January 2008

Planning & Scheduling Living in Accord with the Seasons Mars continues to retrograde (seemingly move backwards in his orbit) in Gemini until January 30th. Some labor intensive course corrections may occur in this upcoming week, and the month of February will bring new forward movement on key projects. At the same time, Venus finishes her conjunction to Pluto, on Friday, Jan. 25. This may bring an exposé of overconfident value judgments. (i.e. world financial markets responding to fear of a US recession.) In your personal life, this may be experienced more as having an experience that shows you where your blind belief in a doctrine or a friendship or an enjoyment, has betrayed you, and letting go of blind faith. Also, this transit teaches us the "letting go" part of forgiveness. Jupiter in Sag continues his opposition by sign, to Mars in Gemini through the end of April, bringing abundant energy for new ideas. This period might bring balance between your many interests, and a healthy tension between developing competency in many things at once versus tying them all together. Mars regroups after his opposition with Pluto earlier in January, and comes back around to finish the face-off in the beginning of March. This transit teaches us about our anger. It show us: how to pick our battles, skillful means in fulfilling our life's passions, and the alchemy of turning anger into energy. Saturn continues to retrograde through Leo, grabbing the hands of time and ushering us through our Leo life lessons (a.k.a. self actualization curriculum). Find creative outlets for self expression and commit to doing things that bring you joy so as not to create dis-ease from too much care-taking. Mercury is conjunct Neptune on Thurs. 1/24 - vague communications, constantly changing variables, compassionate thinking, poetry. Mercury goes retrograde from Monday, Jan. 28, and resumes direct motion on Tuesday, Feb. 19 - this is one you'll want to make note of in your calendar. This is a good time for reviewing, editing, revising, and otherwise examining things with a fine tooth comb. It's also great for reconnecting with old friends. It's not the best time for travel, signing contracts, or having communications that need to stick. If you have these things planned already, just know you might need an extra dose of patience.

Tribe Dharma Conversations with the Moon There's a full moon early in the morning on Tuesday, January 22, at 5:36am Pacific Time, in the lunar sign of Pushya. There may be a dawning appreciation of our 'tribe' this full moon, and the role we each play in that tribe. Knowing our role - our dharma - within that tribe leads to being honored for the gifts we each individually offer. The full moon in Pushya is offering us contentment, nourishment, connection, and support. There is a lot of assistance available during this full moon from unseen agencies, for us each to come into our own fullest expression, and align with those of like vibration. There is greater access to wisdom during this particular full moon - the wisdom and character that come from giving yourself fully and to this human experience. "And I say the sacred hoop of my people was one of the many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father." ~Black Elk

an excerpt from 'Parthenon' by Pablo Neruda The sea there was an extended secret. The Parthenon was the first ship, ship of light with a pristine prow, navigating the marine rectangle, scattering fables and honey. The universe assumed its whiteness. When they abandoned it, again terror spread, and darkness. Man went back to a life of cruelty. It stayed there empty, pure and uninhabited, the delicate ship, shining and forgotten, remote in its structure, cold as if dead. But that wasn't true. It was alive, house, ship, prow, the center and heart of matter. There was nothing soft about the lines or severity of its beauty because it endured. In rain, in war, anger or oblivion, its obligation was to endure. And time does not respect the smile. Its obligation was to be, to last. It was a lesson, the stone, It was reason, the erected light. And man would come back, man, without his temporary gods, would come back. Order is the soul's eternity and the soul would come back to live in the body it created. I am sure of the motionless stone, but I know the wind. Order is just a creature. It grows and the building comes back to life. At one time or another, the fire goes out, but love returns to its dwelling place.