the effect of Mars retrograde is stronger this time because Uranus and Jupiter are about to move into Aries.

Perhaps because of that has been written about these coming transits or perhaps because I am an Aries, I have been noticing things speeding up around me, moving at such a speed that I know I can’t control it and just hope I can maintain mindfulness through it. That is what I most desire — not to get so swept up in the bull ride that I surrender my ability to choose my actions and reactions.

All zodiac signs are useful. All have their spark of genius and appropriateness, even impetuous Aries. For those who are not Aries, these qualities may come in handy over the Summer for you as well. Sometimes we need to clear the slate and start over. Aries is good at that. Sometimes we need to act quickly and instinctively. Aries is good at that. Sometimes we need to recognize our mistakes and the mistakes of others and move on. Aries is good at that too. This New Moon, before the ingress of Uranus and Jupiter, it is a good idea to take note of the energy within and around you. Are you on the bull about to be released or do you feel as if you are holding on for dear life? How do you wish to meet this energy? What intention serves you the best?

New Moon in Aries April 14. In addition to the energy described above, this New Moon finds Mercury stationing retrograde in the steady sign of Taurus. Aries and Taurus have a love-hate relationship. They secretly need and admire each other but often have a hard time admitting it. Taurus gives Aries something earthy and solid to push against. Taurus helps Aries to stop and take note of the impact of previous action. Aries helps Taurus to initiate necessary changes that can contribute to the Taurean desire to sustain and steward resources. With Mercury stationing in this sign, there may be a bit of confusion about how Aries and Taurus can get along. In order to maintain control, we or others we encounter may stubbornly dig in and refuse to discuss or budge on important issues. Since Mercury retrograde always invites us to rethink our approaches to mental activity, we will need to employ Taurean patience as we try new strategies for communication. The biggest challenge to thought and communication may come around April 25 when Mercury squares Mars.

The Mercury retrograde is background interference to the really important transit of this month. Saturn will exactly oppose Uranus for the fourth time in this sequence of five on April 26. The exact date is a little unimportant. We have been feeling these two planets face off since the Fall of 2008. A recap: Uranus is the planet of revolution. Saturn is the planet of authority. These two impulses are necessary and they are at a critical, even excruciating, point in their cycle. The word, “opposition” pretty much describes the energy that exists between these two planets. We only need to look at U.S. politics for the last year and a half to notice the effect of this ongoing opposition. Since 2008, Uranus and Saturn have been opposing each other from the Mutable signs of Pisces and Virgo. Saturn entered Libra in October 29 but has recently turned retrograde and moved back into Virgo where it will again oppose Uranus in Pisces. As I said, this is the fourth of five times that these planets oppose each other. (I anticipate that this transit will impact the appointment of a new Supreme Court Judge. More fun for all.) The final opposition of Uranus and Saturn occurs at the end of July when both planets are at the critical zero degree of Aries and Libra. It may be that the previous four oppositions are just training for this one.

The Full Moon on April 28 occurs just two days after the Uranus/Saturn opposition. A retrograde Mercury is exactly conjunct the Sun in Taurus. The Moon and Sun form a stressful t-square aspect to Mars in Leo (still in the retrograde shadow). If New Moons are for setting intention, Full Moons are for illumination. What is illumined for you about conflict, oppositions, revolution and authority? What are you learning about communication? Every time a light is shown upon something, a shadow is also created. The Scorpio Moon reminds us of shadow and honors the impulse to hide for a while as we attain a degree of safety and comfort. This Full Moon may be a good time to spend alone or in quiet reflection, if possible.

During the waning part of this lunar cycle, we wrap up the work we are doing. Notably, the Sun squares Mars on May 4 (possible stress concerning our will and energy) and Mercury stations direct two days before the next New Moon.

It is terribly exciting to feel this potent moment that encourages us to be fully awake while we learn, engage with others in co-creating our world, and flow with the life-force of firey cardinal energy. To feel this moment, this rodeo of life, is to know we are alive and part of an amazing dance.

Dates important to our stories: *

April 17 Mercury stations retrograde 12° Taurus
April 19 Sun enters Taurus
April 25 Mercury retrograde at 10° Taurus squares Mars 10° Leo
April 26 Saturn 28° Virgo opposes Uranus 28° Pisces
April 28 Full Moon in Scorpio
April 28 Sun 8° Taurus conjunct retrograde Mercury
May 4 Sun 13° Taurus square Mars 13° Leo
May 11 Mercury stations direct at 2° Taurus

Important dates for the Spring and Summer:
May 23 Jupiter 27° Pisces opposes Saturn 27° Virgo
May 27 Uranus enters Aries
May 27 Full Moon in Gemini
May 30 Saturn stations direct
June 6 Jupiter enters Aries
June 8 Jupiter conjunct Uranus 0° Aries
June 26 Full Moon lunar eclipse conjunct Pluto 4°Capricorn
July 5 Uranus stations retrograde 0° Aries
July 11 Solar eclipse 19° Cancer. Close but not exact t-square involving Jupiter conjunct Uranus opposite Saturn and square to Pluto
July 21 Saturn re-enters Libra
July 23 Jupiter stations retrograde 3° Aries
July 24 Jupiter 3° Aries squares Pluto 3° Capricorn
July 26 Saturn 0° Libra opposite Uranus 0° Aries
August 3 Jupiter 3° Aries squares Pluto 3° Capricorn
August 16 Jupiter 2° Aries opposite Saturn 2° Libra
August 21 Saturn 2° Libra squares Pluto 2° Capricorn
September 13 Pluto stations direct 2° Capricorn
September 18 Jupiter 28° Pisces conjunct Uranus

These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict.
These are:
Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – stretching

New Moon March 15, 2010: Standing at the threshold

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:50:00 +0000

Liminal - Occupying a position at, or on both sides of a threshold.

The year is a wheel of seasons. The word “year” actually means season. Most pagans divide the year into eight turnings of the wheel—in essence, into eight seasons or holidays. These include the four solar holidays, occurring in the Cardinal signs. Aries - Spring Equinox, Cancer - Summer Solstice, Libra – Fall Equinox , and Capricorn – Winter Solstice. In between these stations of the Sun fall the other four cross-quarter holidays marked by the Fixed signs. Taurus – Beltane, Leo – Lughnasad, Scorpio- Samhain, and Aquarius – Imbolc. The Cardinal and Fixed signs are well established in this cyclic understanding of the year. The Mutable signs, not acknowledged by holy day, sneak in under the radar and do their job of holding the threshold. The Mutable seasons erase the past while opening to the future. “Sneaky”—only because they do not call attention to themselves—shapeshifting, and sometimes hard to pin down, the seasons of Mutable signs are slippery. They are not all one thing or another.

We are in such a season at this New Moon in Pisces. This water sign washes away the previous Fixed air season of Aquarius to make way for the Cardinal fire sign, Aries. Fixity can be about the things we are reluctant to let go of while cardinal energy urges us to take charge and act for the future. During this transition, it is appropriate to let water guide us in releasing stuck thought patterns to prepare ourselves for springtime energy. This season, water is the keeper of the threshold. It is hard to be patient at the end of Winter. I live in the upper Midwest. Winter here is long; we want Spring so badly that it is a challenge to remain present to the liminal state. We want to jump ahead. As the Aries energy takes over this lunar month, we will be tempted to leave behind the gifts that Pisces offers us. That might be a mistake.

Pisces has an affinity to the work of karma, giving us the opportunity to release past patterns. The astrological year begins with Aries; it ends with Pisces. Each month, each sign of the zodiac builds upon the previous month’s experiences. Each sign shows us another piece of the human puzzle to understand and integrate. In Pisces, all those experiences come undone so we can begin again in the Spring. The patterns of a year fall away, and it feels as though the patterns of lifetimes are also dissolving. We can become mutable ourselves, not just one thing or another. Of all the Mutable signs, Pisces is the most liminal; water is the universal solvent.

Pisces has an affinity for forgiveness and salvation. In this season there is a possibility of redemption if we want it. Forgiveness for self and others helps us to move forward.

At this New Moon, we can meditate on these questions: How do I wish to begin the new year? What patterns are ready to be released? What is ready to flow back into the ocean?

New Moon and the Compassionate Trickster. Astrologer Caroline Casey writes often about the compassionate trickster. She even has a Mystery School dedicated to awakening the compassionate trickster in all of us. In her trickster manifesto, Casey exuberantly writes, “The race is on, that dynamic beauty and sane reverence may supplant the dominance of dunder-headed-despotic dementors of doom, and that adorable and ingenious life may bloom in profusion once again on the other side of this bottle-neck towards which we are all racing.” The compassionate trickster is a potent archetype for these times. With both Uranus, a promethean trickster, and Mercury, a hermetic trickster, conjunct this New Moon in compassionate Pisces, we are poised to investigate this archetype as well as invoke it into our lives. Uranus is making its way out of Pisces where it has been since 2003. Now is the time to acknowledge the role that compassion plays in our cultural revolutions. Compassion no longer needs to mean passivity or self-sacrifice. We can claim our roles as instigators of compassion.

At the Full Moon, the Sun has entered Aries and the expansive energy of Spring is underway. The waves of Pisces are but a dream. This Full Moon triggers the ongoing energy of Pluto square Saturn. Those with planets or important points in the chart around the beginning degrees of the Cardinal signs, should pay attention at this Full Moon to what is being asked of you. Cardinal signs set down new patterns. People with this energy exhibit leadership, foolish courage, and creative force. They ask about the next steps. They respond to problems, asking: Where is the work? What is the vision? How do we get there?

Cardinal elements. This year, three Cardinal signs color the transformations happening in the world through important outer planet transits: Aries through the element of fire, Libra through the element of air, and Capricorn through the element of earth. The missing element is often the most important. Water, through the sign of Cancer, begs to be considered too so we have access to all ways of taking action. Questions to consider this year. How does each element help me to respond to problems, set new patterns, meet the changes present in the world? How do I listen to, honor and ally myself with the elemental forces? What element in me comes naturally, what element in me needs to come forward?

When Mercury enters Aries on March 17, just two days after the Pisces New Moon, spring energy starts to build. Mercury describes our mental processes. Since Mercury will trine Mars, which is finally moving forward after being retrograde for three months, our minds will feel the urge to speed up. The next day, Mercury opposes Saturn and squares Pluto. We may say or think things that are born of frustration and deep emotion. When the Sun enters Aries on March 20 away we go into Aries territory. We will have crossed the threshold. New patterns are laid down through the will and action of fire. Not until after the Full Moon on March 29 will this energy slow down. On March 31 Venus enters Taurus. Languid and sensual, the earth element is reinforced. Taurus can act as a brake on Aries impulsivity. On April 6, Pluto stations retrograde. This is the yearly turning of Pluto back towards the underworld. The pull to depth and transformation is strong. The next day, Saturn moves back into Virgo where it will stay until July 21. With Pluto in Cardinal earth, Venus in Fixed earth and Saturn in Mutable earth, we have access to all expressions of earth wisdom as the lunar month winds down.

Spring weather is unpredictable, one moment can be warm and the next can feel like Winter again. Staying present, we are able to attune our senses to subtle shifts. This lunar month will offer shifting energies within and around us. One day may be receptive and dreamy, the next impulsive, while the next grounded and stable. How do you meet the possibilities inherent in each moment?

Dates important to the stories.*
March 15 Mercury 26° Pisces conjunct Uranus 26° Pisces
March 17 Sun 26° Pisces conjunct Uranus 26° Pisces
March 17 Mercury enters Aries
March 17 Mercury 0° Aries trines Mars 0° Leo
March 18 Mercury 1° Aries opposes Saturn 1° Libra
March 20 Mercury 5° Aries squares Pluto 5° Capricorn
March 20 Sun enters Aries
March 21 Sun 1° Aries trines Mars 1° Leo
March 21 Sun 1° Aries opposes Saturn 1° Libra
March 25 Sun 5° Aries squares Pluto 5° Capricorn
March 29 Full Moon – Sun 9° Aries opposes Moon 9°Libra
March 31 Venus enters Taurus
April 2 Mercury enters Taurus
April 3 Venus 3° Taurus squares Mars 3° Leo
April 4 Venus 5° Taurus trines Pluto 5° Capricorn
April 4 Mercury 3° Taurus square Mars 3° Leo
April 6 Mercury 5° Taurus trine Pluto 5° Capricorn
April 6 Pluto stations retrograde
April 7 Saturn re-enters Virgo
* These dates are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger. Each aspect between planets carries its own energy of harmony or conflict.
These are:

Conjunction – merging
Sextile – encouraging
Square – challenging
Trine – harmonizing
Opposition – confronting
Quincunx – stretching

New Moon February 13, 2010: An Inspirational Surge

noreply@blogger.com (Teri Parsley Starnes) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Through me the afflatus surging and surging, through me the current and index.
“Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman

Afflatus – inspiration; an impelling mental force acting from within. Divine communication of knowledge.

Aquarius as the fixed air sign holds onto ideas but it can also release them as a flood. This month, the water pourer of this constellation is letting loose inspiration, reminding us that inspiration is the beginning of renewal. This sign’s season is deep winter. Where I live in the upper Midwest, deep winter finds the earth hard-frozen under ice and snow. The seeds and signals of life returning are beginning but I must become quiet to perceive the subtle signs—a change in birdcall, increased moisture in the air, longer days that stimulate more planning and work. If we long for the reawakening of spring, we are naturally drawn to listen for these cues. Opening, silencing the busy mind, becoming receptive, these practices set the stage for Aquarian inspiration, the “afflatus” that Whitman writes about.

When Aquarius is strong, opening to inspiration can come too easily. There can be too much information, too much mental stimulation. Does your mind easily become overwhelmed with connections, insights—too much afflatus to be useful? Focus and discernment help to control the flood. This skill will be useful this month.

This New Moon in Aquarius is the perfect time to receive inspiration. The Sun and Moon join Neptune and Chiron in a culmination of these two planets’* long journey together. I have been pondering and writing about Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter in Aquarius since April. Although Neptune and Chiron have traveled very closely during this time, this lunar month the conjunction finally becomes exact and only this once. There will be no repeats during this cycle between the two planets.

Chiron is shamanic. He is the outsider with healing medicine. He is the healer whose power comes from his own wounds. He is the bridge between polarities. Neptune is the dreammaker. He weaves our consensual reality through shared myths, ideals, and ecstatic experiences. At this moment of inspiration, shamanic insight, and cultural dreaming we are capable of transforming our hearts. The transformation does not require effort; we only need to open and surrender to its flow.

The pain and the beauty of Haiti’s tragedy teach us something about all this. There are many levels to the lessons and they are important. The ingress of Jupiter into Pisces last lunar month, joined by Venus and the Sun this month, enlarges our capacity to feel even as it tempts us to deaden the feelings through escapism. There is an ebb and flow to how much we can empathize with others. It is good to be mindful when we have reached our limits and practice healthy ways to replenish.

Mars retrograde in Leo plays a significant role in the energy of the New Moon just as it did at the previous Full Moon. Mars is opposite Mercury and is at the apex of a Yod configuration with Pluto and Jupiter forming the base. The quincunx aspects of a Yod carry the energy of challenging paradox. The powerful potential of Jupiter sextile to Pluto (beliefs supporting transformation) can be attained if we integrate contradictory forces rather than fight them. Mars is gathering energy, much like an arrow gathers force as one pulls back on the bow. Mars will be released when it stations direct this lunar month. Mars is in Leo, the sign opposite Aquarius. This fixed fire energy of Leo challenges the Aquarius tendency to be abstract and somewhat disconnected from impact or passion. Mars in Leo wants to act— to be the hero who saves the day. Because Mars is retrograde we are in a period of waiting and frustration, perhaps feeling impotent, without a stage to share all the inspiration we are receiving. That pent-up energy will be released when Mars turns direct on March 10. In anticipation of that release, now is the time to set intention for where you wish it to go. Mercury opposite Mars increases the tendency to say something we may regret or to finally say something that we have needed to say for a long time. There is passionate communication this month.

In the Full Moon chart, Mars is stationary, which means it has slowed down and is about to change direction. Intentions of the New Moon will be highly influenced by the desire to integrate the ideals of Pisces and the pragmatism of Virgo. Significantly, Jupiter is conjunct the Sun at the Full Moon. It may be a struggle to remain grounded in the Virgo realm with this incredibly strong Jupiter asking us to feel more deeply and surrender more completely to transcendent states of being. The illumination of the Full Moon may reveal illusions, disappointments, and addictions. It can also reveal higher purpose and reasons to believe. Be ready for both.

With so much potential for inspired experience this month, we will be looking for ways to ground the inspiration into manifestation and action. Transits to Saturn this month will support grounding. Venus entering Aries at the end of this lunar month, right before Mars turns direct, will also support our need to act on feelings. When Venus squares Pluto on March 11, actions and passions challenge each other. Somehow, after spending so much time unleashing the floods of inspiration, it may feel good to get down to the nitty gritty of desire.

Dates important to the stories. These are not a complete list of transits for the month, but rather are times when the themes of these stories are stronger.

February 14 Venus 3° Pisces quincunx Saturn 3° Libra
February 14 Venus 3° Pisces quincunx Mars 3° Leo
February 14 Sun 26° Aquarius conjunct Chiron 26° Aquarius
February 14 Sun 26° Aquarius conjunct Neptune 26° Aquarius
February 15 Mars 3° Leo sextile Saturn 3° Libra
February 16 Venus 6° Pisces conjunct Jupiter 6° Pisces
February 17 Neptune 26° Aquarius conjunct Chiron 26° Aquarius
February 18 Sun enters Pisces
February 27 Mercury 26° Aquarius conjunct Neptune 26° Aquarius
February 27 Mercury 26° Aquarius conjunct Chiron 26° Aquarius
February 28 Sun 9° Pisces conjunct Jupiter 9° Pisces
February 28 Full Moon 9° Virgo
March 1 Mercury enters Pisces
March 7 Venus enters Aries
March 7 Venus 0° Aries trines Mars 0° Leo
March 7 Mercury 11° Pisces conjunct Jupiter 11° Pisces
March 9 Venus 2° Aries opposite Saturn 2° Libra
March 10 Mars stations direct 0° Leo
March 11 Venus 2° Aries squares Pluto 2° Capricorn
March 14 Sun 23° Pisces conjunct Mercury 23° Pisces
*Chiron is not truly a planet. In common astrological usage any orbiting body, even sometimes the Sun and Moon are referred to as planets. The root of the word planet comes from Greek for “wandering stars.”