Double Take Gemini: What's Underneath the Hood?

As we turn from April into May, our awareness is heightened by the waxing Moon.   Under its strong light, old issues are dug up to look at beneath the inescapable glare, especially involving family:  either your own or the larger human family that we share.  

For the past two years in the United States, the centuries-old disgrace of racism has been scrutinized as scenes of police brutality (white police harming or killing black males) repeatedly emerge from every region of our country.  Just when you think it cannot possibly get worse, something worse occurs.  The scourge of racism is just one example of a seemingly buried/solved/ignored (insert word of your choice) problem continuously claiming our attention, to be reviewed and ideally, corrected and healed.   Such crises are occurring on an individual and collective level everywhere.  It is the continuing fall out from transformer Pluto’s challenge to radical Uranus but now highlighted in extreme by the approaching Full Moon on Sunday, May 3rd.

In deep, dark Scorpio, this Full Moon (our emotions) pulls into an exact challenge with Jupiter, and both challenge the Sun in Taurus (our will).  Big and grand, Jupiter slices precisely in between our emotional selves and exterior identities, pushing and shoving its way to get our attention.  The Scorpio moon cuts like a gut-wrenching, emotional laser while the Sun in pragmatic Taurus says get real.  Let’s look for realistic solutions.   Usually, generous Jupiter smooths over our concerns to help find solutions.   Now, however, in this difficult configuration Jupiter only adds to the harried juice as it cycles through Leo.  Drama rules the day, exacerbated by Jupiter’s otherwise helpful alignment to Rebellious Uranus.  Immense drama combined with outrageous rebellion is never a good mix.  The result:   horrific tumult in Baltimore.   The loaded cosmic cocktail rants, raves and rages like a giant toddler.  It pulls out all the stops to make us pay attention.  And as any two year old knows, negative attention is better than no attention at all…right?!    We are forced to SEE what we have refused to look at.    “So you thought that [racism]problem was solved?” asks this planetary trio.  Really…?  “Well, look again!”      See all those disenfranchised, unemployed youths wailing away, destroying Baltimore?    Dramatically taking their angst to extremes.  Making us feel their emptiness, pain from lack of purpose.  Such is the effect of this planetary punch. 

And, the cataclysmic earthquake in Nepal (Uranus rules earthquakes) is another result of this combo.

On an individual front, if we have ignored our emotional work and life lessons, this Full Moon glaringly demonstrates what we still have yet to do.   The energy of April's last week and the first week of May is hammered home by taskmaster Saturn and messenger Mercury.   In truthful Sagittarius, Saturn demands honesty and integrity while opposing Mercury in flexible Gemini looks for innumerable ways of answering, speaking, or responding.  Or, a way out.   Gemini Mercury tends to play both ends against the middle, acting like a magician, maneuvering deftly through sticky situations; whereas, Sagittarian Saturn demands we tow the line, period.  Be sure you speak in equal parts from your heart and head, honestly, carefully, adeptly, adroitly.  Due to the BIGness of these cosmic effects, there is a sense under this Full Moon that “all eyes are watching” right now.  So speak the truth OR the truth will be spoken for you, in front of you, to spite you, to ensure right language and intent are conveyed by all. 

Just remember:  you can run but you cannot hide.   Karma will bite you in the fanny if you but try.

Other notes to watch during May’s opening salvo:  Jupiter in Leo wants to party hard.  So aim for fun but be careful of your intake, both with alcohol and food.  Accept a designated driver, leave the party at its peak when everyone is having a good time.   With the Sun and Full Moon’s beneficial angle to both transformer Pluto and asteroid Hygeia in nurturing Cancer, there is optimal healing available.  Go slow.  Take your time.  Exercise emotional patience and tolerance.  Count to FIVE before answering.  You’ll find steadier ground to stand on when you do.

On Thursday, May 7^th, Venus moves into tender Cancer nurturing relationships, work and projects we care for.  Over the next two weeks, Venus forms a hugely helpful angle to Neptune, heightening our intuition.  Trust your gut!   If something or someone does not feel right, follow that lead 100%.  If you are already committed but have grave doubts, flexible Mercury in Gemini will help you talk your way out of a binding agreement.  But be sure of the direction you do want to go because once Mercury turns retrograde on Tuesday, May 19, words, contracts, situations get way trickier to negotiate and navigate.

Mars enters talkative Gemini on Tuesday, May 12^th, gradually joining Mercury for the remainder of the month.   Mars is action and Mercury is how we think and talk.  So be mindful that this combination, especially with Mercury turned retrograde, yields prickly words and sticky language.  Do your part to speak and live honorably.  Venus in caring Cancer helps smooth out feathers that Mars/Mercury in Gemini may ruffle up.  Still, it is key to remember now:  once words are out of the mouth, they cannot be taken back.  Thinking before you speak is critical as we head into Mercury’s reversal the following week.  Harness the planets for better instead of worse; use the energy to your advantage:  the Mars/Mercury combo is great for research, writing, meditation, reviewing language, thinking things over.  All of the Retrograde words come into play at mid-May:  read, relax, rewind, renew…

The New Moon on Monday, May 18^th, the day before Mercury turns retrograde, is perfect for contemplation, goal setting, putting out intentions.  Sit still.  Make like a fixed Taurus New Moon and park yourself on the spring green grass beneath a tree.  Immerse yourself in quiet solitude even if for ten precious minutes.  Close your eyes.  Calm your mercurial thoughts.  Breathe into them.  Chant a mantra. What do you feel?  What do you hear?  What do you know? 

With Jupiter at a powerfully strong degree, 15 Leo, making super beneficial angles to both Mercury and Uranus, envision the person you can be and step into those shoes.  Believe you are that person and so you shall be.  With Mercury/Mars in Gemini, it is essential to align and infuse your thoughts positively.  Carefully guard and protect your thoughts from negative energy and yourself from negative people who may pull you, literally, in the wrong direction.  This planetary combination manifests reality like crazy so only aim for what you do want, not what you do not want to create. 

Just days later on May 21, the Sun enters Gemini too, joining Mercury and Mars, maximizing our magician-like abilities to create our own reality and be optimally flexible.  It is toward positive manifestation that we must point ourselves as we enter the final week of the month.  Of note:  Mercury crosses back over Mars, mixing up and sharpening words and language from May 25-28^th.  If ever there is a time to bite your tongue, swallow words before speaking, hold off on signing significant contracts, documents and purchases, this is it! 

After Mercury turns direct motion on June 11^th, go for broke.  In the interim, do your research (Re!) homework.  Look for the best possible deal.  Dig beneath the surface and ask questions.  Even if those questions seem invasive.  It never hurts to ask up front what is under the hood:  of an appliance, a relationship, a contractor, a prospective employer, etc.  After June 11, dive in to products and projects.  The extreme benefit of Mercury/Mars/Sun in Gemini the last week of May is the gift of thinking and rethinking.  I’m not one to recommend over-thinking anything; but this month, we are prone to do so and with good reason.  With all of the tumult and conflict in our world, this month is an exceptional time for Reflection and contemplation:   what steps will you take to create your best self?  To create your most inviting reality?

The uber harmonious alliance between generous Jupiter and radical Uranus continues throughout the summer, granting time to harness its wildly exciting opportunities.  With time to ponder now, why not accept May’s invitation to slow down, dig into the earth, the soul of yourself and reveal buried treasures lying in wait?   Just waiting to wind past the gates of summer so you may flower into your full potential.

We have lift-off!

April opens up between two eclipses.  The first, on March 20^th, was a total solar eclipse on the New Moon, while the second falls on Saturday, April 4^th, Easter and Passover weekend.  It is a total lunar eclipse of the Full Moon.  The period between eclipses is a notorious void, not unlike a black hole where what you initiate during this time frame can fall flat.   Best to wait until after the second eclipse on April 4^th to invest in anything you hope to grow and develop.  Better still, if you can push forward with plans on or after Wednesday April 8^th, Joyous Jupiter will give you and your plans a gigantic boost as it turns direct motion.

If there is one word to describe the time on and around the April 4th eclipse, it is volcanic.  With Mercury, the Lunar South Node, the Sun, and Uranus all tightly conjoined in fiery Aries and challenging transformer Pluto, expect radical surprise, a change of will and change of heart.  Explosive growth, eureka/ah-ha discovery-revelatory moments are at hand, especially as stationary Jupiter makes a highly beneficial angle to the Sun-Uranus-Moon trio.   This April is one of those overnight sensation or life-turning-on-a-dime periods, when the completely impossible becomes very, very possible, and very, very real.   Really.  Truly.  Miraculous.  Thus it is imperative to align your thoughts positively, and keep negative thoughts, words and behavior at arms-length.  Believe and trust that all will be well.

Because with Messenger Mercury in this super-charged mix, if you think it, so it will be.  That’s how powerful this time is.  In other scenarios, those who have put up and shut up about their living or work situations for far too long will now find the courage, strength and voice to speak up.  Where in your life have you held back, been too restrained (kind/cautious), not said your piece, spoken/lived your truth, stood up for yourself or another, more vulnerable self?  In a relationship, job, dream you haven’t pursued out of fear, money or inconvenience…?

The good news is there are grounding elements that help us maintain a foothold while we think our world is spinning out of control.  This helps root and brace our bodies, minds and souls during the havoc and tumult pre and post eclipse.   In earthy Taurus, Venus’ wonderful angle to Pluto in pragmatic Capricorn firmly plants us in the work at hand, what must be done, and how to go about it with a practical, step-by-step guide.  Also in Taurus, Mars aligns helpfully with Neptune and the healing asteroid Hygeia, the latter two in water signs assist with cleansing, compassion, and clarification.  With Neptune’s continued challenging angle to taskmaster Saturn in Sagittarius, the truth comes to the surface.  Beautifully dovetailing these truths, Messenger Mercury pairs with the Lunar South Node to deliver messages all around.  Stop and listen to the words of others.  Really hear children….”out of the mouths of babes…”, or those passing through your life for just a moment, the words and lyrics of songs on the radio, listen to the vulnerable.   Take messages to the heart, then act.

With the eclipse challenging Transformer Pluto, facades, fakes and phonies are exposed to stand naked under the radical light of this planetary combo.  Terrorists and the unstable will feel fully justified for any extreme measures they exact.  With Messenger Mercury in impulsive Aries conjoined to the eclipse energy, it is essential to slow down, use the grounding earth energy that Venus, Mars and Pluto now offer to think before you speak and definitely before acting.   During this critical, pivotal time, ASK:  am I helping or hurting, adding to the problem or solving it, am I part of the cure or part of the disease?  Are your choices productive or destructive, to you or anyone else?

As with any cosmic energy, it can be used or directed positively or negatively.  There is tremendous positive energy available with this eclipse so be sure your intentions are aligned with the highest and purest purpose.  Create well.  Turn toward good, wholesome, positive.  When Jupiter turns direct motion on Wednesday, April 8^th, launch projects full steam ahead.  The same day, the Moon conjoins hardworking Saturn in Sagittarius igniting our beliefs and faith in our potential, what we hope to accomplish either personally or professionally.  This combination really says the sky is the limit.  How high can you aim your arrow?

Toward mid-month, Venus enters talkative Geminii on April 11^th unleashing your curiosity, interest in broader topics, your community, siblings and world at large.  Opposite Saturn, Venus probes the truth of relationships and the circumstances you find yourself in, including money matters and/or how you earn your living and those with whom you work.  Do you like how your job?  Is there some more engaging, stimulating way to spend your time (Saturn), your waking hours?  The Venus-Saturn opposition prods us to ask if we are being honest in all of our relationships including with ourselves?

Three days later, Messenger Mercury joins Mars in earthy Taurus on April 14^th, lending a pragmatic beauty and practical realism to our thoughts and ideas.  Mars is moving into a highly beneficial position with transformer Pluto, incredibly helpful for preparing, planning and planting projects:  anything we want to build, create or grow, including healthy relationships.  The challenge herein lies with Mars difficult angle to Jupiter.  In festive, fiery Leo, Joyous Jupiter beckons us to party hearty, create like there is no tomorrow, while the Mars-Pluto alliance says go deep or go home.   This planetary mash up suggests using your time and energy for the highest and best good.  In other words, assign (and use) a designated driver.  Don’t be stubborn and think you can get behind the wheel of a car.  Do not take on more than you can handle now, at home, in the community or on the job.  Ask for help if you need it.  On a higher plane, this planetary trio is wildly creative and productive, giving us ample stamina and drive to drill down to the very essence of a problem/theory/creative endeavor to be solved or produced.  It is the kind of energy that leaves absolutely no stone unturned and penultimate, awe-inspiring beauty in its wake.  Think:  musical/artistic/scientific genius.  Pure brilliance.  Shine bright like a diamond…

Be sure to leave behind you a trail of beauty and solutions or cures rather than a mess to be cleaned up by someone else.  Let Mercury in Taurus be your guide.

On Friday, April 17^th, Pluto turns retrograde motion.  In its continued, albeit softer challenge to Radical Uranus, unfinished business still works itself out in the arenas where these two impact your chart.  With Pluto in Capricorn, big business, government, the established and traditional structures of our lives continue to be transformed.  Or unraveled.   This is not easy. So it is very helpful to remember that “life happens for you and not to you.”  You do have choices so take your pick: because how you approach life tremendously affects the outcome.  A positive or negative attitude, one of optimism or pessimism, faith or doubt.  Pluto now turns inward, grinding away at areas we need to unearth, bring to the light, and acknowledge.  Meanwhile, Uranus works from above ground, inciting change through lightning strikes and earthquakes (literally) or via life situations that zap and rattle us to the core.  Ch-ch-ch-change.

Assess your situation.  Because the very next day, on the New Moon in Aries, we are invited to break free, blaze a trail, launch fearlessly ahead.  GO FOR IT!  With Motivating Mars and Messenger Mercury conjoined in Taurus now, it is an excellent time to sow thoughts, ideas, projects, endeavors, partnerships, deals.  What do you want to grow?   This season?  Today, next month, this year?  As Mars-Mercury challenge Joyous Jupiter, do not take NO for an answer.  This trio calls for grit and perseverence.  Dig deep, plow ahead, stand your ground.  Be brave and bold.

Bolstering our thoughts (Mercury) and action (Mars) is the Sun as it enters practical, sensual,down to earth Taurus.  Let us now pause and praise The Earth.  Mother Earth, Mother Nature.  From her, all blessings flow.  Wednesday, April 22^nd is Earth Day.  Stop and ask:  how can you give back to Gaia, Mother Earth?  Replenish, restore, renew her?  Thank her for all she gives to you.   At the same time, the Moon and Venus in airy Geminii makes a flowing angle to the Lunar North Node in Libra.  Ideas, intelligence, wonder abound, allowing for maximum flexibility in relationships, whether personally, professionally, to Nature, to yourSELF.   Language and words are particularly strong this day due to the Mars-Mercury pair hitting a critical, super visible degree of Taurus.  The power of of words, what you read, hear and speak around April 21-23 cannot be underestimated.  When speaking, choose your words with utmost care as they will have a deeply lasting affect and impact now. 

Heading into the final days of April, the Sun (our will) aligns with Neptune to cleanse and clean how we aim our will.  It is an amazing time for anything involving music, spirituality, poetry and lyrics, meditation, higher consciousness activities, connecting with each other, to the Universal One Mind, and especially with Nature.  After the chaos and upheaval of March and the eclipse cycle, these are the loveliest of days.

March Madness: Pluto-Uranus final challenge plus New Moon Eclipse

Can you feel the surge?  March 2015 is not rolling in like a lamb.  More like a lion which will ROAR most of the month.  Especially mid-month.  No gentle spring is this.  The cosmic foot keeps pressing down on the accelerator with very little let up to slow us down except our own strident efforts to exercise patience, tolerance, caution and wisdom. 

Best approach to this month is a sharp sense of humor.   Generous Jupiter in Leo (which rules humor and entertainment) aligning with Radical Uranus in fiery Aries certainly helps us find new, unusual methods of dealing with the fierce energies at work.  We will need every measured tactic to meet the hands we are dealt.  March’s opening salvo finds Venus (relationships and money), Mars (our drive and energy) and change maker Uranus tightly conjoined in warrior Aries challenging Transformer Pluto.  The latter two are moving toward their final smack down on March 15th.   Power punch much?  Revolution?  We are simply jolted awake and into action.  Breakdowns and breakthroughs are the watchwords for March.  If you are in a relationship that is not functioning well (with lopsided power plays and struggles, addiction issues, etc) whether personally or on the job, the energies of March will see to it that change occurs.   Make every effort to flow with impending plot twists.  Prepare to stay a step or two ahead, or otherwise be caught in the one-down position perpetually responding to and playing catch up instead of directing and initiating life.

With Saturn now cycling through Truth Telling Sagittarius, making beautiful alliances to Venus, Mars and the Lunar South Node in pioneering Aries, expect no-holds bar honesty.   The more you resist hearing and following your True North, the reality of the situation you find yourself in, the more others’ will mirror truth and reality for you.  It is inescapable.   If you do not like what you see mirrored back to you, ask how you can change the reflection.  What can you do to alter the picture? Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

Fess up and speak your truth.  For there is no time for evasion, lies or deceit now.  Nothing can be swept under the rug as the final challenge between Transformer Pluto and Radical Uranus happens on the Ides of March, no less!  Talk about cosmic humor poking fun at us.  WOW.   Since 2012 this duo has squared off, overturning the old and outworn in our lives and ushering in The New, heightening our awareness.  They ensure no stone is left unturned; that we are fully awakened to the realities of our situations. 

From the first week of the month when Messenger Mercury opposes Generous Jupiter, both at critical degrees, our very thoughts and words are in the spotlight and may be stiffly challenged.  So:  Say what you mean and mean what you say.   Only commit to something/someone if you can honor that commitment.  We have had significant warnings and signals pointing the way.  For those ignoring the signs, March will rattle to the core.   This month is the last stage, the final frontier to be broken through, destabilizing or destroying patterns, habits and relationships that have not functioned well or at all and/or served our true purpose or best interests.   The key to March is remembering that L-O-V-E is the reason behind this period of strife and upheaval.  Especially as we move deeper into the month of Pisces, the great unifier, self-love, family, brotherly, partnership, universal love, is our lesson.  To understand that we are ONE.  You as an individual are one with Source.  Separateness is an illusion.  And for those operating from a place of separation, or territorial “this is mine, that is yours” mentality, the road will be that much harder.   

Not that April will be any panacea.  But our cages won’t be rattled to the extent they are this month.  The explosive energy of the first week is ramped up by the powerful waxing Full Moon which occurs on Tuesday, March 5^th.  Fortunately, the Moon is in down-to-earth Virgo, helpfully aligning to Pluto in practical Capricorn.  The Full Moon opposes the Chiron-Sun-Neptune trio in Pisces highlighting that separateness or unity is our choice.  Neptune and Pisces rule illusion.  The bare bones analytical Virgo Full Moon cuts right through this illusion, showing us like never before what is real and what is not.  All illusion is shattered now and clarity of vision is yours for the asking.  Take your pick:  continue living with blinders on and face having them ripped off; or, if you have been seeking answers, doing the work, listening to and following your truth, solutions abound.  With Generous Jupiter making a gorgeous angle to Ingenious Uranus, creative breakthroughs are at hand.   The Moon-Pluto alliance in earth signs affords tremendous building block energy.  So hitch your wagon to your dreams, make a plan, apply elbow grease and plenty of ingenuity and go for it!  All the ingredients are there.   Pisces Sun says:  BELIEVE.

The Full Moon tees us up nicely for the second week of March when life really starts cooking.  Messenger Mercury moves into Pisces on March 13^th, slowly joining the Neptune, Sun and Chiron to emphasize the message of universal love and compassion.  The very next day, March 14^th, Saturn turns retrograde motion in Sagittarius, challenging both Neptune and Mercury.  The search for inner truth, your quest, really deepens now in earnest.  What is it you truly hunger for?  What will fulfill your soul?   Neptune and Pisces are the soul.   Plunge into their watery depths to find your answer.   If you allow just five minutes a day to tune in, ask:  what do you feel, what do you hear?  Pay attention to your body, the words of others, songs on the radio and signs (anything) shining light on the way.  It is make or break time.  Neptune is the dreamer while Saturn is the taskmaster.  Saturn in Sagittarius demands you do the work of following your truth (no matter what society, your partner, family, etc, say/think), so your dreams (Neptune) may manifest.

Again, the point is driven home by the forces that be, in this case during the second week comes the final challenge between Pluto and Uranus.  Pluto in Capricorn has been breaking down the old, established systems of our lives, grinding up what fails to serve us.  Meanwhile, Uranus keeps inciting our bravery and pionieering spirit to explore untried or unusual approaches, to journey where we have feared to go.  Now bolstered by the Venus-Mars duo in Aries, plus helpful alignments to Jupiter and Saturn in fire signs, Uranus gets its way.  Finally.  “I’ve been telling you to get going, try a new ­­­­­­­­­_______ (fill in the blank); now, I won’t take no for an answer,” demands Uranus, mighty planetary change agent.  Remember, when you consistently resist to embrace your path, life (via Uranus) redirects you, forces your hand.  This is such a moment.   The proverbial "life-altering experience” is inevitably caused by Uranus when we are too far “off-path”.  It can happen on a dime, either by happy or unfortunate accidents/crises, which Uranus rules.  Surprise! is Uranus’ most effective tool…because if we were expecting change/upheaval, we human beings would do our level best to avoid it.  Right? Uranus is the Great Awakener.

Personally, I know where I was reluctant to follow my path, I was awakened/redirected.  And I know of many situations where this has occurred for others:  a high-powered advertising executive who survived a horrible car accident and turned into a yogini; a business woman who witnessed 911 from her office building in NYC who then moved to the West Coast and became a successful writer; a drug addict who became a wildly successful life coach inspiring legions of others.  And on and on.  For each of these stories, Uranus played an integral part.  Where has this happened for you?   None of us like the unexpected.  We are human and seek predictability and stability.  Yet those who accept that change is the only constant will find an easier road now.

A foot to stand on anchors us through the chaos and disruption of mid-March.  Venus (love and money) enters its home sign of Taurus on March 17^th offering stability and practical riches.  We will need every inch of ground we can get as only three days later the New Moon eclipse occurs at 29 degrees Pisces just hours before the Spring Equinox, issuing an emphatic call for unity, understanding, the brotherhood of man, clarity of vision, cleansing and healing.  This eclipse urges a strong release and purge, as Radical Uranus (change) tightly conjoins the Lunar South Node (release) and the will to do it (Sun/Moon in Pisces = cleansing and healing).  All New Moons offer us a clean slate, to begin again.   However, the combined energies of this New Moon Eclipse afford an exceptionally powerful clean slate and opportunity to emotionally (Moon) connect to ourselves, our family and loved ones, our neighbors and community; to see the humanity, the positive attributes in others; to believe and have faith in our talents and abilities as well as those we share this Earth with. 

Hours later the Sun enters Aries at a critical, attention-getting degree, ushering in Spring and a whole new cycle of growth.  As I write with five feet of snow outside of my office door, I know I will be more than ready for warmer temperatures and milder days.  A word of caution here:  eclipses come in pairs and the March 20^th eclipse is the first of two, the second of which falls on April 4^th.  The period between eclipses are notorious voids.  Best to start new endeavors after the April 4^th eclipse.   By the end of the month, both Messenger Mercury and Motivating Mars have changed signs on March 31^st.  Mercury joins the Sun in Aries as they move toward Uranus, creating radical vision, ideas and concepts for the future.  Meanwhile, Mars enters stable Taurus, joining Venus to keep our feet on the ground and apply our resources and talents on realistic paths.  It is truly a time to follow the words of radio host Kasey Casem: "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

OF SPECIAL NOTE:

Please join me for a workshop I am leading on Saturday, March 28th from 1-4 pm at the Sanctuary for Yoga and Reiki in Watertown, MA:  Creativity, Moon Cycles and Self-Expression.   Come learn what drives your creativity, where creativity originates and how it unfolds.  Learn about your Moon sign and how it affects your ingenuity, receive a recommended reading list and crystal goodie bags, and much, much more!  $35 advance registration or $45 at the door.  To register or for more information, contact Hilary@hilaryharley.com.

Tests of Faith

February opens up three planets and asteroid Chiron in watery Pisces:  Venus (love and money), mystical Neptune, Motivating Mars and Healer Chiron.   Like no other water sign, Pisces calls us to pause and reflect.  So with Messenger Mercury in retrograde motion, the first ten days of the month may feel a bit murky as we sort through ourselves and our lives.   Nonetheless, retrograde Mercury complements Pisces nicely as it invites introspection, meditation, reflection…all of the re- words.  You know them!

With all this water enveloping us, let’s talk Pisces.   The final sign of the zodiac, it rules mysticism, music, dreams, universal love and consciousness, faith and the brotherhood of man.  On a good day.    In more difficult times, it may have us drowning our sorrows in drugs and alcohol, devouring any faith we ever possessed, surrendering to prisons or hospitals, or chained to overwhelming fear.  You see, Neptune and the sign it rules Pisces, represent the very pinnacle of humanity as well as the lowest of lows.  Why?  The Divine may be found in all of these, each of us, no matter what our human circumstance.

Cycling through Pisces, Vibrant Venus is exalted in this sign, casting a Mother Theresa effect on her motions, especially with her conjunction to Neptune during the first week of the month.  This pair lends a Universal Love to our relationships, those we already know and those we want to know better, including how we treat ourselves.  Since Neptune is mystical, often stirring confusion in its wake, it can cause tremendous blind spots wherever it is found in a chart.    No one likes to feel s/he is unware; yet in certain segments of our lives, we undoubtedly are.    Neptune prompts the question, “How did I not see that before?”  When the person/situation/your SELF have been there for so long, we can feel like a failure for not realizing or understanding earlier.   Don’t.  Instead, think of it this way:  Neptune leaves room for growth and development.  Eventually, over time, people, situations, life events and self-understanding become clear.  Clarity, pristine insight.  That is the highest intention of Neptune.  Consider it a journey.

Prodding us toward such clarity, Motivating Mars and Healer Chiron are half way through Pisces during the first week of February.   Pay attention, this pair says, focus on soul matters, where and what needs clarifying, understanding and healing.  They call us to bear witness to where we have strayed from our path.   Highlighting where have let others, ourselves, down, been less than our best selves, best friends, spouses, parents, co-workers, Mars-Chiron prompts a course correction.  In Pisces, this duo says:  swallow your pride and reach across the table.  Do what must be done to save the friendship, business, relationship, marriage, yourself.   Say the words, as hard as they might be to utter, even if you have to write them down and rehearse.  Or, draft a letter to the loved one, the co-worker.  Write affirmations FOR yourself and stick them on the bathroom mirror where you can’t miss them every day.   Conversely, open up to others trying to reach out to you:  listen, focus, hear what someone is saying, what it is they really want for you (not from you):  good health and well-being, a perspective you might not have considered, lending a hand financially, practically, or otherwise…  Here’s a clue:  let them.  We are one, a brother and sisterhood of humanity.  Each of us carrying the other along.

For the better part of February, helping us reach out to others and reach across ourselves, Messenger Mercury is cycling through ingenious, detached, and inventive Aquarius.  At the first week of the month, Mercury makes a helpful angle to Saturn in fiery Sagittarius, jump starting new ideas, adventures in living, how we approach events and situations, people, even our thinking.  Remember:  it takes 60 days to establish a new habit or routine.  No time like the present!  This angle assures us if we but try, we can succeed.  Sagittarius is about QUESTS.  Where do you need to journey?  To evolve, grow and develop into the person you are intended to become?  This involves faith.  Journeys, whether inward or external, require exactly that:  faith in ourselves to examine what is “under the hood”, ie, why you are the way you are and operate (think/make choices) as you do; conversely, in external quests, we push forward often against extreme odds, naysayers and haters, lack of money, etc.

This brings us to the grand planetary challenge for 2015:   Neptune in Pisces squaring (facing off with) Saturn in Sagittarius.  Simply said, we face big tests of faith.  The challenge has been brewing for some time already at the end of 2014.  We have seen it play out in our individual lives and on a global scale via Islamic terrorists wedded to extreme forms of faith they insist on spreading worldwide.    So let’s take this challenge apart for a look at the mechanics to better understand how it affects you.  First, Neptune is the soul.  As it cycles through its home sign Pisces, it clarifies and discerns precisely what our soul needs.  Taskmaster Saturn, on the other hand in adventurous, spiritual Sagittarius is on a search for TRUTH.   These two planets ask us now:  “Can you handle the truth?”    This question opens us to even more searching:  “What will you do when you find the truth?”  Will you recognize when truth crosses your path?  Since Neptune can be a major blind spot, look for what you might be missing, missing parts, words, pieces to the puzzle.  Be wary of blind faith in someone/something.

At play here are some BIG quests for answers.  Consider how these figure in your life currently:  What do you believe?  What are your dreams vs. reality.  How are you making your dreams a reality?  Are you escaping (Neptune) your reality/responsibility (Saturn)?   What can you get away with?  Are you trying to get something for yourself only or are you sharing/serving others?  How do you give back to your fellow man?  Matters of faith vs. doubt.  Denial, deferral, and delusion (Neptune/Pisces) vs. right action, honor, doing the right thing (Saturn); How is your current/established belief system or tradition of faith challenged?

These are very weighty questions indeed.

In their most difficult forms, Saturnian fear and Neptune’s blind spot can paralyze us.  Try thinking of their efforts as catalysts:  to create better versions of ourselves, lives, and world.  Understand that it is necessary to stop, take stock, assess what and who we are (beliefs) and where we are going from here.   If nothing else, the dance between Saturn and Neptune throughout 2015 breaks open this blind spot causing us to question the arenas of our lives in which we and others are operating.   Look to see what arena this is for you:  work, profession, marriage, friendships, goals, physical body, values, thoughts/speech, home/family, creativity/art, money/money/money, and spirituality.

 In ancient astrology, Joyful Jupiter ruled both Sagittarius and Pisces and they still share some common threads, that of spirit, higher consciousness and faith.  On the Full Moon of February 3^rd, Jupiter affords a grand opportunity for leaps of faith and belief in ourselves, as it conjoins the Full Moon in creative, risk-taking Leo at a highly attention getting degree.  Do you have something to celebrate?  This is THE day!  The spotlight is uber bright today, definitely not for the shy and retiring types.  So get out there and let yourself SING!  Emotionally, we are fearless, brazenly hopeful with the courage of lions.  YES YOU CAN is the mantra now.  Believe in yourself says this Full Moon.

Supporting this can-do spirit of Brand New, Brave New World, is Joyful Jupiter forming an incredibly helpful angle to Radical Uranus.  All month long, Jupiter in Leo bears abundant creativity, romance, athleticism, opportunity for risk-taking to stretch ourselves, all magnified by inventive Uranus in pioneering Aries inciting us to blaze new trails.  Yes, we are being waaaay pushed out of our comfort zones there is no doubt.   But is there anything worse than stagnation and withering lack of growth?  Uranus prods us to go where no man has gone before (YES, it really IS OK, you have permission), jump into new businesses and creative ventures, relationships, unheard of methods to achieve your goal, to try, try, try anew even where you have experienced rejection or failure before.  The slate is clean.  The magnanimous generosity of this pairing cannot be overstated.  Truly, we feel the entire Universe supporting our efforts now.

By the 11^th, Messenger Mercury turns direct motion, still making a beneficial angle to Saturn in Sagittarius.  Exalted in Aquarius, Mercury’s helpful alignment to Saturn finds ingenious, untried methods to respond to life.  Ask:  what path haven’t you explored yet?  Jupiter-Uranus breaks us out of our ruts and routines.  Shows us how to best apply our imagination.  If nothing else, Aquarian Mercury is wildly imaginative, and human beings are blessed with this gift like no other creature on earth.  Think:  Thomas Edison, famous Aquarian.  Expect breakthroughs now.  With Mercury direct for the next three months, proceed with plans, contracts, signing key documents, launching initiatives and projects.  Mid-month also finds an interesting pairing:  Nurturing Ceres (Mom Persephone from Greek Mythology) coupled with Transformer Pluto (god of the underworld), from February 12-16.  Both challenge Uranus to awaken us; so do not be surprised if you are caught off guard, broken open emotionally, or perhaps dragged into the underworld of your own making for a cold, hard look at the seamier parts of your life. 

The New Moon in Pisces on February 18 at 00 degrees Pisces conjoined to Neptune prompts either complete confusion and disillusionment (the “How did I get here, how did this happen to me,” syndrome) or pristine clarity, pure AH-HA understanding, and rare, raw insights.  Either way, it is a great day for meditating on what you DO want to occur.  The next day, February 19^th, Mars enters fiery Aries as does Venus on the 20^th.     While these two gradually converge with the South Node of the Moon and Uranus, we are called to action, to begin new ventures and relationships, and most vitally to RELEASE old, outmoded ways of being, habits, shed people or practices that no longer serves you.   The Moon is thrown into the mix also on the 20^th, sparking strong emotions and a giant push to do something.  Aries is DO-ing energy, not BE-ing energy.  So this is not a “be” or “being” time.  With Messenger Mercury now direct, we are catalyzed forward.  Galvanized into activity, especially as all three planets, Mars (energy), Moon (emotion) and Venus (love/money) make a gorgeous angle to Saturn in Sagittarius.  Get going guys and gals!  Stand back and behold.  Surprise yourself! 

For so long, Uranus has been hanging out by itself in fiery Aries, trying to get the party started.  However, by month’s end, five planets are fully, firmly in fire signs:  Mars, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus.  Feel the shift?  This energy is the harbinger of the blazing Spring to come.   Only one month away, Spring’s watch words are renewal and resurgence.   This Spring promises to be a full-on break-down-the-doors time. As the Sun passes by Neptune in the final week of February (24-28), tightly conjoining our Will with our Soul, both challenging Taskmaster Saturn, have faith.  Have faith my friends.  Believe and it shall be so.

OF SPECIAL NOTE:

Come get your Goddess on!   Please join me for a very special pre-Valentines Day celebration on Saturday, February 7, from 11 AM- 3 PM at The Sanctuary for Yoga and Reiki, 164 Galen Street, Watertown, MA.  Join me and two amazing healing practitioners, Susan Jenness and Cher Kore, for yoga, reiki and crystal healing sessions, aromatherapy, and astrology readings by yours truly.  $75 fee for hours of relaxation and healing!   Email me at:  hilary@hilaryharley.com to join us!  Only three spots are left. 

PRACTITIONER OF THE MONTH:

 Cara Russell of Hearts and Stars Healing.   I cannot recommend Cara highly enough!  She is a Spiritual Intuitive, Angel Messenger and Psychic Medium.  Her mission is to awaken people to their inner peace and wisdom so they may heal and shine their light.  Cara’s Angel readings are intended to empower individuals and illuminate their path by highlighting the knowledge and wisdom already residing within each of us.   “Everyone is capable of accessing this magnificence within …and using it!”  she says.   I have had several readings with Cara and she is incredibly accurate and offers a plethora of information and guidance.  To schedule a reading, contact Cara at:  heartsandstarshealing@gmail.com or visit her website:  www.heartsandstarshealing8.com.

Magical beginnings, magical month: Potential Unleashed 2015!

I’m not sure how many of us are more than happy to say good riddance to 2014 but I bet it is the overwhelming majority.  There is something to be said for doing all of the heavy, internal work required of us for the past two years while Saturn has cycled through intense Scorpio; however, the day to day living experience of getting through this work was grueling.  I know many days I felt I’d been put through a wringer and hung out to dry. In many cases, the losses and life altering circumstances have been profound.  Saturn in Scorpio was meant to change us on the deepest levels and in most cases we’ve had no choice.   As we lick our wounds, still learning the lessons in front of us, please remember the basis of each lesson is LOVE.  Often the hardest of these is self-love.  Once this is mastered, everything flows from there.  So now that Saturn has moved into adventurous and spirited Sagittarius, let’s point ourselves to the New Year with hope in our hearts.  Let’s say a collective BYE BYE to 2014:  all together now!

Except for a brief return to Scorpio in mid-2015, Saturn will be in Sagittarius through 2017.  Here, the cosmic taskmaster asks completely different questions and demands from us.   Where Saturn in Scorpio through us completely off course and dug up gnarly psychological wounds, Saturn in Sagittarius prompts us to ask why.  Do some deep, existential and philosophical pondering.  This does not have to be a chore.  In fact, look at this next two years as an adventure, a chance to explore, an opportunity to broaden your horizons.  Open and embrace the new.  Accept the different in yourself and others.  Remember:  we are one.  Each of us is a mirror to another.  So breathe. 

Sagittarius rules higher learning, travel, adventure, spirituality and long journeys.  The beginning of 2015 marks the next two years of wandering to the mountain tops of our lives, whether actually or metaphorically.   Travel to the mountain top, see what you can see, understand and learn, then decide what is important to carry on with for the rest of your days.

Sagittarius is a fire sign.  For a long while, radical Uranus has been hanging out all by itself in fiery Aries.  Then last summer it was joined by Jupiter in another fire sign, Leo.  Now, with Saturn in the third fire sign, Sagittarius, fuel is added to this blaze to really get our lives roaring.  Feel the energy shift?  From heavy, dense, wet blanket internal energy to exciting, risk-taking, enticing and adventurous vibes.   So very, very different.  A brief note how this energy shift has already affected me:  For my entire life I have avoided gyms and aerobic/cardio exercise of any kind.  I’ve been a yoga/walking/low-impact kind of gal.  Then late last month, as Uranus turned direct motion and Saturn shifted into Sagittarius, I shocked myself, my family and everyone who knows me by waking up one day and signing up for a gym membership.  Guess what?  I love it.  Love the facility, the staff, my new routine, new world of women and community opening up to me.  Needless to say, I have so much more energy, feel healthier and wonder what on earth took me so long to do this!  What a brand new adventure and it is just around the corner…You see, you can travel to another world and barely leave your neighborhood!

Where do you feel the cosmic fire kindling new life in you?  What are you urged to create?  Where will you travel, search and soar?  What will you learn and bring back to share with others?  2015 promises to be so exciting!  Like stepping out on a brand new stage of life.  As January begins, a powerful combination is at play:  the Sun (our will) is tightly conjoined with Pluto (transformation) while Messenger Mercury and Venus (love and money) travel together all in uber practical Capricorn.   The latter pair make an incredibly harmonious angle to the Moon in earthy Taurus, where she is exalted, meaning, in her dream home.  These energies create a magical quality enabling us to apply our will and desires, our thoughts and our hearts to manifest what we want.   Truly this year, with focused attention and continuous effort, what you sow and plant, so shall you reap.   If ever there was a New Year’s Day to make realistic, healthful and productive resolutions that will stick¸ this January 1^st is it! 

Only two days later on the 3^rd, planet of love and money, Venus, enters inventive Aquarius, prompting an interest in unusual people, relationships and opportunities to earn that we ordinarily would not consider.  Step out of yourself.  Go on that date, sign up for a trial membership of anything, explore alternative job prospects.  What have you got to lose?  Nothing.  What do you gain?  Experience.  Who knows what might come of it?  Two days later:  Mercury joins Venus in Aquarius where it is exalted, meaning, offers us our highest expression, keenest insights, break through ideas.  Coupled with Venus now, this pair creates a beneficial angle to Saturn in Sagittarius.  Aim your arrow high.  The inventive, out of the box, outre, and avant garde are completely available to you now, and, have it all over the ordinary, hum-drum, run-of-the-millers.    Under the bright light of the Full Moon on January 4^th, we step out.  Do a different dance.  Let it all hang out.  Let it all go.  Be groovy.  Be bold.  Tell a different tale now.  Sing another song. 

Like an engine driving the wheels of ingenuity, the Sun-Pluto combo are smack in the middle of Saturn and Mercury-Venus, demanding how.  So you have all these brilliant (and I mean brilliant) ideas.  How are you going to make it/them work, apply the genius, roll it out for your use or better still, make money from it?  Consider:  throughout this month and in fact all of 2015, Saturn challenges Neptune.  At odds with each other, this energy begs us to dream and dream BIG.  But the Sun-Pluto mid point between Saturn-Mercury/Venus insists we pull our dreams into realistic vision.  We can do anything we desire and dream up…but how?   Sun-Pluto in Capricorn says we must think through what we want to accomplish, create an action plan.  A step by step guide.  What is too much or too little?  It’s great to be excited for the future and all there is to do.  Just be sure to enlist help (and the right kind…you know what I mean:  not the energy-draining, vampire sucking kind but rather, the down-to-earth, get your hands dirty kind) to get the job done.  Otherwise it is easy to be overwhelmed or lost in the details.

On the 12^th, Mars enters watery Pisces adding a visionary lens to this wildly creative mix.  While fiery Mars is not typically at its best in sensitive Pisces, there are significant benefits as it cycles through this reflective sign.  Conjoined to Neptune and challenging Saturn in Sagittarius, motivating Mars heightens our dreams (day and night), meditations, intuition and sets the stage for Mercury to turn retrograde the following week.  Music, prayer, writing, channeling ideas flow abundantly now and/or are deeply soothing.  Be very careful not to dismiss the signs and messages, both seen and heard and often delivered through other people including loved ones, that are given to you now.  Pay attention.  Be open to receiving, hearing, following through.  What are you invited to hear and know?   How can you apply what you learn and encounter to grow, manifest your desires?

This same day, the Moon joins the north node in Libra (our directional calling) to form a gorgeous angle to the Mercury-Venus duo.  Emotionally connect to your magic, your ideas calling you forward.  Creativity unleashes this week.  WOW.  Remember, each of us is essentially and vitally creative.  We all offer creative ideas, products and solutions that enhance our world.  Someone once said to me that she didn’t think of herself as creative because she didn’t paint or draw.   Her remark is a very limited vision of what creativity is.  Creativity is not limited to artists.  Athletes, business and technology people, spiritualists, not-for-profit workers and volunteers bring critical and essential skills and know-how to our lives every day.  Where do you creatively contribute to life and how can you build, expand and develop your potential in 2015 and beyond?  For if there is one word for 2015, it is expansion.

The planetary combinations at mid-month are ripe and rife with limitless direction.  Take advantage!   The Sun enters Aquarius on January 20^th, the same day as the New Moon.  Because Mercury turns retrograde motion the very next day, this New Moon is especially strong for meditating, prayer, writing, creativity of any kind, and setting intentions.  Meditate on what you DO want, not what you do not want.  Yoginis of all varieties will love this period of time.   Now in the dead of winter, we can settle in for a long winter’s nap.  Embrace all of the retrograde RE words:  Reflect, Review, Renew, Restore, etc.  Imagine, dream and vision forward.  Channeling and intuiting can be particularly mind blowing and/or deeply healing now at a minimum, especially as Mars joins wounded healer Chiron in Pisces during the 3^rd week of the month, making a greatly helpful angle to Pluto.  Resolution to deep-seeded wounds or matters are available now.

And when Messenger Mercury reaches a critical degree of Aquarius on January 25^th forming an extremely beneficial angle to Radical Uranus, the Lunar Nodes and the Moon, you may have lift-off.  Emotional, intellectual and creative barriers and blocks be gone.  Stand back and behold.  Expect surprise.  The shocking.  The key insight or phrase you’ve needed to hear, believe, understand and digest, answers long-searched for, breaks through now.  GET IT?

Two days later on January 27^th, Venus enters Pisces where she is exalted.  The Mother Theresa effect I call this.  The magnificent giver of Divine Love.  As Venus slowly joins Neptune, Mars and Chiron in Pisces for the remainder of January, we are invited to think of others as much as ourselves, to envision our ideal world, what it looks like and how we may go about creating that ideal.  Your thoughts create your actions.  Create with the highest intentions possible.

The Fire Within: Know NO Bounds!

December launches the Season of Light, illuminating dark spaces in our lives to show us the way, the truth and the paths of possibility.  This December shines particularly bright as it marks the shift of taskmaster Saturn from Scorpio into Sagittarius.  For the past two and a half years, Responsible Saturn has cycled through heavy and intense Scorpio requiring each of us to do a LOT of inner work.  Now, this month, Saturn’s move into fiery, adventurous Sagittarius is timely and natural but will feel nothing short of remarkable.  Saturn's shift is especially notable as it occurs on Christmas Eve no less, only three days after the New Moon on a highly attention getting degree of Capricorn which takes place on the winter solstice. 

A rare event indeed.

The combined effect of this sets the stage for 2015:  dense, wet internal energy evolving into fire, action, motivating external energy.

As December opens, we already have a taste of the positive shift to come as four planets are in the sign of Sagittarius:  Messenger Mercury, the Sun (our will), Nurturing Ceres and Vivacious Venus.  Blazing the trail, adventuring forth the first week, we already itch for freedom.   After Thanksgiving, did you find yourself to be more curious, interested in larger, broader questions about life?  Want to know the why and how of the world, provoked by November’s Scorpionic deep dive into life’s mysteries…what actually lurks behind the curtain of life’s illusions?

Sagittarius and Jupiter which rules it are generous and expansive energies.  They want the good life for us.  And yet both are at once philosophical, spiritual and intellectual.  No shallow force is this.  The Great Humanitarian, Sagittarius asks us to think as much about our fellow man as we do about ourselves.  Step out of our limited vision and think, act inclusively.   So it is no surprise that Sagittarius is the Educator of the Zodiac.  Insatiable wonder best describes Sagittarius. 

So with four planets tightly conjoined in this sign from the outset of December, you may very well step out of yourself.  Study anything, a foreign language, new books, a course, choose to travel, engage people who broaden you and your views.  You will feel nurtured by any, all and more of the above.  The sky is the limit, says Sagittarius.  Know no bounds.  Freedom-loving Sagittarius says Don’t fence me in…and with Venus in the mix, you’ll feel a surge of self-confidence to take risks with relationships and new ventures, especially as Venus makes a very beneficial angle to Jupiter in Leo on December 4^th.

This is an “I can do/be anything!” energy.  And super for heading into weeks of holiday revels, festivities and parties, which is particularly pronounced under the spotlight of the Full Moon on December 6^th.  Can you say F-U-N?  With the Full Moon in chatty Geminii, socializing, talking, variety-is-the-spice-of-life takes center stage.  We’ve been sooooooo cooped up and weighed down by the intensity of 2014 that is more than OK to let your hair down.  You have full permission to let go, go for it, take a walk on the wild side.

A number of helpful alignments further enhance this witty and engaging Full Moon.  First, the Sun (our will) and Moon (our emotions) beautifully align with the lunar North Node in artful Libra.  Art, beauty, relationships, attractive people and surroundings figure into this equation.  People who impress and change your mind, open you up to new ideas, connect you to other people who will help you.  In short, this is an amazing time for networking, growing and developing yourself and projects. With the Full Moon directly opposite Messenger Mercury and the Sun, we consider possibilities and opportunities that either hadn’t occurred to us, were not available before or that we dismissed out of hand as completely impossible.  If you thought you were too small, too insignificant, or your goal and vision too far fetched to even think about accomplishing:  Not Now.  Revisit all of yourself and your dreams.   December entices us forward, onward.  Feel the fire?

Bating us on is the final element in this Full Moon equation, radical Uranus.  Building toward its next to last challenge with Pluto at mid-month, we are virtually dared into action.  With its incredibly supportive angle to the Moon, Sun and Mercury, the Great Awakener Uranus shows us what we may never have thought of before.  It asks:  what have you got to lose?  Your pride?  Time to say goodbye to that!  Consider this moment your engraved invitation from the Cosmos.  Leap!  There is a magical signature to this Full Moon.  Any changes you have been working toward especially on the home front come to fruition now.   There is a fated and destined quality to this Full Moon.  You may feel inexplicably drawn into situations.  The right circumstance, person, place, timing come together at exactly the intended moment.  It is very exciting.  Opportunity is nigh.

Just after the Full Moon, Abundant Jupiter turns retrograde motion in Festive Leo until April of 2015.  Creativity burns inside of us, neither dormant nor full throttle forward.  Think of this as a more considerate and thoughtful form of creativity and invention.  By December 11, Venus enters pragmatic Capricorn where she gradually joins Pluto for the remainder of the month, lending solid practicality to our desires and grounded realism to our goals, like devising a how-to guide for accomplishing what we want to achieve.  Venus softens the edges between Pluto’s challenge to Uranus on the 15^th, reminding us that as much as we don’t like to admit, hard work and elbow grease, good old-fashioned ingenuity are the only ways to get anything done. Capricorn is the Great Manifestor.  When Messenger Mercury also enters Capricorn on December 17^th, aligning our thoughts with our desires (Pluto), it is an excellent time to vision forward:  what do you want to manifest in 2015?

Around the same time mid-month, Motivating Mars cycles through early degrees of Aquarius.  The unusual, the inventive and ingenious feel right to us now, whereas in other days and times it would have felt weird, too strange.  Mars in Aquarius heightens our intuition as well.  We may not be able to put our finger precisely on why…we just know.  Trust your gut.  This only serves to open us up to those people and situations we haven’t considered before.  Fresh, out-of-the-box energy, concepts, draw us out just as we are drawn to them.  Apply these new approaches to your 2015 plans.

All of this constructive and intuitive energy is perfect to build what you seek in your life.  And as the planets would have it this magical month, they leave no stone unturned.  Because just think about the timing:  how amazing is it that the winter solstice occurs exactly on the New Moon at a spotlight degree of Capricorn?  Don’t just stand there, says this New Moon.  Build, baby, build.   And if this energy doesn’t catalyze and galvanize us into action, Uranus, the Great Awakener in fiery Aries turns direct motion on the same day to kick us in the pants.

WOW.

Significantly helped by its flowing angle to Motivating Mars, Uranus shows us the answers, the possibilities, our greatness.  Eureka!  Why didn’t I think of that before?  Why didn’t I realize, understand earlier?  It is OK.  You are meant to learn when the time is right.  As they say:  when the student is ready, the teacher appears.

Only two days later, Responsible Saturn finally enters sagacious Sagittarius.  Just in time for Christmas and Kwanzaa.  Sagittarius rules spirituality and we may connect to Source and The Force in ways that have eluded us until now.  Remember, you and the Source  are One.  The Force is within you, just waiting to be discovered….

Leading into New Years, the Moon enters earthy, sensual Taurus forming a healthy aspect to the Sun conjoining Pluto.  This first quarter and later waxing gibbous Taurean Moon deliciously invites us to plant the seeds we wish to grow and watch unfold in the coming year.  With several planets shifting from intense water signs into hot, fiery action signs over the next few months, 2015 promises excitement, the bold and brand new, enticing us to really live and to understand precisely what that truly means.

Of special note:

A big shout out to Lees Yunits and Patricia Murphy:  Thank you for inviting me to discuss astrology on Easton (Mass.) Cable TV’s “Yoga Talk”.  It is wonderful to share the amazing gift of astrology with a larger audience! I will post the link to the video on my website as it becomes available.  To learn more about these incredible yoga instructors and healers, please visit their websites:  www.leesyunits.com and www.yoga.justiceofthepeacene.com!

Also, please MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  I am presenting a workshop on Saturday, March 28, 2015 on Creativity, Moon Cycles and Self-Expression at The Sanctuary for Yoga and Reiki in Watertown, Massachusetts.  Once again, I am truly indebted to the super talented Susan Jenness for opening her studio so we can come together for learning.  This workshop focuses on the origins of self expression and how you express yourself.  It will be especially helpful for artists at any stage of development.

  

From Water to Fire: Feisty to Fearless.

                            

November is typically a feisty month.   This month is no exception.  However, after the rock ‘em sock ‘em ride of October with Mercury retrograde and its double eclipses, November 2015 will feel relatively calm.

To be clear, this month has the characteristic Scorpio intensity.  You will feel the bite.  Never one to lay low, lay back and refrain from sharing its opinion, Scorpio pushes us to dig into our core to find new, better methods of responding to people and life. 

What was initiated on the New Moon eclipse last October 23^rd, continues into November.  The first week of the month the Moon’s North Node (what calls our name to pull us forward) pairs with Messenger Mercury in Libra.  You will be heard just as others will make their voices heard.  This duo happily aligns with Giant Jupiter in Leo.  After October’s seemingly endless deliberations and negotiations, the time has come to decide, act decisively, choose sides.  Think creatively and speak your truth.   

Just as the people will surely speak on November 4, when, under a heavily waxing Moon, the United States holds mid-term elections.  Not for the faint of heart or those who prefer the status quo, this election has something to say.  And LOUDLY.  With Messenger Mercury still bound to the lunar North Node in Libra, equilibrium, balance, fairness and justice are key notes of this election cycle.  It is the voters' turn to speak.  This election, they are sending an unmistakable message.  They are sick and tired of the stagnation and quagmire in Washington DC.  What is wrong in Congress and our government must be righted, say the people.  With Venus (women) at a highly attention-getting degree and wedged between the Sun (our Will) and Saturn (our Responsibility) all in power packed Scorpio, Warrior Women take center stage.  It is their spotlight moment to make their mark with an indelible stamp.   I am woman hear me ROAR! 

Not only is our will and sense of responsibility aligned to create change, motivating Mars and transformer Pluto conjoined in Capricorn (government) further incite voters as this pair squares off with the Moon (homeland) and radical Uranus (surprise!).  Ready for a little Congressional upheaval?   This is it.   The upset of GOP darling Eric Cantor who lost in the primary is just a taste of what the November 4^th election has in store.  Watch for shake ups, shake downs and radical shifts.  Prepare for major upsets, the loss of long-held seats and stunned silence.   Out with the old, useless, blockheaded establishment and in with the new challengers.  Make way for the possible.  Does it make you feel uncomfortable?   Think of it like a giant change in air mass.  More than just a breath of fresh air, an entire continental front rolls in.  Stale, hot, stifling air switched for invigorating, delicious, energizing winds.  It is a pivotal moment in our nation’s history.  There is no more time to dawdle.  Dare we lead?

The election occurs only two days before a Full Moon on November 6^th.  Voters catch the waxing tide which strengthens their message that much more.  Individually and collectively, Full Moons bring to fruition and culmination what has been building energetically.   What is coming to the forefront of your life asking you to pay attention?  The Moon and Sun oppose each other in super strong degrees of Taurus and Scorpio.  These are the money signs of the zodiac, one personal and the other collective, or shared.  The Moon is exalted in the earthy sign of Taurus making tremendous nurturing energy available.  Take advantage!  Taurus is about personal property, our money, inner resources, in short:  our values.  The Full Moon asks what do you value?  Earthy Taurus also asks how we treat ourselves and especially our earth, the environment around us.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, Venus (love and money) and Responsible Saturn are tied to the Sun in Scorpio at Full Moon time.  Scorpio rules desire.  Values.  Desire.  Values. Desire.  Are yours in balance? 

Are your values and desires limited to possessions, what you can touch, own, hoard…OR, is there something missing, something more to life that you desire?  A lot more?  Perhaps relationships, connection with Mother Earth, yourself, to be valued, nurtured, taken care of and repaired so one may adequately be shared with a harmonious give-and-take?  On a personal level, what do you possess that is being called forth to share for the greater (and your own) good?  This Full Moon is hardly shy.  Its bright light calls us out from our shadows where we’ve been hiding.  You have talents, resources, hidden or not, that the world needs now.   Say yes.  Agree to share all you have and all you are with those who will benefit from your knowledge and power.  Yes you.  Powerful you.  Let others draw light from you.

We won’t have much choice by November 10^th when Mars joins Pluto in practical Capricorn.  Both challenge radical Uranus and oppose the Moon, our emotions.  Strong stuff this.  Look for dramatic or sudden shifts in family circumstances, dynamics, landscapes and politics.  Yes, you read correctly:  family politics.  Our family of origin is the first place we learn the rules of politics, or, how to get along and how to get attention.   Each family member has an agenda.  The baby cries to be fed, the older children learn to juggle homework, peer pressure and activities while the parents balance work, paying bills and quality time with their children.  Each member vies for attention, to be heard.  To get their needs met.

The planetary combination on the 10^th indicates change on the family front.  Property, inheritance, MOM, female family members, caretakers, food all come into play now. Babies arrive, creating parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins for the first time.  Elders pass away causing siblings to take stands, switching sides, alliances over estate or property concerns.   It is the kind of cosmic signature where the cousin you hardly spoke to leaves you an inheritance.  Or a child.  What will you do? How will you respond?  Share the windfall of good fortune?  Adopt and nurture the child? 

 With the Moon tied to the asteroid Hygeia (health) as part of this configuration, look for physical, emotional and psychological shifts.  The health of your mom, how your family is cared for, how and what you feed your family, yourself (the most basic form of nurturing).  Dysfunctional systems and patterns will breakdown.   Sometimes things have to fall apart before they can fall together is a catch phrase of this period.  Uranus, the Great Awakener, breaks apart what is broken in our lives.  Once broken open, the Light shines in to make way for new, functional, and healthy patterns of being. 

An extreme example of how Uranus can suddenly strike is the recent case of a Massachusetts mother of four children, two of whom she kept secret, as in, no one knew about them, hiding the youngest even from her own live-in partner.   They were only discovered when the continual cries of the five month old baby alerted neighbors who called the police.  In the house, they found utter squalor beyond description, the two youngest children in profound states of neglect among filth and debris.  All four children were removed and the house demolished.  Through the cries of a child, Uranus broke open an untenable situation.  Complete chaos and upheaval in the short term, yes; but the possibility for health and healing in the long run for sure.

While events in your own life will hardly be so dramatic or dire, shifts nonetheless abound to clear the path you are to walk.  Just in time for Neptune to turn direct motion on November 16^th.  Soft and subtle especially in its own sign of Pisces, Neptune washes away the debris.  Cleans, bathes and soothes.  She invites us to dream a little dream while we soak in her warm waters.  The same day, Venus moves into Sagittarius stirring our interest in adventure, spirituality, education and travel.  This is a great time to take a class, plan a trip, travel, learn what you never thought you could (but what you always wanted to!), discover new parts of the world, of yourself…

Inspiring us to greater heights of discovery and adventure, Venus is tightly bound to the Sun and New Moon on the 22nd, all in Sagittarius.  Not only are we enticed to travel now, we’re assured our adventures will be most fortunate.  By the last week of the month, Mercury joins Saturn in Scorpio to challenge Giant Jupiter.  Create.  Go BIG.  Grand says Jupiter in Leo.  Saturn-Mercury in Scorpio can be testy, cranky, throwing water on Jupiter’s fire.  Watch the bank account this duo warns.  Be careful not to throw your heart away on someone who won’t love you back.  Yet with Venus (love and money) happily aligning with radical Uranus and the lunar South Node, shared resources of any kind, major gifts or investments, large stock market shifts in either direction, significant risk taking, gambling, are all in the mix.  It is truly a moment in time:  ALL IN, all or nothing at all.

Fortunately, Mars is exalted in pragmatic and practical Capricorn which tempers our hand.  It picks apart the pieces of our prospects to help us make a calculated risk, educated guess, practical bet, estimated and measured venture.  Live with no regrets.  The most common deathbed regret is the chance not taken.  Be sure to seize your chance now.  Break through and say I love you to the one you never thought you could.  Take out that loan to start your new business.  Trying is something you will never say you wish you had done.  The final days of the month, Mercury joins the Sun and Venus in Seeking Sagittarius.  As we enter the Season of Light, seek the truth in another’s reflection.  Seek as much from yourself as from loved ones.  Each of us is a multifaceted complex little world unto our own.  What I am, so are you.