All New All the Time

 August gives us a beautiful opportunity to begin our month and lives afresh.  The month opens with a brand spanking New Moon dancing on the cusp between July and August.  For those on the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the New Moon occurs near midnight on July 31^st.  Anyone west of the Mississippi, however, the New Moon enters August on the First.  For all, it is best to hand write and cast your wishes and goals on August 1^st or 2^nd.  Either plant them in the ground or cast into a moving body of water. 

From here, everything follows.  You can firmly hear the Roar of August’s signature Leo the Lion.  Four, yes 4 planets are in this fiery, fertile sign:  Venus (love/money), the Sun (our will), the Moon (emotions) and Mars (our energy); three of which align with Generous Jupiter.  Be very clear about your goals and wishes; because this tour de force in creativity and expansion marking the New Moon yields what you ask for.  Prepare to receive.  Be very thoughtful about your hopes and desires.

Heightening the horse power of this New Moon, Messenger Mercury turns direct motion the very next day.  For the last three weeks our mind and communication turned toward reflection and remembrance and other RE words.  As it moves into forward gear, Mercury finishes its second cycle in the sign of nurturing Cancer before re-entering Leo.  Push on now with projects, ventures and relationships.  Proceed with any major contracts and purchases.  It is GO time!

The dovetailing of the New Moon on August 1^st immediately followed by Mercury direct offers unmistakable cosmic guidance.  Our emotions (New Moon) and thoughts (Mercury) are given license to chart new chapters with creativity (Leo) and care (Cancer).  Leo incites our actions:  how big can we dream? Meanwhile, Messenger Mercury conjoined to the North Node in Cancer supply infinite imagination.   Our hearts and our minds are invested for sure.  Leo provides endless stamina and courage.  Feel the Break-Out energy?  We feel we can conquer the world!

The caution with all that fiery Leo is drama and narcissism.  Watch for overly needy people trying to pull you into unnecessary complications, doing their work for them, prey upon your feelings and good nature.  Radical Uranus exactly challenges Venus and the Sun at the time of the New Moon.  All are in fixed, stubborn signs.  Uranus in Taurus calls us to approach relationships, values and earning income differently, more pragmatically and to apply our will with ingenuity.   The Venus-Sun pairing in Leo are super romantic while Uranus awakens a sensual realism.  Expect surprising relationships, either new people in your life, sudden shifts, unexpected shakeups (possibly dramatic), triggering moments.  These can be positive and negative twists but one thing is for sure:  August leads with ground breaking measures.  All new all the time is this month’s theme.  Uranus is called the Great Awakener with good reason.

The good news is that heavy hitters Saturn-Pluto in sturdy Capricorn keep it real.  The duo sets limits and says NO even when we are reluctant to do so for ourselves.  The heavyweights align with Neptune and the North Node (our directional calling), guiding us to follow our intuition:  what makes sense?  What feels right yet also yields common sense answers and solutions?  We may be tempted by the fantasy and illusion that the continuing Jupiter-Neptune conflict prompt; so the caution is avoiding smoke and mirrors, falling for spin and spin doctors.  Best to refrain from hitting the escape button, laziness in all its forms, relying on others to formulate opinions for you.  Apply focused thought and attention to matters at hand.  Take a step back, observe, detach, listen and observe.  See for yourself what is real and what is not; The trio of Leo planets incites us to create our own reality while Saturn-Pluto give us the grit and tools to accomplish our goals.  Ask:  what is possible?  If you do your own work now, you will be rewarded down the road.  You reap what you sow.

And the possibilities are endless now.  The first two weeks of August overflow with powerhouse energy.  Take advantage!  It builds like a steam engine toward mid-month.  Sunday, August 11^th, Jupiter turns direct motion in adventurous Sagittarius, continuing its alignment with Venus-Sun in festive Leo.  How big can you go?  How broad do you want to expand?  Your world, your vision, your goals?  Truly, this is exciting energy.

The very next day, Messenger Mercury re-enters Leo while Uranus turns retrograde motion.  The cosmic change agent, Uranus offers unpredictability, instability for some, and for others a whole new refreshing perspective.  Leading into the Full Moon on August 15^th, with four planets in playful Leo, all bets are ON.  If you have been yearning to take a chance, pursue your passion, break out of a rut, create an entirely new you, lifestyle or career, this week is it.  More than impelled, we feel compelled.  So go for broke.

The caution is Uranus retrograde, especially as it challenges Messenger Mercury (communication), along with three other Leo planets; watch for anything involving fire, escalating arguments, unrelenting turf battles where each digs in its heels, and accidents.  At a minimum, exercise caution with any heat-based or electrical appliances.  Make sure ALL are turned off after use or when you leave your home.  Take care with any sharp utensils or tools.  Uranus is the change agent.  It can redirect our lives on a dime.  Turning retrograde right before the Full Moon heightens its unpredictability. 

A few days after the Full Moon, a series of planetary shifts occurs.  One right after the other like dominoes, the trio of planets in Leo switch into efficient Virgo.  Motivating Mars (our energy) leads the charge on the 18^th, followed by Venus on the 21^st, then the Sun (our will) on the 24^th.  Within the span of a week, the party Leo hosted for much of the summer draws to a conclusion and the real work, nitty gritty details of life starts.  You will feel the sea change in attitude and action.  Vacations gradually end and give way to a return to work, school and routine.  Welcome Virgo!  Industrious, precise, and health-conscious, our creativity and imagination stoked by Leo and Cancer energies now turn ideas into productivity, making manifest our goals and visions.

The great Planner of the Zodiac, earthy Virgo harnesses resources into an uber efficient production line.  Always prepared for every eventuality, Virgo forms methods and algorithms to solve problems and find solutions.  We just start acclimating to this energetic shift when Messenger Mercury (our thoughts and communication) joins the Virgo stellium.  Heightened the very next day on August 30^th by the New Moon, five, gulp 5, planets in Virgo seek details, to know how, want answers.  The trick is not losing the forest for the trees, being too tightly bound by schedule and routine to squash flexibility and creativity. 

Planning and preparation are essential for successful execution just as much as over-thinking and submission to perfectionism can kill accomplishment.  The great news is the sheer drive of this New Moon.  All five planets in Virgo align skillfully with ingenious Uranus and four align with taskmaster Saturn.  Harness your resources and potential to realize your summertime ideas and dreams now.  Now is the time to put these to good work.  Behold what unfolds!

Of Special Note:

Beginning next month in September 2019, I am so pleased to partner with owner Scott Denardo to offer astrology readings at his metaphysical store Earth's Hidden Treasures in Assonet, MA.  Sessions with me are available twice a month, the first and third Thursday of each month.  To book a live, in-person reading, please contact Scott at 508-644-7398 or via email:  earthshiddentreasures1@gmail.com.  Earth's Hidden Treasures, 63 South Main Street, Assonet, MA 02702.

My schedule and the store's most recent newsletter are below:

Astrology readings with Hilary Harley at Earth's Hidden Treasures
September 5 and 19
October 3 and 17
November 7 and 21
December 5 and 19

History in the Making Now open in Historic Assonet, MA is Earth's Hidden Treasures. We are a Holistic Retail Store and Spiritual Center offering classes in Mind, Body, Energy and Spirit. Come experience Salt Therapy for Adults and Children, All level Flow Yoga, Meditation, Intuitive Card Readings, Sound Therapy, Reiki with Crystals, Aura Photography and Astrology to name a few things. We believe in well-being from the inside out. Also available are classes in law of attraction, crystals, stress reduction and writing from the heart. Our intention and focus is to help heal, balance and center the energy field from many different perspectives,  and modalities. In our busy world it's important to take time for ourselves, allow ourselves to receive, relax, and balance so we feel refreshed and able to live our best life. We offer retail products to complement your wellness journey, such as crystals, sage, incense, gemstone jewelry, essential oils, handmade soaps, and unique gifts. Open Tuesday through Saturday, call us or email earthshiddentreasures1@gmail for hours or to set up an appointment 508-644-7398. Our website is www.earthshiddentreasure.com Check us out on Facebook, Earth's Hidden Treasures or on Instagram @earths.hidden.treasures, also check out our ad in Natural Awakenings! Join us for the internationally known spiritual medium, inspirational speaker and author, Roland Comtois' event Signs of Spirit on August 25th at 6:30pm. Call 508.644.7398 to RSVP space is limited and selling fast! Calendar for August 2019  Week of August 1-3             9/2 - 6:30-8:30p ~ Priscilla Gale - Crystal Healing Beds  Week of August 5-10             3rd - 8-9am ~ Sunrise Yoga with Ashley             5th - 6:30-7:30p ~ All Levels Flow Yoga with Ashley             6th - 7-8p ~ Mindful Mandala with Janet             7th - 6:30-7:30p ~ All levels Flow Yoga with Ali             8th - 12p, 5p ~ Lions Gate Portal Meditation 8-8             9th - 6-8p ~ Adult Indigo Class/Healing with Nicole             10th -  8-9am ~ Sunrise Yoga with Ashley                          2-4p ~ Make your own Oil Diffuser Bracelet  Week of August 12-17             12th - 6:30-7:30p ~ All Levels Flow Yoga with Ashley             14th - 6:30-7:30p ~ All levels Flow Yoga with Ali             15th - 6-8p ~ Law of Attraction with Nicole             16th - 7-8:30p ~ Soul Purpose Sound Meditation with Priscilla Gale             17th - 8-9am ~ Sunrise Yoga with Ashley                         2-4p ~ Learn About the Angels Group with Nicole  Week of August 19-25             19th - 6:30-7:30p ~ All Levels Flow Yoga with Ashley             21st - 6:30-7:30p ~ All levels Flow Yoga with Ali             22nd - 5:30-7:30p ~ Crystals 101 with Nicole - free crystal             24th - 8-9am ~ Sunrise Yoga with Ashley                         6-8p ~ Transformation through Sound with Sonic Field             25th - 11am ~ Book Signing and Blessing with Roland Comtois - FREE                         6:30-8:30p Signs of Spirit event with Roland Comtois  Week of August 26-31             26th - 6:30-7:30p ~ All Levels Flow Yoga with Ashley             28th - 6:30-7:30p ~ All levels Flow Yoga with Ali             29th - 6-7:30p ~ Angel Therapy group with Nicole             31st - 8-9am ~ Sunrise Yoga with Ashley                       2-4p ~ Learn how to read oracle cards with Nicole Call 508.644.7398 to RSVP for any events or classes as they may be filled Copyright © 2019 Earth's Hidden Treasures, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Earth's Hidden Treasures 63 S Main St Assonet, MA 02702-1711 Add us to your address book

An Invitation to Dignity and Decency: The July Eclipses and Mercury Retrograde

July is a very active celestial month.  Right out of the gate BOOM go the fireworks!  We barely scratch the surface of this first full month of summer when on Tuesday, July 2^nd the New Moon occurs.  Not just any old New Moon, July kick starts a fresh lunar cycle with a Solar Eclipse at 4:04 pm EDT.  This eclipse will not be visible in North America.  We are impacted by it nonetheless.

The solar eclipse takes place at 10 degrees Cancer the Crab.  All things home, food, mom, nation/homeland, family and psychological roots are on the table, the focus of our attention.  Through much of June we must concentrate on what works and what does not work in this sector of our lives; the need for crucial decision making and the most compassionate strategy about family roles, house and home needs takes center stage through July.  Both the Solar and Lunar eclipses as well as Mercury’s retrograde backslide into Cancer guarantee it.

Speaking of Compassion:  the intense cosmic activity asks us as individuals and as a nation, where is our compassion these days?  Are we acting in the most nurturing way possible for all involved?  For the United States, this is notably highlighted by the children separated from their parents at the Southern border.  Nothing underscores the plight of family quite like the disastrously inhumane conditions of the immigrant families seeking asylum in the USA.

Expect drama to heighten around this national issue as well as all family and home life at the beginning of July, as Motivating Mars enters Leo joining Messenger Mercury.  The pair directly challenges Radical Uranus in Taurus.  Think Face Off:  each person in opposing corners of a boxing ring or across a mediation table from one another, staring each other down, neither willing to give an inch.  There you have the energy of the first two weeks of July.

In Festive Leo, Mercury (communication) and Mars (our active energy) want to enjoy life, have fun and create; while Uranus in Taurus demands change along practical lines:  how are you going to pay for all of your fun times, parties and creative endeavors?  Oh yes, and what about how your pleasure seeking is impacting Mother Earth?

The caution with Leo is narcissism, pride and drama; the caution with Taurus is steep frugality and stubbornness for the sake of it.  This challenging energy is embedded in the solar eclipse for us to take a hard look at.  Uranus is The Great Awakener.  With the Sun-Moon wedged in between the planetary standoff, this Solar Eclipse is a wake-up call to our most basic functions as human beings:  how we take care of ourselves, our home (including Mother Earth) and especially the most vulnerable among us, the children and elderly.  What good is a booming economy if we can’t feed ourselves in a few years due to climate change?

Compassion is not limited to human beings; but as of right now, the animal kingdom is showing humanity how best to be kind and nurturing.

Eclipses are doorways, a gateway passage and threshold that mark distinct events or phases in our lives, especially if they impact our astrological chart directly.  So whether you are preparing to launch a child into college, giving birth to your first born, changing your diet, buying or selling a home, getting divorced, becoming an empty nester or a grandparent, ALL things home, food, mom and family demand attention this month.  We have been feeling this energy building for a while now and it will continue into the fall. 

Helping us out over the July 4^th holiday weekend, Venus shifts into Cancer on the 3^rd.  At a world attention-getting degree, Venus, planet of love, money and relationships does her best to smooth out family relations and the home front.  As she gradually joins the Sun through the rest of July, the pair reduces tension between Mercury-Mars in Leo butting heads with Uranus in Taurus.  They gently remind us that if everyone draws a definitive line in the sand, makes a big stink and claims, “my way or the highway,” what a sad, lonely and hard world this will be.  So harken to the energy of the Cancer Sun (our will) and Venus (love/relationships).  Build a sand castle, take a moonlight swim, cuddle up with your loved ones, or eat some home-baked pie.

Most critically, Sun-Venus ask us to feel and not think so much.  To move from our heart center, intuition and imagination rather than our minds.  Can you do it?  What a more gracious and loving world we’d live in if we acted from our hearts and souls, empathizing with how another feels.  Let’s put aside the Rah-Rah, Me First approach and accept this very kind invitation to dignity and decency now.

Ideally, we allow for the higher minded aspects of Leo and Taurus, so abundantly fertile and creative, to graciously take turns.  Instead of digging our heels in over an issue, as the lower forms of this same energy might provoke us to do, better to harness the wild ingenuity they offer.  Through the first two weeks of July, Mercury-Mars in Leo form an alliance with healer Chiron in Aries.  Apply your creative mind to solving long-standing problems.  Leo is as generous as it is creative.  While Chiron in Aries finds all new methods to heal and mend what is broken.  Additionally, this pair forms a grand fire trine (super alliance/flowing energy) to Ceres in Sagittarius.  When we ask questions, educate ourselves and teach others, refrain from assumptions and projections, solutions arrive.  Listen instead of talk.  Silence instead of noise.

It’s fine to party on as long as you share the wealth with the neighbors and newcomers, we are so RE-minded as Messenger Mercury turns retrograde on Sunday, July 7^th.  For the next three weeks, Messenger Mercury reverses gear and backs out of Leo and eventually RE-enters compassionate Cancer on July 18^th.  We are pushed and prodded to RE-think, RE-flect, RE-view every aspect of our lives until Mercury turns direct again on August 2^nd.   The good news is that the very same day as Mercury turns retrograde, the Sun (our will) joins the Lunar North Node (our directional calling) aligning with inspirational Neptune.  Dream and flow says this trio. Just don’t get carried away into Neverland.  Keeping our feet on the ground are heavyweights Saturn and Pluto in earthy Capricorn opposite the North Node-Sun.  Firmly plant roots while pragmatically reaching for the stars.

Neptune helps here in its complement to Saturn-Pluto, offering a creative wonderland for artists and for the rest of us aiming to craft our future.  Neptune is the dream, the Sun our will, and Saturn the architect.  With focused attention during this eclipse and Mercury retrograde season, harness this energy to design, plan and prepare to build your dream life.  Saturn-Lunar South Node says release and let go of what stands in your way.  Reduce the obstacles or excess noise inhibiting you from living your best life, while preserving and using the most functional systems and pieces to build further upon.  The energy tees us up for the 2^nd eclipse of the month on July 16^th, at 23 degrees Cancer opposing the Capricorn Full Moon. 

This Lunar eclipse along the Cancer-Capricorn axis is an especially hard hitter.  The sign of Cancer directly opposes Capricorn and they could not be more different.  Cancer’s signature is I FEEL; while Capricorn’s is I USE.  Get it?  It’s great to be all touchy feely and sensitive but how is that going to work in the real world, this eclipse asks.

This Full Moon is in the opposite sign it rules at the time of the eclipse inciting us to get very clear about the choices we face.  Capricorn is black and white, not pink, green or grey.  The ordinarily cozy Moon now sets aside its soft, cuddly emotion, any feelings actually, other than crystal clear, efficient function.  What works and what doesn’t.  Period.  Tightly wedged between heavyweights Saturn and Pluto, the taskmaster and transformer, this Full Moon has us dispensing with any aspect of our lives that is not useful.  “You cross that line in the sand,” says this eclipse, “and just watch what happens next.”

Saturn-Moon-Pluto in Capricorn are utterly no nonsense.  Deadly serious.  “You fooled around so long wasting time, your gifts and talents, it’s payback time.  Time to pay the piper.”  The energy doesn’t care whose toes get trampled, whose feathers are ruffled, whose feelings are hurt.  We feel this cutting across ALL racial, socioeconomic, gender and cultural lines.  It takes us down to our very foundations and core.  From here, we are to build or rebuild every level of our lives:  psychological, financial, mental.  Really? 

Really. 

This isn’t a dress rehearsal.  It is not kind or nice, playful energy.  If you are way off path, out of soulful alignment and in need of re-direction, July can be gut wrenching.  Some may head for the hills, some may prepare for the apocalypse; the rest of us are simply asked to get real.  If you want all the pretty things in life, then this energy demands it is time to do the work.  Now. Not tomorrow.  This minute. Yikes.  You bet.

The following week the Sun enters fiery Leo on July 23^rd where Venus joins on the 28^th.  Yummy.  We fairly burst with inventive fertility.  Yes we have this problem or that to tackle, but if nothing else, with Mars, the Sun and Venus in Leo squaring off with Uranus in Taurus loves a big challenge to solve.  What’s more, the fixed signs of Leo and Taurus have do-or-die stamina and unending perseverance.  How will you apply this boundless creativity in your own life?

Of Special Note:

Beginning in September 2019, I will offer astrology readings at Earth’s Hidden Treasures, 63 South Main Street, Assonet, MA.  If you are near Southeastern Massachusetts, stop by and discover this amazing metaphysical store!  The only one of its kind in the area, Earth’s Hidden Treasures offers a full product line, range of classes and services including salt, sound and aromatherapy.  To book an astrology reading, please contact owner Scott Denardo at www.earthshiddentreasure.com or 508.644.7398.  

Crunch Time

The third and final month of Spring continues to offer a great push forward.  Before eclipse season and Mercury retrograde in July, take advantage of this full steam ahead energy. Plant and tend to all relationships and endeavors you want to grow.

June veritably drips with abundant opportunities to build the life you desire from the ground up.  You really don’t have to look that hard; simply be open and open minded to what is around and available to you. We feel this overflowing energetic generosity from Day 1 of June as Venus in Taurus (love, money and relationships) aligns beautifully with Transformer Pluto and Taskmaster Saturn, all three in earth signs.  This troika leaves more than just a trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow.  Take their cue:  build baby build. The Moon joins the trio throughout June 1^st, glowing in its most favorite placement adding extra special devotion and dimension to your efforts.  Any significant events occurring the weekend of June 1^st and 2nd are marked for success.  Enjoy. 

The week that follows, June 1-6^th is a notably creative and fertile time, particularly around the Gemini New Moon on Monday, June 3^rd.   Harness new beginnings by hand writing 3-5 wishes and either planting them in the ground or releasing into a moving body of water with an outlet such as a river, stream or ocean. 

This New Moon prompts us to talk, think through and process emotions out loud or on paper.  The Gemini Sun-Moon challenges Neptune in Pisces, and requires extra focus to discern reality from illusion:  how life actually is versus how we want it to be.  So pay attention to sly tricksters and spin doctors, those telling you what you wish to hear.  This New Moon is loaded with illusion, sidetracks to denial that lead straight to delusion down the road if you aren’t grounded. Look at evidence right in front of you:  the nuts and bolts, facts and data of your current situation.  Evidence might deflate your big ideas but at least you know exactly what you are working with to achieve your goals.  You don’t want to be that dreamer believing he can buy a mansion with only has $1,000 in his bank account…

So ask the hard questions now.  You will easily find the answers.  Gemini rules communication and information gathering; while Venus in her home sign of Taurus, aligned to Pluto-Saturn, provides a plethora of useful resources.  Sure, that shiny red sports car is sexy.  Just make sure you go beyond looking under its hood.  Ask:   what kind of safety record does it have?  What warranty does the dealer offer?

Asking in-depth questions to ALL relevant real-life circumstances is vital now.  The Gemini New Moon is mercurial, fast energy; while the lower side of Neptune in Pisces rules fantasy, the invisible man behind the curtain, the puppeteer pulling strings we cannot see.  The key is discernment:  what is real vs. what is spin.  So slow down and tune in.  Take 24 hours to sort things out and review your options.  Listen to your intuition (Neptune in Pisces’ higher dimension).  What does your heart say?  Your internal GPS?  If someone or something cannot wait a single day or two while you talk it over with a trusted loved one, that tells you everything you need to know.  What they’re offering is most likely not the right path for you.

All that glitters is not gold, as gilded tombs do worms unfold. – Shakespeare

The good news is that on Wednesday, June 5^th Messenger Mercury enters compassionate Cancer.  Not so fast, it says.   In nurturing Cancer, Mercury likes to take the slow, scenic road.  Prods us to take it easy and follow the path of least resistance.   Our mind is in absolutely no rush.  We want to feel our way forward, to touch the fabric of our lives, to run our hands and fingers through potentials, across the essence of choices, allowing the full range of our senses (including and especially our SIXTH sense) to guide our next move. Most notably, Mercury in Cancer gives full weight to our feelings and emotional instincts.

Nurturing and compassion steer our thoughts.  Soft and tender, we consider what is best for our children, family, our own best interests and self-care, and yes, our nation as a whole.  Over the next few weeks, the balance of June, Mercury joins Motivating Mars already in Cancer.  From June 9^th through 16^th, the tight troika of Mercury-Mars-and lunar North Node (our directional calling) greatly emphasizes home, food, family, our actual Mother or those people, pets or prospects we mother, and our family dynamics.  Particularly highlighted this week is our heritage:  family beliefs, myths, inheritance, both psychological and genetic.   We examine myths perpetrated on us from birth, imprints we did not invite or ask for, that have pushed us in certain directions we otherwise would not have chosen.

The Cancer trio directly opposes the Lunar South Node-Pluto-Saturn, setting off a tug-of-war, either an acute internal struggle or steep external conflict we must delicately navigate.  Mid-month finds us becoming vividly aware of how our family systems function (or don’t); how systems or beliefs have impacted us for better or worse; we may feel a rising us vs. them sensibility; gain a clear insight of what must be preserved at all costs and what must be overhauled, purged or released, for our own good or the greater good and well-being of the whole. 

As you wade through this unmistakable week, be very careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.  Helping us juggle relationships and resources, Venus enters flexible Gemini on June 9^th.  We find alternative solutions to what otherwise can feel like do-or-die situations or stark black and white choices.  Gemini Venus offers skilled versatility, key in mid-June, allowing detached, cooler heads to prevail in what can be otherwise emotionally charged days leading into the Full Moon on June 17^th.

Conjoined to Generous Jupiter in Sagittarius, this Full Moon wants freedom, adventure and to feel awesome and boundless.  Any legal matters brewing will come to a head this week.  Deals are sealed.  The need to follow your own path, break away and be true to yourself above all else is crucial.  It is crunch time.

Honesty is not merely the best policy now; it is the only policy.  The Full Moon shines a glaring spotlight on the need to be absolutely, 100 % your own self.  Conformity is a thing of the past.  So turn down conformity in favor of being a pure individual.  Why?  Because you now understand the real cost of going along simply to get along; the true price of following the herd mentality, be it that of your family, workplace, friends or community.   Regardless of others’ opinions, needs or desires, you must honor the acute drive to live your own life.   Those making the hard, difficult choices now to be true to themselves will avoid the inevitable consequences awaiting the less bold and brave.

Walking away from all that is familiar or known is not for the faint of heart.  So as you face what may feel like immense tasks ahead, take one day, one hour even, at a time.  Be very gentle and forgiving with yourself.  Break down your to-do list into small, manageable pieces.  Above all, ask for help.  You may be surprised how willing people are to lend support, resources and time.

A few days later, the tide turns.  Literally.  Neptune, God(dess) of the seas, turns retrograde in its own sign of Pisces.  The effects are so subtle we are not immediately aware of the inward pull.  Neptune aligns helpfully to the Lunar North Node in Cancer and Saturn in sturdy Capricorn, sharpening our intuition.  We know, and feel, exactly what we need to function optimally (at best) or for self-preservation (at a minimum).  Pay attention to your internal GPS, otherwise known as soul insights.  If you let go and let God take the wheel, divine steering delivers you to the most advantageous destination.  Set aside your inner control freak.  At first glance, it may not seem as though your prayers are being answered.  However, in time you will know that the best thing that ever happened to you was not landing that guy/gal, job, or wish…

The very next day, June 22^nd, is the Summer Solstice.  The Sun enters the sign of Cancer the Crab at a world-attention getting degree.  Challenging healer Chiron for the remainder of June, the Sun (our will) calls us to attend those less fortunate, to be earth angels for those in need of nurturing and empathy, and most definitely to heal our deepest wounds.  Feed the poor, tend the sick, hug and hold the despairing.  These are not clichés.  For there are no clichés where there is hunger and need for well-being.  In this season of warmth and sunshine, be the answer to the question and the solution to the problem so greatly needed by our planet now.

Messenger Mercury enters Leo on Thursday, June 27^th challenging Radical Uranus in Taurus.  Watch your thoughts and see where they follow.  Try not to attach to them.  Best to stay neutral and weigh your options.  Leo Mercury can surely have grand ideas while Uranus in Taurus opts for practical methods.  These two may very well clash and conflict, as you may feel naysayers are raining on your parade.  Both Leo and Taurus are fixed signs, meaning, they don’t want to give ground and can be rather stubborn.  Try to let each take a turn:  throw that party (Mercury Leo) but do it within a budget (Uranus in Taurus); flex your creative streak while planting unusual flowers in your garden; take a job interview you otherwise wouldn’t yet make sure to ask the practical questions.  You get the idea. 

The on-going struggle between Jupiter in Sagittarius vs. Neptune in Pisces comes to a head this final week of the month.  Both in their own home signs, Jupiter demands the law be upheld, truth and honesty in ALL matters, while Neptune spins illusion while seeking escape from reality.  We see the effects of this in so many areas of our lives:  the opioid epidemic rages at fever pitch (Neptune rules drugs and alcohol); the deep divides within our nation economically and politically; and the war between facts and data vs. scripted messaging. 

At its root, Neptune is about our Soul and Spirit.  In its own sign of Pisces, Neptune seeks to clarify and cleanse all obstacles obscuring our true essence.  It offers distinct polarities:  the easy escape hatch to avoid our soul work OR harkening to what makes our soul sing, uniquely and individually. It says, sure, take the easy escape route now but the work honoring your soul still remains to be done.  One path is fear based (avoidance) while the other holds a hand out in good faith.

Meanwhile, Generous Jupiter, offers abundance IF we tow the line and honor our path, be true to ourselves.  When we seek the good life just for the sake of a joy ride, emptiness and shallow living surely follow.  But if we do the work of honoring our truth and path, we hone lives of depth and dignity.   Both Neptune and Jupiter offer the easy way out OR the honest, soulful path.  The clash of these two planets now clearly highlights this distinction.  Which will you choose?

Back to Basics

May is rarely a quiet month.  Gardeners and outdoor workers go into overdrive; weddings and graduations multiply like rabbits, endings leading to new beginnings abound.  In recognition of this, the cosmos is accordingly calm this May, acknowledging that our plates are FULL.   There is more than enough keeping us occupied without excess planetary tricks.

What is usually a bright and beautiful month, a heaviness bears down on us as May opens.  The first few days unroll during the dark of the moon, revealing the New Moon on May 4^th.  Also underscoring the weight we carry, we enter this month in the shadow of cosmic heavy hitters Saturn and Pluto’s (karma and transformation) recent retrograde motion.  This occurred right at the end of April in coordinated turns, as though passing a baton one to another.  Pluto first, then Saturn, both spin mid cycle through ambitious Capricorn.

On surface levels, we do not feel this shift given their distance from Earth. What we gradually become aware of, however, is a turning inward, a heightened awareness, and slowing down where these two planets cycle through our chart:  more careful reflection of our responsibilities and their burden we shoulder, our future ambitions and how we tackle what we seek to accomplish, the signature, all, of Capricorn.  For everyone now, individually and collectively, we feel the sheer length of the road ahead, how far we must travel and the amount of work there is yet to do as a result of past actions or inaction.

Our plates are indeed overloaded.  The challenge is not to become mired in pessimism or unknowingly add to your burden.  If anything, our challenge this month is to enjoy life, our blessings and create play time where we can.  And we have plenty of cosmic help to do so.

First, the New Moon on May 4^th finds the Sun-Moon (our will and emotions) at a very strong degree of Taurus.  Plant baby plant what you seek to grow!   The primal earth energy, Taurus rules the money we earn, our skills and talents to draw an income, our possessions, our values and worth.  Taurus says: you get what you pay for.  And, another day, another dollar.  The New Moon is loosely flowing with Saturn-Pluto in responsible Capricorn, emphasizing where there is a will there is a way.  The gift of Taurus is perseverance, stamina, old-fashioned stick-to-it-iveness…also its challenge, a.k.a. stubbornness.  Be careful to align with the former so you don’t become stuck in ruts, situations hard to break free from, or worse, refusing to change born of pride and ego. 

Harness this strong energy to realize your desires.  The New Moon contains such fortunate alignments, lending a masterful, peak manifesting power.  So plant your handwritten wishes and goals in May’s softening spring earth or cast these in a moving body of water and watch them ripen the rest of 2019. 

Building on this two days later, Messenger Mercury shifts into Taurus joining Radical Uranus on May 6^th.  Your thoughts and mind create unusual connections, generate alternative ideas, link to just the right person for the job at hand, all of which offer incredibly practical solutions.  These will be simultaneously wildly innovative AND sleek, simple, almost rudimentary.  Applications abound, terrific for science and artistic endeavors alike.  Inventors take note.  Alternative approaches for ocean clean up, landfill management, climate cleansing, and renewable energy mechanisms and strides all come to mind.  Especially as we gradually shift into a dominance of earth energy during May.  This is Taurus:  Mother Earth combined with ingenuity.  YAY!  We need solutions desperately.

Also aiding our efforts is the lunar North Node in nurturing Cancer making a helpful angle to Neptune in Pisces.  Intuition, for those paying attention and awake:  follow it, trust your hunches, avoid doubt or second guessing.  Intuition is heart-centered.  Your heart and your core being are wired to the Truth; your higher self is also known as your higher consciousness.  What resonates and feels real?  What feels false or off center/discordant?  Allow your heart to lead, to steer.  The mind is our instrument to take direction from our intuition.  Follow the natural order of things rather than the modern model which puts mind first, rational vs. imagination and creativity.  In short, get out of your head and you will get out of your own way.

The theme of May is “getting back to the basics”.  Taurus and Capricorn are building block energy, original source material to create our lives from the ground up.  It isn’t sexy or glamorous but it does stand the test of time.  What is real, what functions well, what do you do well, what makes you feel good inside AND drives your purpose?

The challenge (because there is always a challenge) continues to be Generous Jupiter sparring with Dreamy Neptune.  Both in their own signs, these two have been at odds for a while and will be throughout most of 2019.  Neptune’s illusion rubs Jupiter’s quest for Truth the wrong way.  Jupiter seeks to learn and expand while Neptune spins distraction.  Our individual and collective work now is to discern fantasy from honesty, fiction from fact (what really is Fake News?), the way we want life to be vs. the way it actually is.  The latter struggle is the root of all suffering.  The tremendous boost of grounded, down to earth Taurus and Capricorn energy during May decisively slices through the proverbial B.S. 

A caution here:  Truth tellers are usually disliked, disavowed or disowned.  Don’t expect to be revered for speaking truth.  

On May 15^th, Venus, the ruler of Taurus, joins the Sun, Mercury and Uranus.  Relationships may take an unusual, surprising yet opportune turn.  Uranus is the Great Awakener and Venus governs love, money and relationships. Watch for:  opportunity, romance, chances given, windfalls, doors opening.    Tune into your sharpening intuition.  This is NOT a time to ignore your gut.  Say YES to propositions and figure the details out later.  A boon to the stock market this week which Venus and Taurus rules.  NICE!  May 15-17 are days to invest in anything or anyone…Especially in promising artists, innovative and entrepreneurial endeavors, home and garden, earth-related concerns, beauty of any kind.  This is Venus.  Your risk will be rewarded as we head into the Full Moon over the weekend.

The very next day, May 16^th, Motivating Mars dials into nurturing Cancer at a very prominent, attention-getting degree.  It directly challenges healer Chiron in feisty Aries, both helpfully aligning with Venus-Uranus.  The next week affords a real opportunity to heal our wounds, particularly those related to our family, home, food or mother.  We can create the private, safe space for our lives, better nurture ourselves with food, cooking, or self-care practices that we need.  From there we emerge, rise up and meet the world better. 

This applies to our nation as well. We are literally being shown the way if we just pay attention, listen and follow our higher selves.  Our inner knowing, heart directions heighten leading into the Full Moon two days later on May 18^th.   It is a Scorpio Full Moon, forming a grand water trine, a flowing grand alliance with Neptune and the lunar North Node, our directional calling.  Our spidey senses are off the charts this weekend!  Scorpio reveals ALL that is hidden.  The Moon IS our feeling/emotions, family, caring.  And this Full Moon pulls every scrap out from under the rug and shines a gigantic light on it, be they secrets, money maneuvers, motives, power plays.  No lightweight Full Moon is this for flights of fancy with SIX out of TEN planets in earth signs.  You will feel the weight of the real deal at hand and yet be grounded.  It will be hard to become untethered to reality now.  Fakers and phonies will be shown for exactly what they are while those who have done the work, their work, will be richly rewarded.

A few days later on May 21^st, both the Sun and Messenger Mercury shift into communicative Gemini.  Endlessly versatile and flexible, Gemini harnesses all of our ingenuity (Venus-Uranus) and applies it liberally to what we seek to change and grow.  For the better part of this week, our skills as wordsmith, and powers of persuasion are optimal.  Wily, unafraid to relentlessly pursue goals, undaunted by the word “NO”, Gemini Sun-Mercury finds a way to get what it wants. Mercurial by definition, Gemini energy enables us to shape shift and morph at will into who we need to be in the exact moment we find ourselves.  There is tremendous power, magic, in this duo.  Make sure you know precisely who you are and what you desire before wielding your magic wand, or making your three wishes.  Watch for those, and perhaps you, who promise more than they can deliver, or taking on far more than we can manage.

The Sun stretches higher and longer into the sky now, as daytime equal nighttime hours.  Plant all that you wish to reap.  A promising harvest awaits on the other side of our dreams.

Demo Day

This is no April Fool’s joke:  right out of the gate Motivating Mars shifts into communicative Gemini on April 1^st . Our energies are directed toward thoughts, speech and language in all forms.  Positive (self) talk is vital for the next six weeks.  Refrain from hearsay and gossip as it will wind you in the wrong directions.  Focused thought, right use of silence and carefully measured words are key this month. 

Mars in mercurial Gemini can verbally annihilate another…or promise things it knows it can’t deliver.  Make the best use of this energy by asking questions, listening rather than speaking (remember the other half of the conversation is a silent, respectful hEARing), fleshing out ideas either on paper or with a trusted friend.  Refrain from assuming you already know the answer, or dismissing suggestions out of hand, talking over/mansplaining someone else.  Practice consideration even if another isn’t.

For the first two weeks of April, the ruler of Gemini, Mercury, is still cycling through dreamy Pisces, paired tightly with Neptune.  Together they urge us to press the escape button and/or shroud our mind in obscurity unless we make concerted efforts to distill our thoughts.   Yes, this takes a bit of effort.  But those who do take the time to clarify and corral thoughts and information into comprehensible form, grasp deeper meanings, will be leaps and bounds ahead. 

Helping us to discern and decipher what puzzles us is the lunar North Node in nurturing Cancer.  Trust your gut, honor your intuition and spidey senses now.  Especially as the North Node exactly opposes Powerhouse Pluto and Taskmaster Saturn in Capricorn.  The planetary duo insists we account for the structure of our lives, the essentials necessary to function by pointing us to gut and eliminate any extraneous routines, systems, people, parts of ourselves or our lives that inhibit our full potential. 

Such scrutiny offers survival needs at a minimum, or optimal performance at best.

The Cancer North Node opposite Pluto-Saturn ultimately raises our awareness:  about self-care, and care for our family (of origin or chosen), home and house, food, end stage of life versus ambition, status, achievement.   Through stark or severe measures if needed, this troika highlights what is really of importance and significance.   Think of a house so cluttered or decaying that it requires a total gut job to make it habitable. 

This is where we are in our lives:  at the beginning of the demolition.  Parts of our lives (rooms) or the entire house demand reduction to ground zero, down to the studs to begin fresh as individuals and/or as the human collective.  While this sounds alarming, most have been moving toward this for a long time now.  Only some will experience a sudden shock.  It is all part of the natural cycle of things, occurring by no accident or coincidence, during spring time so that we may create The New from scratch.

Working harmoniously together, Gemini Mars, Radical Uranus in Taurus and healer Chiron decisively point to what needs to be healed, what resources and skills we have to harness, and how to chart a versatile and flexible course.  And this is only the beginning of April… giving us just a taste of what is to come, a warm-up if you will for the New Moon on Friday, April 5^th in fiery Aries.  We are incited to be brave, warriors, pioneers and Great Initiators.  Yes, to go where no wo/man has gone before in some cases, but for most of us, forge new paths in our lives.

Directly challenging the Lunar nodes and heavy hitters Pluto-Saturn, this New Moon is no shrinking violet.   Stand up and stand out now.  Go into battle for a cause, a belief, an idea, venture, the cause of yourself.  Hand write 3-5 goals or wishes and plant them in the earth or cast in a moving body of water.

The caution with this New Moon is creating a storm in a teacup, a problem where there is none, being a rebel without a cause.  Pluto-Saturn won’t tolerate a waste of time, energy or resources so be sure that when you take a stand, you have done your homework and have back up data.   Generous Jupiter in Sagittarius is working for us, aligning helpfully to the Sun-Moon in Aries on April 5^th, providing abundant information, facts, legal support (cosmic and earthly) lending a gigantic boost to our focused energies.

Speaking of Jupiter, it slows down to turn retrograde motion on Wednesday, April 10^th.  Along with two  other outer planets, Pluto and Saturn, turning retrograde later in April, we do not feel immediate effects similar to retrograde inner planets Mercury, Venus and Mars.   In terms of Jupiter’s retrograde, what we may notice is that resources and support may be slower to the draw for the next several months. 

Especially Jupiter in its own sign of Sagittarius, this is a good thing as we are pushed to make sure what we aim for, our wishes and goals are truly aligned with our soul.  This gives us time to be careful what we wish for, allowing divine guidance and timing to naturally unfold.  Jupiter’s retrograde is akin to a not receiving exactly what we want, only to realize later on that it is the best thing that ever happened to us.  Jupiter’s retrograde cycle hones our faith and trust.  Think delayed gratification…

Heightening this is Messenger Mercury’s challenge to Jupiter at the same time.  Fortunately, Mercury aligns with the lunar North Node in Cancer, sharpening our intuition and instincts.  Rely on your internal GPS to steer:  what feels right?   Not what others are telling you to do or that pesky loud voice of doubt in your head, but rather what you emotionally know to be valid.  Let ideas and beliefs slowly sift through you for soulful connection, to assess if these indicate the correct course. 

At mid-month, Messenger Mercury finally shifts into Aries on April 17^th finishing its very long turn through Pisces.  Joining healer Chiron directly opposite the Libra Moon, this combo aids our look at relationships, including that with ourselves, to take action and heal what must be repaired.  This effect increases toward the Full Moon on the 19^th.  Occurring at the final degree of Aries and Libra, this Full Moon emphasizes you as an individual, me, versus them, how you relate to all others, family, friends, partners, co-workers, community. 

The Full Moon is bookended by Venus’ shift into Aries on April 21^st.  The heat is on!  Impulsive, rash, Venus and Messenger Mercury in Aries refuse to take no for an answer.  They will have their day, their say and their way come hell or high water.  All your pent-up energy from this past winter and the March slog is released now:  Go, go, go.  DO.  Spring fever unfurls in a major way.  Execute now, now, now.  We are full of optimism, bouncing with life, confident and sure.  The caution with the Aries Mercury-Venus duo is racing and rushing into binding commitments.  It is a good thing we had most of March to RE-view, RE-search and RE-flect how best to move forward in our lives.  So watch what you dive into too fast.  Move forward, but move at your own pace, what, how and when that feels right for you.  Most especially, refuse to allow someone else’s urgency to push you into something you do not feel is best for you.

Rely on Aries to stand your ground.

The final week of April, 24^th-29^th, both heavy weights Pluto and Saturn turn retrograde motion.  Again, like Jupiter, these are outer planets and their retrograde cycles are longer and thus we do not feel their impact with the same immediacy.  With both planets in serious Capricorn, our individual and collective responsibility turns inward now, living with integrity, honoring what is essential and of utmost need.  The duo reminds us we must all adhere to the rules of the game.  As above, so below.  Or as Spike Lee famously said:  Do the right thing.  You know it.  You know what that is.  Be the right thing.  Live the right way now.

Of Special Note: 

Please join me at The Celebration of Reiki conference on Sunday, April 28th, 8-5, at the Newton, Massachusetts Marriott Hotel.   I will be speaking about The Volunteer Reiki Experience.  "Trials and Triumphs of Reiki Volunteering:  Why We Do It."  To register, please go to:  celebrationofreiki.org.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Marching Us into Our Shadow and Our Soul

“Misty water-colored memories” is an incredible lyric from the film The Way We Were.   The lyric and film title may very well be the theme for March 2019.  It accurately describes the emotions sifting through us now as we head into some key cosmic gear shifts.

Watery Neptune rules Pisces.  Both the Sun, our will, and Messenger Mercury (communication) cycle through this illusory sign as March opens.  In other words, we act, think and speak like a Pisces.  So let’s take a good look at both planet and sign.  Neptune and Pisces govern distinct polarities:  the saintly/angelic realm and conversely, the imprisoned, derelict and downtrodden.  Think Mother Theresa or the homeless beggar.   So too are the distinctly contrasting qualities of Pisces:  pristine clarity, divine intuition, dreams, OR, delusion, deception, disillusionment.  Crystal blue water vs. thick fog.  Neptune and Pisces rule anything ephemeral, what you can’t quite touch or put your arms around:   film, memories, glamor, fame, poetry, lyrics, music, the entire subconscious realm, escapism, faith and fear.

This most mystical sign represents our soul and our shadow.  Brilliant light or utter darkness.  Because we cannot grasp hold of anything Neptunian, the elusive and seductive lessons it teaches are often the most difficult for humans to learn.  Everyone knows someone always chasing a shiny object just out of reach, a fantasy that keeps slipping away.  We also know people who walk in the limelight, much sought after and emulated no matter what they do or don’t do.  This is Neptune and Pisces.  Otherworldly.  Tantalizing.

Chiaroscuro, chimera and Film Noir come to mind.  So do drugs, alcohol, con artists and spin doctors. 

And as we wind on down the road
Our Shadows Taller than our Souls
There walks a lady we all know
Who Shines white light and wants to show  -- Led Zepplin

As earthly beings living in a material world, how do we navigate Neptune and Pisces?  One word:  Faith.  Faith in ourselves, our gut feelings, primal instincts and intuition.  That strong knowing that burbles up from our center when a dilemma is posed. 

As March 2019 opens, we face such a dilemma:  do we keep the fantasy going, keep believing in the spin charade we tell ourselves OR do we trust and act upon our inner guidance of what we know and feel is actually true?

The good news is we have key cosmic help to discern illusion vs. reality this month.  On March 1^st, Venus shifts into inventive Aquarius.  Removed and detached in this air sign, we can assess relationships with nearly scientific eyes.  The planet of love and money remains in Aquarius for the balance of March, helping us to sift through events, situations, problems and conflicts with an observational, hands-off approach.  Aquarian Venus is about ideas, innovation and solutions; keeps our emotional fingers from getting dirty.  Use this to your advantage if you feel the clouds of fear start to descend inside your mind.

And the clouds will make a run at you for sure when a few days later, Messenger Mercury turns retrograde at the final degree of Pisces, sending a strong message:  It is time, high past time for reflection.  Due to its retrograde passage, Mercury will be in Pisces for an exceptionally long time this year…from mid- February through mid-April, three times as long as its normal cycle in a sign.  This emphasizes the need for reflection that much more.   “I’m not going anywhere til you review this thoroughly…” says Mercury in Pisces.

Working backwards into watery, emotional Pisces for the rest of March, passing over Neptune as it goes, our mind, thoughts and words seek clarity.  Or escapism.  Oh yes, there’s that pesky choice between our soul and shadow.  The caution here is a FLOOD of fear-based thoughts and emotions or wild urge to escape reality.  Without much effort you can slide down a slippery slope into the shadow’s dark hollows. If you feel yourself sliding, channel fear away from the abyss toward positive directions by practicing grounding routines:  walking in nature, exercising, or being with animals. 

Again, we are helped by the New Moon the very next day March 6^th.  All New Moons help us clarify our goals and wishes for the coming month.  However, tightly conjoined to Neptune, this New Moon on the 6^th especially affords pristine insight.  Dial into your inner vision.  Focus.  Tune in to your intuition.  Handwrite 3-5 goals you want to work on and manifest over the next few weeks.

If you need guidance discerning your needs, ask, what do you want your life to look like?  Financial freedom?  New Job? Healthier lifestyle?  New partner?  Yes we are each facing pressures and the urge to escape ALL of it, to run away.  But the old adage rings truer than ever before:  “wherever you go, there you are.” Sure sitting on a beach in Mexico sipping a cocktail or getting high sounds appealing; but sooner or later reality comes a calling.

All the possible Mercury retrograde snafus will keep it real enough:   watch for technical ticks, avoid signing major contracts, booking travel, buying big ticket items (appliances, cars, homes, ANY technology), or launching new businesses.  Do practice the RE words:  research, rest, restore, renew, revisit, rekindle, recharge, refresh, and so on.  Given the time frame of this passage, March 5-27^th, it is excellent for spring cleaning.  Go completely Marie Kondo and clean out all storage spaces, files, closets, attics, garages.  You will be amazed what treasures you will find and how good you’ll feel afterward.

Urging our efforts onward, change agent Uranus shifts into earthy Taurus, finding value in everything you uncover during Mercury retrograde.  Together, they are a one-two punch wake-up call.  The Great Awakener, Uranus rules earthquakes, shocks, surprises and sudden events.  Its shift into Taurus occurs on the New Moon.  Awake yet?  Pay attention and focus.  Otherwise you are in for a proverbial rude awakening.  For the next 7, yes, seven, years, Uranus cycles through Taurus questioning our values, worth, relationship to money, evaluating and yes awakening our skills and talents.

With Motivating Mars already in Taurus, the money sign, our desire to get real and be real keeps our feet on the ground.  From March 11-23, Mars aligns helpfully with heavyweights Saturn and Pluto in ambitious Capricorn and Mercury-Neptune in Pisces. This combination is amazing for taking action on plans, to build and manifest your dreams.

By the Spring Equinox on March 20^th, the Sun pivots into warrior Aries joining Chiron the wounded healer.  Feel the Spring Fever to get going already.  Accentuated by the Full Moon on the exact same day, you may want to bust down doors to push forward.  Not so fast.  Plot and plan, do your research this third week March 21-27.  You will find this week is a proverbial, “he who takes his time” pays off in spades. 

March 27^th, Venus enters Pisces where she loves most to be, giving selflessly to all, unifying us, believing all is possible, the same day Messenger Mercury turns direct motion conjoined to Neptune.  Proceed with contracts, major purchases and signing documents.  This planetary trio says when you build it they will come, and they (insert customers, clients, guests, partner, lover) are really thirsty for whatever you have to offer.  We have waited for so long for this moment.  Make the deposit, invest in your future, break free from the past, launch your business, take a chance.  Now, now, now.

Of Special Note:

Please join me at the annual "Celebration of Reiki" conference on Sunday, April 28th.  The conference will be held at the Marriott, in Newton, MA. I am thrilled to present my talk, "Trials and Triumphs of Reiki Volunteering:  Why We Do It," from 3-4 pm.  To register for this amazing event covering all facets of Reiki, please go to www.celebrationofreiki.org.  SEE YOU THERE!

Giving Birth

With all of the chaos and turmoil in the world right now, we are granted one true gift of cosmic grace.  All of the planets are direct motion during February.  This greatly aids our push forward with whatever we hope to accomplish.  Use this uncomplicated energy to your best advantage.  Especially as March will not be as smooth.

One of my favorite quotations is, “Life is a labor pain.  We are giving birth to ourselves.”  Continuously. Unceasing growing and developing.   Our change and evolution does not stop with high school or college graduation.  It is a continual “unfolding of the soul” as Carl Jung says.  This is especially true during February 2019.  With the eclipses done and over, and the close of another chapter of our lives, there is now a big, often forceful release of who we are and who we want to be.

As February begins, Motivating Mars challenges Pluto in traditional Capricorn.  Mars is cycling through its own sign warrior Aries.  It drives us into new and uncharted territory, breaking down barriers and refusing to take no for an answer while Pluto in staid Capricorn turns over systems and functions in our lives, what works and what doesn’t work. These are labor pains.  The planetary clash serves to bring all new life.  You will feel this.  As Mars approaches Radical Uranus in the final degrees of Aries, the two increasingly push strong, unmistakable methods and events to get our attention.   We are awakening.

Meanwhile, all the ideas generated by Mercury in highly inventive Aquarius take form as Venus moves into concrete Capricorn on the 4^th.  The timing is perfect, as cosmic timing always is, as this coincides with the New Moon the very same day!  Visualize your goals or cast your wishes in moving water, remembering to express gratitude for all you are and all you have.  Gratitude opens the gates for you to receive.  It is the key. 

Capricorn rules business, structure and function while Venus deals with love, money and relationships.  Relationships will now take on a firmer, more businesslike tone.  This is a sensational placement for working partnerships and building what you intend to manifest; however, they may not be the warmest.   What this pairing does succeed at is building relationships that last, that have solid foundations and form, and…abundant earning potential.  Over the next few weeks, Venus gradually conjoins heavy hitters Saturn and Pluto infusing a seriousness to our days.  We are heading into the BIG PUSH, the delivery of new life, new stages and phases of our lives, new levels of consciousness.  It is breathtaking.  Actually though.

From February 10^th-14^th, Motivating Mars tightly conjoins Radical Uranus in fiery Aries for the final time for the next 80 years.  This is highly combustible, unpredictable energy.  Whether you are bringing new life to a project, long-held dream, or higher aspect of yourself, this is a no-hold barred breakthrough time.  It is rife with instability and meant to throw us off course, as a test of our metal, strength, power, faith, and/or to align us with our true path.   Uranus rules anything sudden or shocking.  Accidents too…

Uranus is the Great Awakener and Mars in its own sign of Aries drives ahead heedless of any obstacles in the way.  Whatever seeks to come through you now, will.  There is also a significant cautionary note to this stretch of time:  if someone or some aspect of your life is not working, it may be abruptly removed as part of a major course correction.  Expect surprises (joyful and not), shocks, wild Ah-Ha moments, and yes, accidents.

Not for the faint of heart, this week is ripe with the unexpected in any possible way.  If you are off path in your life (even if you do not know/believe you are) watch for breakdowns.  The great news is all of the planets in sturdy Capricorn now help us to stand right back up.

If you have been slogging away trying to accomplish a task, solve a long-term problem or seeking solutions:  this is your week.   Breakthroughs abound.  Scientists and artists will glow with joy.  Valentine’s Day and the weekend following is awesome for proposing or going on a date. 

A caution here:  watch for fire.  Turn off all space heaters, cigarettes/cigars, fires in fireplaces, barbecues, stoves, driers and heat-born appliances.  Do not leave your residence with the washer or drier or other appliances running.  Check your electrical wiring/outlets especially if building or renovating a house.  Uranus rules electricity and accidents so the first two weeks of February are particularly charged.  Also, drive with caution.

We can be a bit absent minded now so it is especially important to pay attention and be present.   Messenger Mercury enters Pisces on February 10^th and while this is wonderful for artists, writers and spiritual pursuits, we can be deeply distracted the middle weeks of the month.  Keeping our feet on the ground while our heads may be in the clouds, Mars enters earthy Taurus on the 14^th.  Taurus is the “show me the money” sign.  It rules our personal assets, money and how we earn it.  Life gets real very quickly and we will feel the stock market or our personal bank accounts roil.  More of this to come in March.  Financial astrologers have predicted that 2019 will see a bear market for stocks and trading.  Good to know now to protect your assets!

Leading into the Full Moon on February 19^th, healer Chiron re-enters pioneering Aries.  Last year, Chiron stuck a toe into the warrior sign from April-September 2018.  Now, on February 18^th, Chiron leaves mystical Pisces for good, completing a passage it began in 1968!  This is a pivotal movement even for those who weren’t alive then.  Chiron rules the wounds we carry.  Once we heal our wounds, we are then able to share the healing with others simply by being a more whole, awakened and complete version of ourselves.

The turmoil of the late 1960s really kicked into high gear with Chiron’s entrance into fiery Aries.  Women literally burned their bras, threw in their dish towels and said enough; huge protests against the Vietnam War erupted (Aries rules war and Chiron says:  heal thy wounds); Watergate brought down a government; youth claimed their independence from repressive establishment and customs.  Those born during this era 1968-77 carry Chiron in Aries in their cosmic DNA.  Thus, the children we bear carry it as well. 

Chiron in Aries is fearless.  It is entirely unafraid to go after (attack even) what no longer works for the greater good.  Purely idealistic, this energy asks why and why not?  It seeks the highest and best for us as individuals and for us all as a collective.  It will literally climb over or blast through any obstacle in front of it. 

The current freshman class in the United States House of Representatives is a terrific example of Chiron in Aries.  They don’t care what you think of them; some will even bait the establishment into crossing lines and saying what shouldn’t be uttered.  This bold and brazen energy is encoded into the Full Moon on February 19^th, daring us to march forward with what we thought impossible only days, months, or years before.  Time to lay down the load you have carried, the family myths and belief systems that said no, you can’t, you shouldn’t, you won’t…  You will actually feel the fires of your soul being stoked.  Answer its calling.  Say yes to what you know without a doubt to be true.

We will feel every inch of this Full Moon.  The energy is less about striking a pose than about taking up the arms of your life, daring to live fully, knowing no bounds.   You are the instrument of your life, no one else.  You hold the keys AND the power.  All systems are GO.  We are indeed giving birth to ourselves.  Time to push.