July 2013: Star Stuff To Know About

STUFF TO KNOW - JULY 2013

Mercury is retrograde in Cancer from June 26 to July 20

Mercury, messenger of the Gods, goes swimming with the crabs.  What happens to you during Mercury retrograde weeks?  Me?  I say c-r-a-p more than I normally do. Just now when I opened WORD to do this document a blank page appeared that I had never seen before. The margins were wrong (1.5 inches on left & right). The font was 16 and in blue.  Then I remembered that you can open an existing document, click on new document, and it will style itself after the opened doc.  It seems that when Mercury is retrograde electronic imps jump into equipment and have a cocktail party

Mercury in Cancer, messenger of the Goddess

With the messenger in the sign of Cancer (mother, nurturance, food, home, family), we might expect to hear from relatives long forgotten.  We might take on some home projects that have been on our minds for quite a while.  Yesterday I did a closet cleanup.  What a great feeling to get some home project checked off the list.  On the more serious side, Mercury in the sign of Cancer suggests attention to the mother and to women in general.  In Texas, we have the women’s reproductive rights on center stage in Austin.  The Republicans did not manage to get their law passed regarding abortion clinic regulations last week.  Wendy Davis did a filibuster and thousands of protestors demonstrated in the Capitol.  The Governor immediately announced there would be a special session so the Republicans could pass their bill.  The abortion issue would fall under more than one archetypal heading, but for sure it falls under the sign of Cancer, ruler of the moon, of a woman’s menstrual cycle, of pregnancy and the Great Mother (the archetypal symbol of what it means to be a woman).  What is interesting is how the Legislature can proclaim they know what the Great Mother wants.  A woman lawmaker brought this bill to the legislature and that would require a complicated analysis of the feminine aligning with the patriarchy.  Most of the Republican lawmakers are men. Men have no vaginas or uteruses and cannot get pregnant, but these particular men feel compelled to ordain what women should do with their bodies and their reproductive lives. These same individuals believe in liberty; believe the government should not interfere with their precious freedoms.  At the same time, they irrationally believe it is okay to deny women their freedom.  The bill will probably pass since the Republicans are the majority in the Texas House.  However, Mercury, messenger of the Goddess, is retrograde!!  The bill will eventually be revised, discarded or found unconstitutional in some way.  It is being birthed in dirty water and will not survive.  Mercury retrograde brings the abortion issue back to the table and back to the community for consideration.  In Ohio and North Carolina restrictive anti-abortion laws were inserted into the budget and passed without discussion in the past few days.  Basically it was an ambush.  Did I mention that Mercury is also a trickster?  With Mercury retrograde in Cancer I am asking what this says about the Republican Party’s relationship with the feminine principle. No one is forced to have an abortion so what interest do they have, exactly?

The Moon rules Cancer.  

Mercury retrograde in Cancer takes us back to many female issues. On the personal level it could mean a return to the issue of motherhood. Some couples might be trying to decide whether or not to have a child.  It could mean a return to a fertility doctor to try one more time to get pregnant.   And, as already stated, there is a return to the odd belief that a small group of individuals can dictate what women do with their sexuality and reproductive potentialities. 

Jupiter entered the sign of Cancer on June 25 for a one-year visit

It takes Jupiter one year to travel 30 degrees through a sign (and it takes 12 years for Jupiter to go through the entire zodiac).  In 2012 to June 2013, Jupiter visited Gemini, a ruler of information, learning and teaching.  There was plenty of data to go through.  There was lots of chatter and debate.  Now, in the sign of Cancer, Jupiter amplifies the feeling nature.  Cancer is a water sign, one of the emotional signs of the zodiac.  Jupiter makes whatever it touches BIGGER.  Old worn out water pipes might break.  There could be flooding, literally and figuratively.   Feelings will be bigger.  We will be asked to process a lot of emotional information and we are asked to maintain emotional balance.  Jupiter is excess so we can get out of control emotionally, we can get out of control with all things Cancerian (see information on Mercury retrograde in Cancer—mothering, food, comfort, needing to be babied).  Here are some other possibilities to think about: 

·      Being too much of a mother!  Practice the balance of nurturing with proper boundaries.   Avoid suffocating other people.

·      Too much focus on food and drink and emotional eating. Solution: focus on nutrition and appropriate diet and exercise.  Avoid the sofa!

·      Stomach upsets and problems.  Solution:  talk about your troubles or journal about your upsets. Find creative outlets for pent up emotions.

·      Being a CRAB.  The totem for Cancer is the crab, the critter that sidles away when it feels threatened.  It crawls into its shell and stays there. Or maybe that crab grabs on with its pincher and doesn’t let go.  Ouch! Anytime the sign of Cancer is in the spotlight, we need to practice expressing what we feel rather than repressing what we don’t want others to see or hear. Learning how to express without using the pincher is the trick!!  You know what I’m talking about, Cancer folks. You can complain and complain and get crochety.

Rather than let Jupiter in Cancer make our crotchety tendency bigger, let’s pay attention to our emotional climate and balance.

Jupiter in Cancer:  Trust Your Belly!

We have a year to experience the abundant gifts of Jupiter in Cancer.  For many people this is a wonderful year to be a parent.  For some it’s the perfect year to get pregnant.  It’s a great time to deepen our family connections.  The Moon rules Cancer. We want to have a happy home.  Jupiter in Cancer can help us align with our feminine aspects and with our psyches.  The crab lives in the sea. We have a year to embrace the ocean and to support the protection of our seas.  Cancer and the Moon rule the breasts and the stomach.  Become more mindful about what you eat, both literally with food and figuratively with energy.  What energy are you eating?  What gives you a bellyache?  What is your abdominal area telling you?  If you have an eating disorder, now is the time to address it because Jupiter in Cancer may make it bigger.  Get help if you have an eating disorder or get out of control with food or alcohol. If a person or situation in your life is giving you a bellyache, then some correction is necessary.

Last year, with Jupiter in Gemini, we had more Mercury associated disorders.  Mercury rules Gemini, so people had to watch their anxiety level. They had to be careful not to get so over-amped by media, the news and excess data. This year the focus is more on the physical body and emotional body rather than the mental/ neurological body.

Saturn leaves retrograde phase, resumes direct movement at 5 degree of Scorpio on July 8^th.

We are swimming in a Grand Trine

After 20 weeks in a retrograde phase, Saturn picks up speed and goes direct.  We are invited to take action.  What plans have you been making?  It’s time to get stuff done.  Saturn in Scorpio; Sun, Mercury & Jupiter in Cancer; and Neptune in Pisces form a big triangle in the water element.  We can float in the whirlpool or we can take advantage of the positive current and swim.  It is times like this I wish I still kept an everyday journal.  How cool it would be to go back to mid February and see what I was thinking about.  What kinds of goals or plans were in my mind?  With Saturn transiting Scorpio, the goals are both internal and external.  Perhaps we have a project that now can move ahead, but we also have internal issues that are demanding attention. If you prefer to stay on the surface of things, then Saturn in Scorpio might be a confusing and perplexing time, because Scorpio is deep.

Saturn is the teacher in the sky. Remember that long ago people could not see anything beyond Saturn.  So Saturn represented the boundary of our solar system. Boundaries are practical.  If you get too close to me, I might not be able to breathe.  You will rob my oxygen!  Saturn is the planet that rocks our world when we forget to be practical and pay attention to reality.

Saturn in Scorpio puts the practical emphasis on relational dynamics.  Scorpio is the 8^th house of the zodiac. That 8^th house represents the results of partnering.  These results include intimacy and sexuality, money, shared resources, inheritance and taxes.  It also includes the inevitability of change and death.  So much of our behavior is unconscious.  Scorpio is the detective that shines a light into the unconscious.  While Saturn is traveling through Scorpio we are learning about intimacy and sharing.  How close do we want to be? What boundaries do we need to establish?  Is the communication open?  Is it veiled in unconscious innuendos? How far do we want to go with the partner?  And what about money? How much to share?  Is the relational dynamic working?  If a person is not in a relationship, these issues are still very important.  If a solo person wants a union and doesn’t have one, then Saturn in Scorpio may make that person feel extremely lonely.  A person suffering from Scorpio loneliness will hopefully reach out to family and friends for companionship. Also, Saturn in Scorpio is a period of time in which to probe into one’s unconscious for information and guidance. Like Persephone and Inanna, we can travel into the dank deep underworld to visit the realm of death and rebirth.

Saturn entered Scorpio in October 2012 and will not complete its work there until December 2014 (and then a brief re-visit to Scorpio from June to September in 2015.)  While Saturn visits this sign, we can dive deep and dig deep.  We can find some answers to our life long issues and bring reality into the light. 

A Grand Trine in water gives us a chance to swim into new territories.

In July we have the help of that big triangle formation in the element of water:  Saturn in Scorpio, Neptune in Pisces, the Sun, Mercury and Jupiter in Cancer.  A Grand Trine is about flow and relationship.  That means relationship between people, between people and animals, or between life events.  It’s about synchronicity and meaning. We can admire the Grand Trine, we can float in its emotional pulse, we can dive into it, and we can use its energy to swim into new territories.

New Moon Solar Eclipse 19 degrees of Taurus

On May 9^th there is a New Moon solar eclipse in Taurus.  In addition to the Sun and Moon, we have Mars, the South Node, Mercury, asteroid Pallas and dwarf planet Sedna, all clustered in the sign of Taurus.  Taurus is a fixed, earth sign.  Some astrologers propose that the Earth itself is the ruler of Taurus. 

We associate Taurus with the Bull, the male consort of the Great Goddess.  In mythology, the Bull is the male principle that supports the cycle of birth and growth to make sure life continues.  We think of the Bull as strong, steady, sustaining in its power, slow to act, stubborn, and rooted in one place.  Taurus prefers to be secure.  The challenge for Taurus is to know or intuit when to let go.  Taurus struggles with issues around possessions, like “when to save and when to spend”  (for example). 

Planet Venus rules Taurus.  Images of the bull’s horns are connected with the Moon, the feminine principle. Ancient images show a waxing moon with the horns of the bull.  The energy of Taurus is linked historically and mythologically with the feminine principle.  The mother principle is associated with security and fertility. The mother will not let you down.  Contained in Taurus are both the feminine principle of giving birth and the masculine image of sustaining and protecting life.

Taurus is about integrating the masculine and feminine principles

This eclipse brings up issues pertaining to the integration of the masculine and feminine principles at this time in our lives.  It is the old cycle of creation, life and death.  This eclipse pattern goes back in recent time to May 1994.  Did you give birth to something then? What were you creating?  Does it need to be re-created now?  Do you need to let it go completely?  Eclipses have cycles based on 19 years.  For one thing, this eclipse in Taurus is an invitation to upload, re-boot or even finalize your creation.  Maybe you need to sustain your life and hold on to what you are doing.  On the other hand, you may feel that it is time to let is go and begin a new cycle of creation.  The challenge is to be still like the bull, to feel the message of the moon and then to take action. Let go if it is time to let go, or generate new life into the project.

On the collective level this eclipse is another opportunity to look around and examine where the masculine and feminine energies are integrating to produce a more sustainable life.  The eclipse will also show us where the masculine and feminine continue to disconnect and be at odds.

Pallas Athene, asteroid:  Athene popped out of Zeus’s head

The Astroid, Pallas Athene, is exactly conjunct this eclipse.  Remember your mythology?  Athene was born from the head of Zeus.  She is a woman with great intelligence.  She comes forth fully developed ready to apply her wisdom and intellect to all of life’s great problems.  She is feminine with a strong left brain!  Athene is the feminine example of how we can integrate the masculine and feminine energies to create a new kind of thinking. 

Women appointed to the Supreme Court are good examples of the Athene archetype.  Female Justices hopefully bring a more whole brain approach to justice.

 Dwarf planet Sedna:  Sedna was betrayed by the masculine

Dwarf planet Sedna sits close to the Taurus solar eclipse.  Sedna orbites beyond Pluto.  She is a portal to outer cosmic places.  However, Sedna is also a feminine earth principle.  In Inuit mythology, Sedna is betrayed by the masculine.  Both her husband and her father let her down.  When her father refuses to save her from the icy ocean, she surrenders and becomes the mother of life in the waters and the goddess of all animals.  Sedna teaches us to connect with the sacredness of Earth.  She reminds us that the value of Earth is not reduced to a monetary sign. Julia Butterfly Hill lived at the top of a 1500-year-old California Redwood tree (for 738 days) to protest logging.  She was listening to Sedna.  People go to witness the sea turtles laying eggs in the sand; they are listening to Sedna.  Whispering with your pet?  You are listening to Sedna.

Mercury and the South Node are woven into the eclipse

 Mercury and the South Node, also involved in the eclipse, help you look back and re-think your life.  Some people say we are always in the process of re-writing our personal history. The South Node highlights our past patterns, so they are up for examination with this eclipse.  Do we keep doing the same insane thing, or ?  This does not just apply to behavior.  We can also keep thinking the same insane thing and get nowhere as individuals and as a society.

The polarity of Taurus and Scorpio

Astrology is based in part on the principle of polarity.  The polar opposite sign of Taurus is Scorpio.  Two weeks ago there was an eclipse in Scorpio.  The energy of both signs is highlighted for these eclipses.  Taurus creates, maintains and holds on.  Scorpio has to let go when it is time to let go!  However, Scorpio is a fixed sign so it not easy to let go.  We all have Taurus and Scorpio somewhere in our horoscopes.  During these eclipse days, think about what you have been creating. Are you worn out with some aspects of your life?  Maybe Athene can help you fire up your whole brain and bring some good problem solving to your dilemma.

People born under the signs of Taurus and Scorpio are deeply affected by the eclipse on May 9^th.  Taurus is about the thing and possessing that thing.  Scorpio is about the process of life and what we do with the thing.  Eventually “the thing” has to change.  That could be a life style, a relationship, a career, a belief, a habit, a worn out car, a computer…the list continues.  Taurus is about money and possessions.  Scorpio is the energy of transformation.  What needs to stay?  What needs to go?  It’s time to MOVE ON.  It’s time to spend some of your savings (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual savings!) in order to create a new life.  Don’t worry if you cannot change your life tomorrow.  Later this year, another eclipse in Scorpio will help move the process along.

Meditation during this eclipse period has got to be a good thing to do.  The Sabian symbol for the Taurus eclipse is a beauty:  “Wisps of winglike clouds streaming across the sky; the awareness of spiritual forces at work.”

The portals are open!  Take a look!

 

Early March offers invitation to swim in our whole brain!

The sign of Pisces is associated with the surrender of the personal ego.  When ego falls away doors open:  we connect with the collective unconscious, we experience acute empathy for those who are suffering, we speak from a place that transcends judgment and analysis, we translate beauty into the earth plane and most importantly we hear our own inner voice.  Early March is full of invitations to experience surrendering to something bigger than oneself.  The Neptunian realms reach a peak at the New Moon on March 11 when the Moon and Sun join Mars, Venus, Chiron, Mercury (retrograde) and Neptune in Pisces.  We will be swimming in our whole brains by then.  One of the things I’ve noticed is an uncanny knack for finding things that seem to be lost.  It makes sense that stuff gets lost during Mercury retrograde (especially in spacey Pisces, ruled by Neptune).  On three occasions I found myself being able to visually track what happened to the missing “thing.”  What are you experiencing during this heavy Pisces-Neptunian time?  Are you planning a cruise into deep waters???  Are your dreams plentiful and unusual?  Are you drawn to beauty and creativity?  Are you longing to escape this earth pad?  Are you reading people’s minds or seeing into the future?  Are you suffering too much?  Are alcohol, drugs, food, or other addictions on your radar? Have you reconnected with a soul mate? Are you communicating with your pet in a new way? The Science Channel has a program running right now on what might happen if we learned a space ship was on its way to Earth with a cargo of aliens.  Interesting.  Pisces is about the great beyond—outer space, the Universe, and the many dimensions that exist (without gravity and density) simultaneously with what we know. 

The Spring Equinox March 20^th : time to walk in many worlds

On March 20, the Sun enters Aries and we celebrate the Spring/Vernal Equinox.  Some have speculated that this Spring Equinox signals the end of 3D life as we know it.  It is time to walk in many worlds.  Time to master that Pisces thing!  It is time to hold the space of divine equality and connectiveness even in the midst of strange happenings in Washington, D C.  A Supreme Court Judge minimizes the Voting Rights Act on the same day that a statue is unveiled to honor Rosa Parks, a pioneer civil rights icon.  With the big oceanic energy of Pisces, we are asked to hold the tension of this strange polarity.  We become witnesses without judgment.  We just stare and look at it.  When the Sun rolls into Aries, the first sign, we ignite and step into our warrior costume.  The softness of Pisces begins to fade.  However, Mercury retrograde in Pisces continues to keep our attention on our unconscious.  Take time to examine that unconscious.  It’s easy right now to use the Pisces Mercury to grasp what is going on in the collective unconscious.  It seems to me that the political arena is the outer-most manifestation of our collective unconscious.  Don’t go to sleep.  Look at it.  Feel the energy of it.  Then breathe and let it go, or, join an organization to let your conscious self be heard.

The Earth is our Mother we must take care of her

The astrological impact of the Spring Equinox is seen in the union of Mars and Uranus forming a T-cross with the Moon and Pluto.  The Moon/Pluto duo brings intense emotional experiences and reactions.  Mars and Uranus together always suggest upheaval, battles, unexpected violent events and sudden awakenings.  We are shocked into awakening this spring. We cannot postpone waking up and seeing the horrors of human behavior.  This does not mean we should ignore the blooming of the flowers.  Of course we should be grateful for an armload of tulips.  Again, we experience the strain of beauty existing side by side with angry, hostile humans.  The spring equinox is about Mother Earth and the renewal of life, so please take some moments to honor the process of life and to awaken to what is really important here on our planet.

The Full Moon in Libra March 27^th:  welcome to the conscious transformational journey

By the time of the Full Moon on March 27^th, Mercury will be direct in Pisces and still sitting close to Neptune and Chiron.  We are capable of great compassion at this moment on Planet Earth.  We are also capable to going to sleep and being taken over by scam artists.  We are capable of going into a trance and floating off.   We are capable of “talking” to beings in another galaxy. 

The Full Moon has good news and bad news.  The good news is that Sun and Venus are holding hands at 6 degrees of Aries.  What a lovely start to the spring.  However, Mars and Uranus are also holding hands right there by the Sun and Venus.  It’s all opposing the Moon.  The Sun and Venus together should be loving, friendly, relational and creative.  The Sun and Uranus together says big inventions and creations are possible.  Mars hanging out with all these “deities” gives an enormous punch.  It’s all in Aries, the fire sign of initiative and new beginnings.  The bad news:  impulsive actions, accidents, eruptions and fires, sudden illnesses and lots of ego prancing in Washington and other political arenas—even in your own home!  The Moon opposing in Libra offers the light of cooperation and negotiation.  Let the light of the Full Moon bring wisdom and understanding.

The Full Moon also delivers a Jupiter Yod in Gemini.  Opportunities for some people will be life-changing if they can be managed appropriately.  A Saturn Yod in Scorpio means we must adjust to some new responsibilities or some losses (perhaps the economic cut-backs are indicated by this aspect).  The Full Moon day is powerful. There could be talk of war because Mars is in Aries, home base for Mars the warrior.  There could be unexpected violence.  On the positive side, Mercury and Saturn offer some sensibility to the other planets so hopefully there will be thoughtfulness before action.  Patience does not come easy around March 27^th.  Watch out for road rage freaks.  Watch out for your own temper.  Stay close to loved ones where you feel safe.  It is not easy to live in our 3 dimensional neighbors and be sensitive to all the energies that are stirred up in those arenas.  That is the hard part of the shift that is happening.  There are fewer boundaries between us and other living fauna and flora!  We are indeed more sensitive to each other, to our environment, to animals, to intangible energies, and we are more sensitive to our inner selves. We are going to learn how to trust and utilize our sensitivity. We have a lot to learn about being “humans without boundaries” who can also function wisely in the 3D earth plane. We have much to learn about being multidimensional.  In the 1979 Dr. Brough Joy published a book titled, Joy’s Way: A Map for the Transformational Journey.  Dr. Joy said,  “You are not inside your body. Your body is inside you.”  Welcome to the new frontier. Welcome to the conscious transformational journey.

Mercury Retrograde in Pisces, February 2013

What’s up with Mercury retrograde in Pisces?

Mercury begins its first retrograde phase of 2013 at 20 degrees of Pisces on February 23^rd.   Neptune rules Pisces and is currently transiting Pisces (Neptune’s  home).  Neptune is the fog and the deep blue sea. We can get lost in both.  I expect this retrograde period to be a little tough.  Neptune tends to dissolve what it touches.  Mercury is the mind and communication.  Neptune will make it hard to stay on track mentally.  Expect to misplace objects.  Hold onto your keys! Any planet in Pisces is compromised in its ability to focus.  We might start preparing now.  Get organized. Have the “to-do” list prominently displayed.

Let your mind be open and flexible   

We know from experience that Mercury retrograde brings up electronic/ computer problems as well as mechanical problems.  Problems may be a little harder to diagnose with Mercury in Pisces since Pisces is a feeling, intuitive sign.  During this Mercury period (February 20 to March 17) problem solving is best approached with a relaxed mind that is open and flexible.

Time does not exist!

And that brings us to the most important aspect of Mercury retrograde.  It is always an opportunity to think out of the box; to slow down the mind; to let our thoughts drift; to stare into the fire; to gaze at the sky; and to step out of culturally ordained time.  Mercury retrograde in Pisces gives you three weeks to soften the mind and to think with authenticity and originality.

Re-boot your life

Mercury retrograde will still require left-brain attention to appointment times and all scheduling details.  Be sure you show up to the party on the right day!  Avoid signing important documents unless they have been reviewed by more than one set of eyes and brain cells.  Buy a new car if your jalopy falls apart.  Avoid buying new toys or merchandise on a whim since you might end up needing to return the items.

Mercury retrograde is full of “RE” words:  recheck you data; re-read the document before you send it; re-think what you want to say when you get mad; re-run any medical test that is scary or threatening; re-dream what you think you want in your life.  Finish projects that got put on the shelf.  Think about re-booting not just your laptop but also you body and mind.  Re-start that exercise and mindful eating program. Re-ignite the love in your partnership.  

Mercury in Pisces is otherworldly…Go Away! I’m busy transcribing from the cosmos!

Keep in mind that many of us have stepped into a new experiential realm.  It is easier now to walk through vibrational doorways and visit other dimensions.  Our earth plane is just one realm of experience.  With Mercury retrograde in Pisces, we might easily slip into other places in the Universe! That’s exciting.  This is a good time to practice our “psychic” skills or to “download” new information that upgrades our spiritual understanding.  Yes, we might find ourselves spacing out into the non-tangible dimensions.  Some of us might be communicating with animals (or getting messages from them).  Maybe I will hang out a sign that says:  “Go away.  I’m busy transcribing from the cosmos.”  Sounds like a good few weeks for a sabbatical from work.  That would be terrific for Mercury retrograde in Pisces; however, there is still that to-do list that never goes away.  Perhaps the best way to manage this retrograde period is to honor the sign of Pisces with your mind:  carve out some time to meditate, read spiritual writings, read or write poetry, attend artistic functions and spiritual gatherings, take up your paintbrush and give it a go, sign up for a flower arranging class, get a Tarot reading or have a Reiki session, go to a musical event that inspires you and touches your heart, and go to the lake and listen to the birds and the wind.  Pisces is an imaginative energy.  Take time to honor Pisces and I predict you will not misplace your keys.

Mercury retrograde in Pisces February 23^rd to March 17^th.