Astro Tips November 2014

Every Moment by Rumi (Ghazal number 26, translated by Nader Khalili)

“a voice /out of this world /calls on our soul / to wake up and rise…

this soul of ours / is like a flame /with more smoke than light / blackening our vision / letting no light through

lessen the smoke and / more light brightens your house / the house you dwell in now / and the abode / you’ll eventually move to

now my precious soul / how long are you going to / waste yourself / in this wandering journey / can’t you hear the voice / can’t you use your swifter wings / and answer the call.”

We will look back on 2014 as a year of awakening.  Uranus has been delivering the stimulus to kick us into consciousness about ourselves and the World we live in.  Yes, we live in difficult times. But we also live in a time of awakening to our connection with all that is.  Every moment we are bombarded with information that tells us that everything has consciousness.  We are beginning to comprehend that we are a part of a Universe that is mysterious, alive and interconnected.  Pluto has been trying to tear away old structures to allow for new growth and new paradigms.  Things that don’t work anymore and belief systems that are dead are slowly corroding, but it takes time.  Planet Saturn represents time.  Saturn has been visiting the Scorpio place all year.  Scorpio is a fixed sign so Saturn in Scorpio has held us back and it has kept the status quo in place. A fixed sign wants to be sure about things before taking a new step.  Judging from current mid-term elections, there is still much hesitation about taking new steps.  As a collective we seem to remain attached to our separation rather than our unity.

Well thank goodness we are about to get more light on the subject of awakening to our responsibilities as a homo spiritus species!  As the November Full Moon approach on November 6^th, the Sun, Saturn, Venus and Mercury are all holding hands in the sign of Scorpio.  The fixed nature of Scorpio is about to intensify and shift.  Saturn, the timekeeper, delivers a mature, serious tone and Scorpio planets recognize that the time has come to make some decisions and to commit to the next life chapter. Venus (what we value) and Saturn (what we are destined to do) join together to bring devotion to the soul’s path.  Mercury also joins with Saturn during the month.  Mercury is communication, but it also relates to commerce, the market place and the corporate office.  New decisions regarding career direction could be on coming for many of us.  Our destinies are unfolding.

The full moon time of the month brings increased light to the darkness…the darkness of the psyche, the unconscious, and our hidden agendas.  This full moon on November 6^th occurs in the sign of Taurus.  Taurus tells us to value the good life.  Enjoy yourself, and let life be easy. Taurus is about holding on to what we have (the house, our bank accounts, our relationships) but the opposite sign, Scorpio, slowly lets go of what has been acquired and proceeds to die and be reborn into a new life. Rumi’s words in the poem “lessen the smoke and more light brightens your house…..” crystallize the polarity  of Taurus and Scorpio. Taurus is our earthly house; Scorpio holds a hint of the abode that will come later. Scorpio intuitively seeks that next life, whether it is the next life chapter or another dimension of existence. Furthermore, Taurus enjoys the sensuality of life while Scorpio seeks intimacy and the hidden meaning of the sensual life. Taurus is building and maintaining while Scorpio is already seeing the transformation that will come later.

The Sun is transiting Scorpio until November 22.  Scorpio’s rulers, Mars and Pluto, will come into a conjunction this month on November 10^th.  When Mars and Pluto face off, we have intense energy that longs to find an outlet for powerful activity.  It could be a football game, an argument, an intense passion directed into romance (or a creative, money-making project), or it could get channeled into war.   Mars and Pluto will hold this space together in the sign of Capricorn, the ruler of the “establishment” (the government) and the corporate world.  Maybe there will be political fireworks or acceleration of aggression/ war activities.   Mars and Pluto together is definitely martial energy.  In addition, Mars will square Uranus during this period and that indicates surprises or sudden events; and it also encourages risk taking.  We need discernment to help us with our risk taking.  And we should be cautious and careful around the full moon and into the next week.  Mars square Uranus is a signature of accidents.  It can also lead to sudden upsets or life changes that are beyond our control. This doesn’t mean disaster.  Maybe somebody gets a windfall or life takes a favorable direction that just happens out of nowhere.

On the personal level, we have excitement, passion and energy.  Of course most of this package will be directed into our current earthly existence. However, when the Sun travels through the sign of Scorpio, we are close to the underworld where our true treasures reside.  Taurus is the earthly life that focuses on physical sustenance, pleasure and abundance.  Scorpio is the shadow life that longs to know the meaning of this life and to experience the deep wonders life offers.

“now my precious soul / how long are you going to / waste yourself / in this wandering journey / can’t you hear the voice / can’t you use your swifter wings / and answer the call.”

For many people, the month of November brings them closer to their soul destiny.  On the collective stage, we have a karmic destiny to address:  how long will we continue to witness people living in fear and bloodshed?  Are we any closer to finding resolution to generational, cultural and religious hatred?  As my teacher, Bhola Banstola said,  “when we undergo initiations we are BEGINNING the process. We are not masters yet, we are initiates.”  Life is one initiation after another!  Every month, in a subtle way, we begin again.  Collectively we begin again to address inequality, conflict and killing fields.  Individually we begin again by gaining another piece of the puzzle of our soul’s journey.

Souls2gather is sponsoring my Astrology 101 course.  It begins Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at Company Café Restaurant near Katy Trail in Dallas.  Here is the web site for more information.  Join souls2gather and register for Astrology 101.

http://www.souls2gather.com/astrology-101.html?m

Solar Eclipse October 23, 2014

This Solar Eclipse will encourage us to seek a deeper relationship with our self, and from that place we will know the nature of our outer relationships.

Eclipses happen every six months and they occur in pairs (a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse).  The Lunar Eclipse on October 8 stimulated our passions and gave us a kick to free ourselves of obstacles holding us back.  Now the Solar Eclipse approaches on Thursday, October 23.  We are given additional energy to refine our life journey. 

You might say a Solar Eclipse is a powerful, impactful New Moon.  The Moon steps between the Earth and the Sun.  On a psychological level, this event blocks the ego (the Sun) and pushes us into moments of darkness where the psyche (the Moon) can intuitively grasp new awareness, awakening, direction and truth.  For a few moments the ego “blacks out” and forgets itself.  Something hidden, or something new is available.

This Solar Eclipse is partial, meaning that the Moon does not completely block out the Sun. Perhaps this means that the Sun (the ego part) and the Moon (the unconscious part) have a chance to unite or communicate in some way that cannot be missed. 

Be true to yourself and love yourself.

The Sun and Moon are just entering the sign of Scorpio for this New Moon Solar Eclipse on Thursday.  Planet Venus is sitting right with them at the same degree.  Venus speaks to us about our values (how we value ourselves as well as WHAT we value).  Venus also addresses relationships.  Basically, it seems that this New Moon Solar Eclipse is about being in relationship with oneself. The old adage, “to thine own self be true,” comes to mind.  If we are true to ourselves, then perhaps we can be in healthier relationships with others.  Repeat:  a Solar Eclipse is a New Moon with powerful impact.  This eclipse promises to affect our relationships and teach us about love.

Venus is “relational” so Venus with Sun and Moon is super-relational, charming and loving. The energy of the Sun, Moon and Venus is just slipping into Scorpio. What does that mean?  It means we are going deeper in our search to understand our relationships.  What are we getting from our relationship with our self and others?  Do we have enough self-understanding and self-appreciation? Do we have enough intimacy with others? Do we have enough sharing? Is there passion?  Is there equality in the relationship?  Is there deep love? 

Perhaps this eclipse will encourage us to seek a deeper relationship with our self and from that place, we will know the nature of our outer relationships. This eclipse will also support us in knowing our own truth and in speaking our truth.

The pairing of Mercury and Pluto can be blunt, but full of truth.

Planet Mercury (communication) and the North Node of the Moon (soul purpose energizer) are visiting the sign of Libra together and they are making a challenging connection with Pluto in Capricorn and Uranus in Aries. Don’t be surprised if you or someone else “speaks the truth” without even planning to do so.  The pairing of Mercury and Pluto can be blunt, but truthful.  Uranus in the mix contributes a surprise quality.  The truth will be helpful.  The Solar Eclipse trio—Sun, Moon, Venus—is hopefully kind and loving enough to understand and forgive any harshness.  Furthermore, the North Node stimulates us to develop whatever skills we need to move forward with our purpose here on Earth.  The honesty factor may come from within as an enormous wake-up call from life itself.

We are under the spell of any eclipse for six months.

Remember, we are under the spell of any eclipse three months prior and three month after the actual eclipse date.  The issues we are dealing with--whether relationship, career, money, health, children, or anything else--have been in the spotlight for a while.  This week is a peak moment for examining what is going on in our lives.  The next three months give us a time frame for action, release, resolution, and or creation of something new.  Enthusiasm, integrity . . . kindness and love can take us there.

THE SUN NEVER SAYS

by Hafiz (Persia, 14^th C)

Even

After

All this time

The sun never says to the earth,

“You owe

Me.”

Look

What happens

With a love like that,

It lights the

Whole

Sky.

(translation by Daniel Ladinsky)

Astro Tips for October Lunar Eclipse 2014

We are approaching the full moon lunar eclipse on Wednesday October 8.  This full moon in Aires will be lined up with (or conjunct) planet Uranus and squaring Pluto. This Uranus square Pluto configuration has been with us all year.  This eclipse period may be giving us a chance to grasp what the first part of 2014 was about. From January to July we were bombarded by continual intense energy.  Whiplash. Eggbeater brains. Mars hammering in the same sign for months. The long transit of Mars in Libra kept us saying “yes ma’am” when maybe we wanted to say something else.  Many of us buried uncomfortable “stuff” and hoped some problems would magically go away.  They didn’t of course. Now here we have the Lunar Eclipse to help us see in the darkness of our minds that what we feared has many names and issues.  However, Uranus in the mix, along with Pluto (and Venus as well), may help us blink our eyes and yell, “freedom”! If we have felt suppressed or silenced in some way, now is the time to stand up and breathe.  We can break free of things that we believed were holding us back.  Aries is the sign of the courageous warrior.  Whether the desire is physical or spiritual in nature, this Aries full moon eclipse can push us further along on our personal journey.  There may be a lot of clatter and waving of fists but many of us will declare some form of freedom this month. 

There is an accompanying configuration in the fire signs that ignites our passion and gives us the optimism that we can do whatever we set our minds to.  The configuration is called “grand trine” and it is actually the formation of an equilateral triangle between planets…in this case, 3 planets in fire signs.  Fire energy is enthusiastic and creative. Artistic projects have a big whistle to get going.  Mars in Sagittarius, Jupiter in Leo, and Uranus in Aires give us hope.  In spite of all the troubles in the world, we can’t help but want to live life fully right now.  Let us maintain compassion for those who are less fortunate; those who continue to suffer with illness or with revolutions and maniacs at their doors.  If the big grand trine in fire gives you the message to go help in some way, you probably will. If it causes you to get down on your knees and thank the stars above for your good life, that is perfect. If the Venus/Jupiter/Uranus blast shows you an outline for your creative work, say thank you and get going.

In reading about the planetary arrangements for October, I came across one astrologer who reminded us that we have a cellular memory of fear surrounding eclipses.  Only learned astronomers/astrologers knew when these big eclipse events were going to occur.  On some level we may retain our awe and fear of what happens in the sky when the earth comes between the Sun and the Moon causing the Moon to become eerie and red.  We live in a time when powerful telescopes roam the galaxy and send pictures to our computer screens.  We know we have nothing literal to fear from an eclipse. Still, eclipses stir up the psyche.  Whether we believe it or not, we are connected to this phenomenon on Wednesday, October 8, and we will have our own unique great events in the next few weeks. 

When it is time, my star will shine!  (Yoruba proverb)

Linda Sprague